Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or those characters and don't make any money from this fic. Also, the song lyrics in the beginning aren't mine either. A friend, Cassia, pointed them out to me after she used them in a fic. We both don't know where it from, but neither of us owns it and make no money from their use.
Rating: PG-13 There's violence and I believe 2 bad words (but not *terribly* bad).
Author's Notes: First I want to please ask people not to flame me. This story is just *asking* to be flamed because A) It's a Meili fic B) There's OoC-ness (out of character-ness)...but it's really only done on Li's part and is somewhat explained... C) It's VERY Meili D) Did I mention it was Meili? and E) It's off the regular CCS story line. See, I've only *seen* the American CC, however I do know what happens in CCS. So, I'm playing the devil's advocate because I'm acting like I'm ignorant, but I'm not ^_^ I would explain what's happening, but that would ruin the story. So, all you need to know is that it doesn't follow the CCS line, it's an AU (alternative universe) fic. Also, I know that the whole reason why Meilin is in Japan, following the American CC, is all mixed up, so FYI, I'm saying she's an exchange student and lives with Li and his host (who I believe is named Wade and is a relative).
Other notes: I'm saying Li is in the Li Clan and Meilin is in the Rae Clan. Okay, so that is completely made-up, but I needed that info and that's how I got it. Also, I use the American names, because I don't know how to spell the Japanese names ^_^
Send FB to PhoenixB_82@hotmail.com or just REVIEW. Again, no flames pretty please. I have a very sensitive...temper and believe me I don't enjoy flames. Just kidding! But BE NICE! (Thanks!)
~*~
OUT OF THE DARKNESS
By: P.B. (PhoenixB_82@hotmail.com)
~*~
Somewhere in time
The truth shines through
And the spirit knows
What it has to do
Somewhere in you
There's a power with no name
One that can rise to meet the moment
And burn like a flame
And you can be stronger
Than anything you know
Believe in what you dream
Don't let it go
Reach for the light
To capture a star
Come out of the darkness
And find out who you are...
~*~
Jonas watched the candle's flame burn and illuminate his small room. He enjoyed the solitude of his home which allowed him time to concentrate on the future. He knew the time was upon the Oracle of the Clow to show her powers and knew he had to be ready for the upcoming battle. A soft knock at his door brought Jonas out of his thoughts.
"Enter."
A young man, named Ta Yu, entered the room and bowed deeply to his elder. "Sir, we have received news that Huai and Gin of the K'an Clan are heading to Japan. They know of the Oracle and her powers."
Jonas sadly nodded his head. "We knew we couldn't keep the secret from them for long. They had too many ways to gain the information."
Ta Yu sighed. "She will be in danger from them and herself. She had no warning from us, The Rae Clan or the Li Clan and will, no doubt, be confused."
"I know, but there was nothing we could do. If she or anyone knew of her powers she would have been in danger since birth. We had to protect her." Jonas cupped his hands in his lap and looked back towards his candle. "She is not alone, either. She has the help of those around her, especially her love."
"Jonas, you and I both know he does not care for her like that. He doesn't love her as she loves him, in fact, he would have rather she stayed in China with us."
The older man chuckled softly. "The young always think they know everything. Love is not always so easy to be seen. Sometimes it remains hidden even in the heart of those involved and yet it only needs one small push to make itself known."
Ta Yu raised an eyebrow toward Jonas. "You feel that this will bring them closer together?"
The old man blew on his candle, leaving the room in darkness, only allowing the light from the hallway in. Jonas slowly stood and took a deep breath. "I know this will." With that said, he moved past the younger man and made his way into his hallway with Ta Yu in tow.
~*~
Meilin stormed into the classroom and slammed her books on the desk. Both Sakura and Madison turned around and observed the temperamental girl. With a loud humph, she fell into her chair and placed her head on her hands.
Madison and Sakura exchanged a strange glance before latter spoke. "Um...what's the matter?"
Meilin raised her head and rolled her eyes. "Nothing that concerns you, Avalon."
Madison matched the Chinese girl's eyeroll. "Having trouble with *your* Li, *again*?" The sarcasm was over-powering and Sakura held her breath, waiting for Meilin to explode at her friend.
However, no one was able to hear the young girl's response because, at that moment, the subject of Madison's question entered. Meilin picked up her head and watched as Li made his way to his seat and sat down. He stared down at his desk for a few moments before looking over at the girls.
"Morning." A loud growl came from the raven-haired girl and she jumped to her feet. With a swift turn she stomped her way out of the room with her long hair swishing behind her. Li released a sad sigh and let his head fall to his desk with a thump.
Madison and Sakura exchanged another look. This time Madison spoke up. "What was that about?"
The young boy spoke into his desk as he answered the question. "Last night I was supposed to have dinner with her. I completely forgot and now she's...um...a little upset."
"A little?!?" Li let out a noise somewhat like a groan and Sakura only shook her head. No doubt Meilin wouldn't let him live this down for a long while.
~*~
Meilin threw open the girl's bathroom door and crashed inside. How dare Li stand her up? How dare he!?! How dare her love leave *her* waiting for *him*!?! She looked up into the mirror and was both shocked and angered to see tears in her eyes and streaming down her face.
She hated to cry, especially over her emotions, but she couldn't help it.
She loved Li and had loved him since she had first seen him when they were little children in China. They had been the best of friends for ages. Always training together and 'playing' cardcaptors. For years, things had been perfect between them.
Yet, all that had changed when Li was shipped off to Japan to help the cardcaptor.
Meilin had made him promise, when the Elders told him that he was leaving, that things would never change between them and Li had agreed. After him being gone nearly two months, The Elders surprised Meilin by saying she could go and help him in Japan. She had been ecstatic! She could go back to her Li and help him, just like in the old days, they would be cardcaptors.
But when she got to Japan, she found that not only had things changed between her and Li, they would never be the same. He no longer would joke with her or laugh with her or even hang off of her like they use to do. He was cold towards her and shut her out. They use to share everything and now, they seemed to share nothing. She knew, to the other kids, she had to look like a codependent brat that did nothing but annoy Li, but they never knew him before Japan. They never knew him when *he* would be to one to run up to her and give her a large hug. They never knew him when *he* would call her name from across a room just to get her attention.
They didn't know the old Li.
And she didn't know the new Li.
Meilin roughly brushed the tears off her face and took a deep, cleansing breath. A bell out in the hallway let her know she would be late for class, but she didn't care. The only thing that mattered to her was getting her old Li back and that, as long as they were in Japan, seemed hopeless.
With one last look in the mirror to make sure she look presentable, she headed back to her class.
~*~
Meilin bit the top of her pencil in concentration as she thought of how to answer the next math problem. Normally, she did okay with math, but her thoughts were so jumbled in her head that she couldn't even add two and two. With a quick look up she noted that Li, Sakura and Madison were working away furiously at their tests.
~Great, just great. Sit here like an idiot as they pass the class, Meilin!~ With a shake of her head, the young girl looked back down at her test.
Suddenly, a strange feeling passed over her. It was like a soft breeze that made the hairs on her neck stand up. Slowly, she took her eyes away from her test and looked around the classroom. Apparently, no one else seemed effected by the odd breeze. She had just turned back to her test when the feeling hit her again. This time stronger.
Meilin's head jerked up at the onrush of a chilling breeze. She could feel goosebumps on her arms and swung her head quickly around the room trying to see if anyone felt the breeze.
"Meilin Rae, keep your eyes on your own test." The young girl felt her face flush and dropped her eyes knowing the whole class was probably staring at her. She finished the test, all the time feeling the strange coldness in the air.
~*~
Li leaned back against the tree and basked in the sun and the silence. Sometimes at lunch, he enjoyed just being by himself and enjoying nature.
"Um...Li...can I ask you something?" The young boy sighed as he opened his eyes and saw Meilin standing in front of him. He was about to snap at her when he noticed she was looking at her hands and twisting them nervously.
"What do you want?" The question came out harsher than Li meant, but the young girl sat down in front of him anyway. Meilin continued to twist her fingers, but finally looked up at him.
"I was wondering...um...whenever you sense magic what does it...like...feel like?"
The young boy stared at his friend for a long moment. "Why do you care?"
"I was just curious."
Li raised an eyebrow at Meilin. "It's sort of like a soft breeze that blows, but no one else seems to feel it and it doesn't effect anything else. It leaves goosebumps and makes the hairs at the end of your neck sort of stand up."
The young girl's eyes grew one size larger. "I...I felt it, Li! During math class while I was taking the test. It was the strangest thing, but there were chills going down my spine. I really felt it. I felt magic!"
Li rolled his eyes and rose to his feet. "Give it a rest; you don't have magic powers. You know that, I know that, and the Elders know that. You can't just *get* powers either." He looked back towards the school. "I know you want to be a part of the cardcaptoring, but you aren't. I'm sorry."
Meilin jumped to her feet and faced off against Li. "I know what I felt and it was something, so don't *you* tell me otherwise." The girl turned quickly and stepped a few feet away before turning around again. "And I know you aren't sorry! You'd be just as happy if I went back to China and stayed there. Fine, Li, maybe I will do that."
The raven-haired girl stormed away from Li and pushed her way through Sakura and Madison. Both girls could see the hurt on the other's face, but before they could open their mouths she was too far away. The friends turned their eyes towards Li who was watching the retreating form of Meilin.
"What happened now?"
The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. She came to me and asked if I could describe what it felt like when I sensed magic and I told her. She then insisted that she had felt magic during math class. After I told her it was impossible she sort of exploded at me and was talking about going back to China."
"Is it possible she could have sensed magic?"
Li stared at Sakura like she had grown a second head. "No, there's no way she could have. You know what Kero said, she has no magical power and that's the truth. There's no way she could just *get* powers without the Elders knowing it." The boy sighed. "She'll never have magical powers."
Only Madison seemed to catch the true sadness in Li's voice. It was almost as if he had a...longing for her to get powers. Almost as if he wanted her to be part of the magical realm.
~*~
For the rest of the day, Meilin avoided Sakura, Madison and Li, and finally, when the school was let out, she rushed home and locked herself in her room. She knew Li would never believe her, but she was telling the truth. She had felt something odd, and perhaps magical, in the math class and *she* knew it.
Meilin moved over to her dresser and opened her bottom drawer. One by one, she removed old books and parchment papers, each one holding any and all information about Clow Reed and his magic. If she wanted an answer to what she felt then she'd have to find it herself.
And find it she would.
~*~
Li had been home for over an hour and still had yet to see Meilin. He knew she would be angry with him, but he never thought she'd be *this* mad. After all, he had said and done worse things to her since being in Japan and she always came back to him. Distantly, Li wondered if she was serious about going back to China. Surprisingly, he didn't *want* her to go back. He really did enjoy having her with him in Japan.
He knew he was quiet mean to her at times, but he was on a mission in Japan. He had to keep focused and look at the tasks at hand. Besides, he was too busy trying to make sure Sakura didn't make any mistakes to try and make Meilin happy. She knew he cared for her.
Didn't she?
~Of course she does. Why would she think differently?~ Although Li felt he had himself convinced a small voice in the back of his head nagged at him.
~You've changed since being here. You're cold towards her and you know it!~
The young boy groaned and rose to his feet. He needed to talk to Meilin and apologize for his behavior earlier today. He moved down the hallway towards her room and rapped softly on her door.
"Come in."
Li entered her room and found her surrounded by papers. She didn't bother to look up. "What can I do for you?"
The boy cringed at her crude tone. She was still mad at him.
"Um...I was just wondering what you wanted to do for dinner."
For the first time, Meilin looked up at him and shrugged. "I don't care. You can do whatever you want I'll find something."
Li knew he was no longer welcomed in her room and silently left her. Once gone, the young girl placed the papers she had been looking at down. It was hopeless. In all the hundreds of writings she had looked over, not one mentioned anything about someone just receiving their powers suddenly. She had to have been imagining things like Li said.
~Besides wouldn't he have felt it anyways?~ Meilin mentally agreed with herself. If there had been magic around, he and Sakura would have felt it also. With a sad sigh, the Chinese girl began to put her papers away. She stopped when her hands fell on an old brown book about the ancestors of the Clow. She gently picked it up and examined it.
Inside she read the same passage, as a child, her and Li use to read.
*And when the time comes, the true guardians of the Clow, shall rise and come forth to help restore the balance within the world.*
Her and Li use to re-read that passage again and again wondering when the time would come in which their powers would show themselves and they would gather the Cards. They would fantasize over the adventures they were going to have and wonder how they would change when their powers came.
Not but a year later Li began to show magical powers.
Meilin did not.
Still she remembered how Li would constantly assure her that her powers would come and they would hunt the cards together.
He was so convincing that she believed him.
She *had* believed him, but it had turned out to be a lie. Somehow, in the genetics of it all, she had been denied magical powers and been left normal.
Suddenly, Meilin hurled the book towards the mirror over her dresser and watched it shatter into a thousand pieces. She hated the fact that she was normal and Li was magical. It was just one more thing that held them apart.
~*~
Li ran through the night streets, following the magical sensation he felt. He had just been lying down to sleep when the feeling hit him and he left his home in less than five minutes. He couldn't shake the small feeling of guilt he felt at not waking Meilin, but there was nothing to do about it now, and he'd just have to tell her about it in the morning.
Li stopped his forward movement and looked up in time to see Sakura, Madison and Kero coming down by him using the Fly Card. He waited for them to land.
"The Card's just around the corner." Sakura nodded her head and began to follow Li as they went around the corner. Both stopped suddenly causing Madison to run into them.
"What is it? A Card?"
Kero floated next to the Madison. "No, it's...
"Meilin?" Li filled in.
The young girl turned towards the group of four and watched as they moved closer.
"What are you doing our here, little girl?"
Meilin gave Kero a hard stare and opened her mouth to answer, but Li cut her off.
"Why did you follow me *again*?" The young girl removed her eyes from the small guardian and looked, with hurtful eyes, towards Li.
"I didn't follow you! I followed my senses to here."
"You don't have any *senses*, Meilin!"
Sakura watched the exchanged between the two Chinese kids with curiosity. Something was bothering her.
"Li, she couldn't have followed you because she got here first." All four turned their eyes towards the raven-haired girl.
"What are your guys' problems?!?"
"Meilin, how did you know to go here?" The young girl turned towards Sakura.
"I just did. I had this strange sensation that just kept calling me until I came to this spot, then it just..." Meilin looked around. "...it stopped."
For the first time all, who could sense the magic in the small clearing, were aware of the fact that the feeling was now gone.
"It's gone." Kero spoke the obvious.
Li turned towards Meilin and met her glaze. "Let's go home and talk." The young girl nodded her head and followed the young boy while the others went their own way.
~*~
"She is the one."
"Which one?"
"The raven-haired one."
"Are you certain?"
"Completely. I can sense the magic flowing off of her. She is the Oracle of the Clow and the one we are looking for. She is the only one whose power we can take and posses."
The two men moved back into the shadows where they had first observed the group of kids.
"When will we make our move?"
"Soon. Very soon."
"Do you think they will find out that the magic is not a Card, but a hoax?"
One man clicked his teeth. "No. They can sense magic, but cannot deceiver it. Our hoax will hold until we make our move."
~*~
Meilin and Li entered their home in silence. The young girl went over to the kitchen and pulled two cups from a cupboard. She filled them with water and then headed back into the living area. By the time she made her way back in, Li was already siting on the couch with his sword laying on the floor. He was dragging his fingers across the fabric on the couch and didn't even look up when Meilin sat down next to him and placed the drinks on the table.
A long silence filled the small home and the girl resisted the urge to twiddle her thumbs, finally her companion spoke.
"What *exactly* did you feel tonight?"
Meilin looked down at her hands and began to play with the cuff on her outfit. "I had just gotten into bed and closed my eyes when I felt this incredible warmth and a bright light even though my eyes were closed. I got up and just stood in the middle of my room for about two minutes. Then I felt the chills again. I began to get dressed and as I did the feeling just got stronger and stronger. Finally, I went outside and the feeling sort of guided me. The closer I got; the stronger it got."
Li shook his head and finally looked up at Meilin. She could see, in his eyes, his mind trying to figure out all the information that he had just been given. He opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it just as quickly with a snap. After another long moment of silence, he spoke.
"I don't know what's happening, Meilin." He grabbed one of her hands and held it tight. "I really don't."
For the first time, in as long as she could remember, Meilin saw pure confusion in Li's eyes.
And it frightened her.
Since, they were children, they could find the answer to any question; be it magical or not. But now, to see him confused about something that was happening to *her*, was scary. If he didn't know what was happening, how on earth was she supposed to?
Again, for the first time in a long time something else happened. Meilin burst into tears. Li reacted quickly, pulled her to his chest and allowed her to cry onto him. All the while, he softly stroked her back and whispered kind words to her. Meilin let all her worry flood out in her tears. She felt protected in her friend's arms and relished his closeness. Though she didn't want to move, she knew she had to act brave for Li and herself, so she gently pushed away from him.
"I'm sorry." Blush crept up her cheeks.
"That's okay. You know, it's all right to be frightened."
Meilin looked over at him and smiled. "I'm never frightened."
Li smiled back. "Of course not. You're Meilin Rae."
He patted her on the head in a friendly manner and Meilin playfully swatted him away. The young boy laughed at her and grabbed both her wrists.
"Hey, that's not fair!" In attempt to free her arms, the young girl kicked out with her leg and made contact with the boy's elbow. He felt it buckle and the end result was the boy falling atop her. Meilin let out a surprised shriek.
"Li, get off!" She pushed him upward with her knees and, due to the force, he fell on the arm of the couch. Because of his swinging arms, his balance was off, and he tumbled to the floor with a thump. Slowly, Meilin put her hands on the arm and leaned over the end of the sofa looking for Li. All she saw was his arm grab her by the shoulder before she fell on top him on the ground.
The young boy let out a loud 'oof' as Meilin made contact with his chest. "Geez, you've gain weight!"
"Hey!!" Meilin rolled off him and smacked him in the stomach as she got off. She looked over at him and simultaneously they both broke into laughter. All the troubles, and worries, forgotten as they re-found what they had lost when they left China.
They re-found a bond that had somehow been hidden once they left their homeland.
Meilin and Li slowly caught their breath and enjoyed the silence after their little war. They both were content to leave each other to their own thoughts.
Li thought of what his best friend was involved in and what it meant that she was gaining magic that neither he nor she understood.
Meilin thought of how much she had missed her old Li and how wonderful it felt to be back to normal with him.
~*~
The young Chinese girl hummed to herself and she put the final touches to the midnight meal she was making. After sharing each other's company for close to a half an hour, Meilin decided to make something for the both of them since it appeared neither would be going to bed soon.
~A little more pepper and it's done!~ The young girl tasted her sauce and smiled approvingly. The meal was going to be delicious. She went to put the pepper back and accidentally knocked open the cupboard at her feet. When she bent down to close it, Meilin caught site of Li's most valuable possession: the Lasin board.
Curiosity set in and the young girl picked up the board. She turned it over in her hands, examining it. Meilin remembered the day Li received the board, both had been so fascinated with it that they had spent well over forty hours just trying to figure it out. The Elders finally told Li the enchanting words to activate the board.
The young girl looked over down at the Lasin board and smiled. ~I wonder~
Closing her eyes, she recited the very words she had heard Li say over a thousand times.
"Force know my plight, release the light! Lightning!" Although the one thing Meilin wanted more than anything was for the board to listen to her, she wasn't prepared for the loud crash of light that happened barely outside the kitchen window.
Meilin jumped and ran to the window. Outside she could clearly see a large black, charred spot where the lightning hit. With a small cry she dropped the board and ran out of the kitchen in search of Li.
She only made it a little ways before she crashed into him.
"What is it, Meilin?"
"I...I...was...cooking the kitchen." The young boy raised an eyebrow. "No, no I mean cooking in the kitchen! I saw the Lasin board and I...I did the incantation and it worked!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen and to the window. She pointed at the large spot in the earth.
"It really worked! I conjured magic!"
Li was speechless and simply stared at the earth when the lightning had hit. It was now undeniable; Meilin had somehow gained magic powers. The young girl saw the forlorn expression on the young boy's face and cocked her head to one side.
"Li, *I* conjured magic, aren't you happy?" The young boy shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked at the young girl.
"Meilin, think of it. We now *know* you have some magical powers, but how? There are so many questions and I don't have the answers." He looked down at his hands. "I'm worried what this means."
The girl looked at him and, for once in a long while, was the voice of reason. "Li, we can call the Elders tomorrow. *They'll* know what's happening. Until then, let's enjoy the food and think of what this could mean." Meilin's smile grew larger. "I can really help you now!"
Li put on a false smile and sat down at the table while the young girl served up the meal. She sat across from him and happily dug in. The young boy half-heartily ate his meal, but constantly shot glances at the girl across the table.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was only going to come along with Meilin's magic. He realized that he was deathly worried for her and couldn't imagine what things would be like without her. She had always been a constant in his life and was the only person he could ever be himself around. She was the only one who could bring out all his emotions; his anger, fear, love, sadness, and happiness. He, in a flash of brilliance, realized that he was who he was because of Meilin.
Their eyes met for a long minute and Li could feel himself getting lost in her ruby-eyes. She smiled and he couldn't help but smile back. She looked back down at her meal, but Li continued to watch her. He felt another dash of reality hit him.
He loved her.
He truly loved her.
He now knew why all this worry and fear kept creeping up in him. He was afraid to lose her, because he *loved* her. All the times, in Japan, that he had pushed her away wasn't because he wanted her to move away, but because he wanted to protect her. Until a day ago, Meilin never possessed any magic, yet she dealt with it all the time. She had no way to protect herself against the dangers that constantly arose with magic.
He knew that at any moment she could have been killed or injured and, even if he never consciously knew it, he pushed her away hoping that she would not want to get involved, and thus, he wouldn't have to worry about her. But she never went away, regardless of how badly her treated her.
"Thank you."
He hadn't realized he spoken out loud until Meilin looked at him with a questioning stare.
"For what?"
Li looked at her and gave her a large smile. "For being here and for putting up with me."
The young girl rolled her eyes. "Like you could get rid of me *that* easily, silly!"
The young boy nodded his head. "I wouldn't want to get rid of you." Again, he hadn't thought he spoke out loud, but he had.
"You mean that?"
Li looked back up at her. "Of course I do."
"Thank you."
Both turned back to their meals and ate the remaining food in silence. Li's mind, though, was anything but silent because of one thought: the thought that the girl who stole his heart could be in danger.
~*~
"Night!" Meilin watched as Li shut his bedroom door behind him before stepping into hers. She took two steps in before stopping abruptly.
"OUCH!" With a quick flick of her hand, the young girl turned on her light to see what caused the pain in her foot. She saw that her floor was covered in the glass from the mirror she had broken hours before. She forgot that, before went to bed and headed out, she hadn't cleaned up her floor. With a few chose words, Meilin sat on her bed and cleaned the glass out of her foot.
Once finished, she got to the floor and began to pick up the larger pieces. She had just grabbed one of the larger slabs of glass when a movement caught her eye. She looked around, but couldn't see whatever had moved. With a shrug she continued her work.
Not a minute later, she saw another movement out of the corner of her eye, this time, though, Meilin had a general direction of where the movement was from. She stepped, carefully avoiding glass, to the spot and kept her eyes glued to that one spot. However, she saw movement in another spot.
With a frustrated sighed, the girl forgot about it, leaving it to her eyes playing tricks due to tiredness. Meilin just grabbed the last large piece of glass and offhandedly looked into it. Yet, instead of seeing the black-haired, ruby-eyed girl she suspected to see, she saw an older man.
But the strange image, surprisingly, did not frighten Meilin and she continued to look into the mirror. The old man's face began to fad away and was replaced by another. This one, unlike the first, was recognizable to her.
It was Clow Reed.
Meilin felt her hands begin to tremble with anticipation as another image came to the mirror. She watched as Clow Reed's face faded away and was replaced by and image of Kero, but as a full guardian. The massive winged lion was laying on the ground next to...
The mirror suddenly went blank and Meilin saw herself staring into her own eyes. She continued to watch her image wondering what had just happened and why on earth she wasn't the least bit worried. The girl rose up from the ground and placed the piece of glass on her dresser. Meilin didn't bother with the rest of the glass and instead turned off her light and climbed into her bed.
For some reason she had strong need to sleep.
~*~
She was surround by thousand of candles that illuminated the room as well at a hundred light bulbs. Yet, even with all the candles, she felt no heat. Meilin took a step further into the room and saw another figure sitting in a chair. The person had their head turned away from her, so Meilin took more steps to get closer.
Once she was barely a foot away, the figure turned around and, again, Meilin recognize the man. It was Clow Reed, creator of the Clow Cards. The young girl took a self-conscious step back and then quickly bowed to the Elder.
"Rise."
She had never expected Clow Reed's voice to be so compassionate. She always thought of him as a strong commanding figure, but the way he spoke to her was so...gentle and kind. Meilin straightened and looked deep into his eyes.
"You are the Chosen One."
"I mean no disrespect sir, but chosen for what?"
Clow Reed didn't answer her, but instead closed his eyes and held his palms towards the young girl. She felt a soft breeze blow about her and could see a soft white glow surround her.
She could see Clow Reed's lips moving, but could not hear a word he was saying. Instead she felt what he was saying in her mind. She felt his words penetrate her mind in the form of images. Meilin closed her eyes and began to focus on the images.
Each picture, though only in her brain for a second, gave her more knowledge of Clow Reed, the Clow Cards, and of the powers they held than any book she had ever read. She felt as if she was Clow Reed. She felt as if *she* had created the Clow Cards.
She had more knowledge of them than Sakura. She knew them better than Li. She knew their powers and their ambitions and their minds. She now understand why she sensed magic. She was a part of the Clow Reed magic. She held all their powers deep inside and could possess that power at any moment.
She was the very center of the Clow. She was the one person who knew them as well as Clow Reed did.
She was the Oracle of the Clow.
~*~
Meilin woke up with a start to the beeping of her alarm clock. She looked around her room and gained all her senses back. She had been having the strangest dream, but could not recall any of it. It was just barely out of her reach and nagging her already. With a moan she got out of her bed and began to go to her dresser. She noticed a large piece of the mirror she had broken last night sitting on her dresser.
~Why on earth did I save it?~ She didn't bother to answer her question, and instead threw the piece of glass with the others.
~I really need to sweep~ She thought as she avoided the smaller pieces of glass still scattered on her floor. Jumping out of the glass's way she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for school.
~*~
The young raven-haired girl sat at the lunchroom table idly picking at her food. Ever so often she would look upwards towards the doors of the school looking for someone. After a long second of watching she would look back at her food and pick at it.
"Where do you suppose Li is? Meilin looks rather lonely over there." Madison nodded her head at Sakura.
"She does. Should we go over to her?"
Sakura and Madison had just finished grabbing their food to head over towards Meilin, when they heard the loud cry of laughter. Both girls looked in the direction of the noise and were shocked at the site.
Meilin was attempting to push Li's hands off of her eyes, but the young boy kept alluding her grasps. She tried to swing her arms to hit him, but he avoided her. Both Chinese kids were laughing hysterically. Finally, the young girl succeed in pulling his hands away from her eyes and turned around towards the young boy. She bent down and grabbed on to one of his legs. With a quick tug the boy found himself laying on the ground with Meilin standing over him.
"I win!" The young girl placed her hands on her hips and then finally offered her hand to Li. He took it and got to his feet. Both sat back down on the bench and Meilin pushed her lunch in front of Li; the two of them began to eat and converse.
Off to the side Madison and Sakura finally snapped out of their silent stupor.
"Was that Li?
Madison nodded.
"What do you suppose is wrong with him? He was...laughing and having...FUN!!"
The darker haired girl looked towards Sakura with a tilt of her head. "Don't you see?"
"See what?"
Madison sighed and grabbed her packed up lunch. "They found what they were missing."
"Huh?"
Madison didn't bother to answer her friend, but instead smiled knowingly. For the longest time she had been certain that Li had feelings for Sakura. With the way he would blush at her or the way he seemed to get tongued tied when trying to tell her something. But then she saw him with Meilin. She saw the way he let his heart show on his sleeve and the way only she could make him angry or sad or happy. Madison saw the way that he felt a need to protect her and the sad look he would get in his eyes whenever he said something cruel to her.
Yes, Madison knew where Li's heart was, even if he hadn't.
The young girl looked back to the Chinese students and smiled. It looked as if he finally realized who had stolen his heart and let himself show the love that she felt for him back.
Sakura looked oddly at her friend and waved a hand in front of her face. "Geez, everyone's acting odd today."
Madison just shook her head. Sakura may be kind and sweet, but seemed to lack a lot of knowledge of the heart.
"Come on, Sakura. Let's go to class." Madison headed forward, but did one more look behind her towards Meilin and Li. She smiled one last time at the two; finally Li saw what a special person Meilin was and how much she loved him and he loved her.
~*~
The two Chinese kids ran through the streets of Reedington. Both wearing strange battle outfits and one carried a sword. Anyone watching them would probably think it was two young kids just having fun with costumes. But, anyone who *really* knew why they were out in the street would be keeping their eyes open for a Clow Card.
Li and Meilin turned into the park and headed over toward the Penguin slide. It was decided, once the Clow Cards began to show up regularly, that Sakura would meet up with the two of them so they could regroup and focus on the Card.
Meilin stood next to Li and shook slightly with anticipation. After school, they had called upon the Elders to ask them about the young girl's strange situation with the magic. However, after speaking with three different message machines, they finally gave up and noted to try later.
However, later never came because not a half an hour after they tried calling the Elders, both sensed a Clow Card. Li, of course, went and got on his uniform, grabbed his Lasin Board and sword. Meilin, uncertain of what to do, also got dressed and waited for Li.
For a long, silent minute, the young boy simply stared at his friend. And finally, in a moment that made the young girl's heart beat faster, Li nodded to her and told her to come along.
Now, she was here with Li at the Penguin slide and could actually sense the magic swirling around the city.
It was a marvelous feeling.
Li looked over to Meilin and smiled. She had a look of pure contentment on her face. A soft wind was blowing in the park making her two-bunned hairstyle fly around her. Her long black strands of hair swam around her face gracefully and Li realized she was quiet beautiful.
A blush quickly crept its way up the young boy's face as he realized he was staring at Meilin. He quickly jerked his head away and focused on the large buildings in the downtown. A thump of feet behind the Chinese fighters turned them around. Sakura, Madison and Kero came up to the Penguin slide.
"Do you know what Card it is?" Li and Meilin both shook their heads.
"You?"
"No."
Kero flew up next to Sakura. "I can't get any clear senses from it. Whatever one it is, it's powerful."
Meilin closed her eyes for a moment and then jerked them open. "It's not a Clow Card. It's something else."
All looked at her. "What is it then?"
The raven-haired girl shook her head. "I don't know, but focus on it. *Really* focus and you'll be able to tell."
All with magic tightly closed their eyes.
"She's right." Kero agreed with the young girl.
With the small guardian's proclamation, no one knew what to say and, instead, fell into a thoughtful silence.
The silence was broken, however, by the strange sound of clapping. All the kids turned, along with Kero, in the direction of the noise.
"Wow, Gin, aren't you *so* impressed with them? It only took them, how long, to figure out there wasn't a Clow Card?"
Two men walked out of the shadows and closer to the group. They both wore blood red shirts with black pants and shoes. In the middle of their shirts was a large picture of ying-yang spilt in two. Both ends of the ying-yang were flipped outwards. Each had dark brown hair cut in a very short style save for a ponytail that stuck out the back of the scalp.
"Who are you?" Li and Meilin asked simultaneously.
"Ah, the two little brats from the Rae and Li Clans. It is an *honor* to meet you." Huai bow mockingly.
"Why are you here?" Li, by now, had stepped somewhat in front of the group and had drawn his sword. It was being held out in front of him; pointed at the two men.
"Brave aren't you, little wolf?" Gin continued. "Well, to enlighten your puny brain, we're here for the powerful magician on the Clow."
Sakura let out a small gasp. The men had to be after her; her being the Clow Mistress.
Huai started laughing and uncontrolled, evil laugh. "You? You think we're after *you*?" Now Gin joined in on the laughter.
"Why on earth would we want you?" No one had answer.
"Fine, I'm here. Let's go." Li tightened his grip on the sword and stood ready for a fight.
Gin and Huai shared a look and then both rolled their eyes. "Good god, you're all full of yourself. What makes you think we want you, Li Showron?" Again, no one answered. "We don't want anything to do with the guardian, the mistress or even the warrior. Only one thing has any meaning to us. The Oracle of the Clow."
Suddenly, as if those words opened a floodgate, Meilin gasped at the images in her head. Thousands upon thousands of incantations, words, meaning, and pictures soared throughout her mind. She felt her body fill with knowledge of the Clow Cards and Clow Reed.
On top of all this, one bit of information stood out. Like a pulsing light in her mind, she saw the answer.
They were after her.
She was the Oracle of the Clow.
Gin watched the raven-haired girl closely. "Ah, I see you're finding out the truth. Strange isn't it?"
Meilin looked up at the men. "What's happening?"
"Nothing you should worry yourself with. Just come along with us and we'll help you understand all of it."
Li looked at his friend and back at the men. "You're not taking her anywhere!" He stepped in front of Meilin as a protector.
Sakura, who had been in the back, now moved upwards and stood next to Meilin. "Why do you want her?"
Huai sighed deeply. "This is getting annoying. I don't need to answer any of your stupid questions. Now, Meilin Rae, you are going to come with us."
The young Chinese girl looked at the two men. "No. I want nothing to do with the K'an Clan. You all betrayed us when your ancestors tried to kill Clow Reed."
Li looked behind at Meilin. "What are you talking about?"
The young girl shook her head. "I don't know. I just somehow *knew* that; like it was just a memory."
The young boy looked back to the men. "What's happened to her? You seem to know and I want the answer."
"You dare to threaten us?!? Please, boy, we could be rid of you at second's notice. Yet, to answer your question, we want nothing with the girl, but rather with her magic. After Clow Reed sealed the Cards he created a Clow Mistress and another cardcaptor to help her. He knew, however, that the Mistress and Captor would only know of the Clow Cards if they looked into them. He wanted to make certain that someone, whenever the book's seal was broken, knew of the Clow Cards. Knew of their powers and knew all the history of himself and the Clow.
"But, because of Li and his knowledge of the Clow Cards, the Oracle's power didn't need to be called upon because the Mistress was gaining the knowledge she needed when she needed it. So, the Oracle remained hidden until recently. You see, the Clow Cards are becoming fewer and fewer, thus their mindset is changing. You already know that though. Remember the Mirror Card? The Cards are getting smarter, and knowledge, beyond what the captor and even the guardian knows, is needed."
Meilin spoke up. "Thus the reason why my powers are coming out. I'm the Oracle."
The K'an Clan members nodded. "Very good, little girl. You're pretty quick. The one good thing about the Oracle though, is that her powers are transportable. You see, Clow Reed put so much magic into the Mistress and the Captor that he could seal their magic within them. No matter how strong someone is, they will never be able to gain their magic. But, he put so much magic and knowledge into the Oracle, that he didn't have enough left to make her magic a part of her. Her powers are easily taken with the correct mixture of magic."
Li frown. "You know how to gain her magic don't you?"
Gin smiled. "Would we put all this effort into this if we didn't? After years of work and waiting, the K'an Clan finally gained the power to take the Oracle's powers. With that power we will hold all the knowledge of the Clow Cards and be able to take the Cards. Can you imagine what you can do with that power?"
All the kids, and Kero, shivered. They could only imagine the destruction.
Huai held out his hand. "Now, come along with us, Meilin."
The young girl stepped a bit closer to Li. "Are you crazy? After what you just told me you think I'm going to go with you?"
The two men exchanged a look. "Fine. If you feel like doing things the hard way, we have no qualms with that."
Both Chinese men grabbed their swords that had been in their holders on their backs. Li moved forward a bit more and Meilin began to move next to him, but was stopped by Sakura's wand coming in front of her.
"You can't go out there. They're after you."
The raven-haired girl looked at the Clow Mistress. "Then you go and help him! He can't fight those two by himself!"
Sakura took a deep breath and moved beside Li. She couldn't fight the men like Meilin could, but she did have the Clow Cards and their powers. Gin and Huai faced the two young kids and then attacked.
Li's sword struck against Huai's as the two paired off. The clanging of the swords echoed in the still street as the warriors battled. Although, obviously out matched, Li fought with as much vigor as he had ever done.
"You know you can't win, little boy. We are too powerful; she will be ours."
The Chinese boy gritted his teeth. "I won't let you have her."
Huai laughed as he fought. "Oh my, does the little fighter have feelings for the Oracle? Well then that will make this victory even more enjoyable." The two swords fell together and both handlers meet above the cross of their weapons. The older man smiled a wicked smile at Li.
"Did you know that when we take her powers her body will die? Her powers and knowledge are so strong that they support her. Without them, she's dead."
With a loud grunt, Li pushed against the man and heard Huai's sword clash to the ground with satisfaction. "You won't get her."
The young boy moved closer to the man and held his sword at the man's throat. "It's over, call Gin back."
The older man looked over Li's shoulder. "Why don't you tell him that?"
Confused, the boy turned around and found himself staring straight into Gin's eyes. With lightning fast movements, the older man knocked Li's sword out of his hands and grabbed the boy by his uniform. He spun Li around so that he could hold his sword to the boy's neck.
Li looked and saw Sakura rushing forward. Obviously, Gin had used his physical strength and gotten the wand away from Sakura long enough so that he could help out Huai with Li. Now, because of the team up, the young boy was captured and being held with a sword to his neck.
"So, Miss Oracle," all three looked toward Meilin, "what's your decision? Either we run this sword through your Li or you come with us."
~*~
Meilin watched Li begin to battle with Huai and clasped her hand to her mouth. She knew Li was a wonderful fighter, but this man looked just as good; if not better. She watch intently as the two clashed their swords and then seemed to have a conversation. The young girl heard Li grunt and then saw Huai's sword fly away. She smiled happily. Leave it to Li to win a battle where the odds were stacked against him.
Meilin was just about to move over to him and congratulate him when she heard Sakura let out a yell. She turned around in time to see Sakura's wand fly away from her. Gin had kicked it out of her hands before she had a chance to call upon any Cards.
With building horror, the young girl watched as Gin took off and sprinted towards Li and Huai. She opened her mouth to yell to Li, but by the time her brain began to work, Gin was already holding Li with a sword to his neck.
Vaguely, Meilin noticed Sakura had gotten her wand and was standing next to her. All the young Chinese girl saw was Li's eyes as they locked on hers.
"So, Miss Oracle, what is your decision? Either we run this sword through your Li or you come with us."
She watched as Li slowly shook his head. The message was clear: don't do it. But, how could she allow them to harm Li?
"Let him go and I'll come with you." Meilin hung her head so she wouldn't have to look at Li's face.
"No, Meilin, don't! They'll kill you!!" The young girl slowly walked in the direction of Gin and Huai with her head down. She had to do this to save Li; it was her only choice.
Huai moved in front of Li and Gin and headed towards Meilin. "Good choice, Little Oracle." He grabbed the young girl by her arm and began to drag her away violently.
As if a sudden flash of light hit her, Meilin jerked herself around and saw Gin pull back his sword. The man held Li's mouth with his hand and held the sword just above the boy's stomach. In a flash of realization, the young girl knew what was going to happen.
"LI!" As she cried out his name, Meilin kicked out at Huai and made contact with his stomach. Not worrying with him, the Chinese girl took off running in the direction of Li. She made it two steps when the Chinese man tackled her to the ground. With a painful crash the two fell to the ground, but Meilin looked up in time to see Gin ram the sword into Li's stomach. With a violent jerk, the man pulled the sword away from Li and allowed the boy to fall to the ground with a dead thump.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Her heart-breaking scream tore itself from the young girl's mouth. Meilin struggled against Huai, but the stronger man held her to the ground. "No no nononono...NO!!!!!!" This time the young girl's cry came as deep growl. The young raven-haired girl took her eyes away from Li and rolled onto her back so she could look at the man on top of her. "Get. Off. Me."
The man laughed in her face. "What are you going to do."
Meilin closed her eyes. "Source of light and ancient spin, send forth the magic power within. Force know my plight, release the light. Lightning!"
A streak of lightning flew from the sky and made contact with the ground on a few feet away from them. The man was so shocked by the lightning, he took his attention away from the young girl. Meilin saw her chance and kicked up with her knee. The contact to the man's stomach caused him to roll off her and onto the ground clutching his sore area.
Meilin didn't waste any time before she rose to her feet and took off in the direction of Li. She saw Gin head towards her, but didn't even give him a look. She knew Li's incantations inside and out.
"Element, Wind!" The wind blew, knocking Gin off his feet and away from the two Chinese kids. Finally, the young girl made it to Li's side and fell to her knees by him. She grabbed his head and gently stroked his cheek. "Li, open your eyes. Please."
Tears ran down Meilin's cheek as she looked at her love's pale face. She placed her hand over his chest at his heart; praying for any movement. "Please." She watched Li's chest and saw no movement.
Now, sobbing Meilin began to shake Li roughly. "No, you have to wake up! You're not dead, damn it! Li, wake up now!"
"He's dead and you killed him." The young Chinese girl looked up and saw that Gin and Huai had recovered and now were standing just in front of her on the other side of Li.
"I didn't kill him." Meilin looked up at the two men with fire in her eyes. "You did!" The girl rose to her feet and carefully stepped over Li's still form.
"You killed him. You!" She began to step closer to the men and finally stopped right in front of them. "And you will pay. Element, Wind!"
With that Meilin closed her eyes. All around the three of them a strong breeze blew. Meilin's hair and outfit whipped around, but she held still on her feet. The two men, though, had been pushed to the ground and were desperately trying to hold onto anything to keep from blowing away. Suddenly the wind stopped and both looked up at the young girl. She had a wicked smile on her face.
"Source of light and ancient spin, send forth the magic power within. Force know my plight, release the light..." Meilin pointed her finger at the two men. "Ligh..."
"NO!" The young girl stopped the incantation and looked over at a tearful Sakura. "Don't Meilin. Li wouldn't want you to harm these men, he'd want you to take them to justice."
The Chinese girl looked at Sakura and felt his anger slowly fad. With a turn of her head she looked back at Li's body on the ground and began to cry again. Meilin looked back to the men. "You will pay." With that she turned away from the K'an Clan members, made her way next to Li and fell, again, beside the young boy.
Gin and Huai smiled and began to rise to their feet. Slowly, they moved in the direction of the Oracle.
"Wood Card, release and dispel. Wood!" The two men only made it one more step before they found themselves trapped in a mess of wooden bars. Sakura moved in front of them and gripped her wand tightly. Tears ran down her face, but she continued to stare at the two men. "Why?"
Gin rolled his eyes. "Because the powers that the Oracle have are worth anything."
The Clow Mistress sadly shook her head. "Not worth a life."
Huai scoffed. "You know nothing."
Sakura looked at the two men and then turned around disgustedly. She looked at over at Meilin, who now had laid her head down on Li's shoulder. The poor girl was sobbing her heart out on the dead boy.
The Clow Mistress tried to take her eyes away from the personal scene before her, but couldn't. She cared for Li as a friend and would mourn for him and was already saddened at the thought he was gone, but Meilin loved him. Meilin considered Li to be a part of her soul and now that part was gone. Sakura couldn't even imagine the pain the young girl was feeling right now.
Madison and Kero moved next to Sakura and all three watched as Meilin continued to cry on Li. No one knew anything to say as they all silently cried over the loss of the young boy.
Slowly, the raven-haired girl picked her head off of Li's chest and stared down into his face. She wiped away tears from her face and brushed the boy's hair off of his forehead. "I love you with all my heart." Although she said it only a whisper, all around her heard the message.
With tears already re-forming, Meilin bent her neck and placed a soft kiss to Li's forehead. "I'll love you forever." With her statement and action, a soft white light began to surround the two Chinese kids. Sakura gasped as soft blue points of light began to swarm around Meilin and Li and finally all joined together in front of the young girl.
Meilin looked into the soft blue sphere and slowly, as if it was the only thing she could do, she moved her hand towards the light. Once her hand penetrated the orb, the blue seemed to transfer itself into her hand. The young girl brought the hand to her face and examined it, then she moved her hand down towards Li.
The Chinese girl placed her hand over the young boy's heart and closed her eyes.
All in the area looked on in awe as the blue light began to grow in intensity and engulf Li's prone figure. Meilin continued to keep her eyes shut and finally, with a jerking movement, removed her hand from Li and looked down.
If the blue light seemed odd, then the next action was unexplainable. Meilin looked into Li's face and felt her heart stop when a pair of amber eyes looked up at her.
"Oh, Li!" The ruby-eyed girl threw a hand over her mouth in surprise.
"Meilin, what happened?" Li looked around and saw Sakura, Madison and Kero standing in front of Gin and Huai, who were held by the Wood Card. Finally he looked back at Meilin, who seemed to pale considerable.
"You...you...oh my god Li! You were de...de...dead!" With that the young girl looked up to the group of bystanders. "He...he's alive!"
Li slowly rolled to his hands and knees and then got to his feet. Meilin continued to sit on the ground. Sakura, Madison, and Kero were all staring at Li in shock.
The young boy looked down to the raven-haired girl and saw her staring at her hands. He offered her a hand and she hesitantly took it. Li pulled her up, but as soon as she made her way up, the exhaustion of the magic that just happened, took its toll and Meilin passed out into blackness.
~*~
Meilin woke up to the feeling of someone's warm hand running itself over her forehead. She opened her eyes and found Li sitting on the bed next to her.
"Welcome back." Instantly, tears came to the girl's eyes.
"I thought you were dead! It was awful, you had been stabbed and...and there was nothing I could do." Li grabbed Meilin's hand.
"Shh, don't think about it now. Just rest; you wore yourself out." Meilin held onto the young boy's hand a bit tighter.
"Please stay with me. Don't leave me, again."
Li bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll be right here when you wake up."
Feeling the warmth of Li's hand and presence, Meilin closed her eyes and feel into a peaceful sleep.
~*~
This time when Meilin woke up she saw Li reading a book next to her bed and also noticed another person in the room.
"Good evening."
"How long have I been asleep?"
Li stole a glance to his watch. "Over 36 hours. You were completely exhausted and worn out."
The other presence stepped forward. "How did you feel, Meilin?"
The girl stared into the face of the older man. She knew him; it was the same man that she had seen in that piece of mirror. "I recognize you."
The older man nodded. "I assumed you would. My name is Jonas and I'm here to enlighten you. No doubt you are thoroughly confused, but things will become clearer in time. Firstly, you know you are the Oracle of the Clow and have gained magic powers, but you must know what your powers are. Firstly, you know *everything* about the Clow Cards and Clow Reed. In time your memories or rather, the information you have, will become stronger and clearer. You, also, know you can sense magic and even conjure certain spells, but there's more to it. You have the power to conjured this spells without the use of Cards. Also, like your knowledge, you will learn more incantations and how to use them in time. Finally, you have the ability..."
Meilin cut him off. "...to heal others."
Jonas nodded. "I see you have found that out. The reason for this strange power is when Clow Reed decided that there needed to be an Oracle he, as the K'an Clan told you, didn't have enough energy to secure your powers. So, he knew that the Oracle would be in danger, as well as, those she cared for. He created the power of healing as a precaution, that you are, well aware of, works perfectly."
Meilin looked up to Li who smiled down at her. "Yes, it does."
Jonas smiled at the two. "However, the healing power is very draining and cannot be taken for granted. It is a miraculous gift that you have been given and don't use it in vain." Meilin nodded her head in agreement. "Now, about the K'an Clan..."
The raven-haired girl held up her hand. "I know the story. Back in Clow Reed's time the Li, Rae and K'an Clans worked together to help him with his powers and to be ready if he needed them. However, the K'an Clan leaders grew greedy and impatient and attempted to kill Clow Reed to gain his powers. It backfired and Clow Reed banned them from anything with the Cards. Ever since, the K'an Clan has been attempting to gain revenge on Clow Reed by trying to gain the power of the Clow."
The old man nodded his head. "Very good. I see your powers have already settled in." Meilin smiled.
Jonas moved next to the young girl. "You have been given a true gift of magic and knowledge, please use it correctly."
The raven-haired girl looked up to Jonas. "I promise you I will."
The old man moved away from her and headed towards the door. "I must be getting home to China and let the Clans know of the Oracle. Good luck to you both." He moved out of the room; leaving the two Chinese kids alone.
As soon as the old man left, the young girl looked up to Li. "What happened to Gin and Huai?"
"After you passed out, Madison called the police and told them about the two. Apparently, they were wanted to China for robbery and assault. Sakura stayed with them and the Wood Card until the police came close then she held them with threat of the wand until the police came to them. They're now being tried here and China. We don't have to worry about them."
"Have you explained my situation to Sakura and them?"
"Jonas did before you woke up. They're a little...shocked by it all, but they'll get us to it."
Meilin sighed. "What if other members from the K'an Can come for me? Surely, now the others will know about me and might come after me."
Li jumped up onto the bed and sat next to the young girl. He placed his arm around her and she leaned against him. "I won't let anything happen to you."
The Chinese girl suddenly began to shake with silent tears. "What is it?"
"Everyone I know is in danger. I almost got you killed. Wait, actually I did get you killed! I don't want to lose you, Li."
The young boy made Meilin looked him in the eyes. "You can't get rid of my *that* easily, silly" The young girl laughed at Li's mocking statement. "Seriously, nothing will happen to me."
The raven-haired girl sighed again and leaned closer into Li. "I love you."
The young boy placed his chin atop Meilin's head. "I love you, too."
The young girl jerked her head upward and stared at him. "You...you mean that?"
Li bent down and gently placed a kiss to Meilin's lips. "With all my heart."
"Oh, Li!" The young Chinese girl threw her arms around him, causing both to fall on the bed. "I can't believe it! I...I can't...I just..."
"Breathe, Meilin!" The young girl laughed and gave Li a small kiss on the cheek.
"I have everything I could ever want." The young girl closed her eyes and moved closer to Li.
The young boy put his arms around her and smiled down at her. "I do too." With that he closed his eyes also.
Outside the window, Jonas smiled at the two and turned towards Ta Yu. "I told you so."
The younger man rolled his eyes. "You made me fly to Japan to show me that you were right about Li's affections for Meilin."
The old man looked at Ta Yu. "Yes. Now, let's go home and inform the Clans of the joyous news. The two young ones have found each other again."
Outside of the room where Li and Meilin laid, sleeping peacefully, the sun began to slide beneath the horizon taking the day with it. And with the day leaving came another new sunrise and with the sunrise came a new chance for the two young loves to grow together both in life and in magic.
~*~
Reach for the light
To capture a star
Come out of the darkness
And find out who you are...
~*~
A/N: Okay remember, pretty please NO FLAMES! I know there are a LOT of S&S fans out there and, hey even I like a S&S story, but I just love Meilin and Li together. Thank you ever so much. Please be a nice reader and leave a REVIEW!!!!! ^_^
Rating: PG-13 There's violence and I believe 2 bad words (but not *terribly* bad).
Author's Notes: First I want to please ask people not to flame me. This story is just *asking* to be flamed because A) It's a Meili fic B) There's OoC-ness (out of character-ness)...but it's really only done on Li's part and is somewhat explained... C) It's VERY Meili D) Did I mention it was Meili? and E) It's off the regular CCS story line. See, I've only *seen* the American CC, however I do know what happens in CCS. So, I'm playing the devil's advocate because I'm acting like I'm ignorant, but I'm not ^_^ I would explain what's happening, but that would ruin the story. So, all you need to know is that it doesn't follow the CCS line, it's an AU (alternative universe) fic. Also, I know that the whole reason why Meilin is in Japan, following the American CC, is all mixed up, so FYI, I'm saying she's an exchange student and lives with Li and his host (who I believe is named Wade and is a relative).
Other notes: I'm saying Li is in the Li Clan and Meilin is in the Rae Clan. Okay, so that is completely made-up, but I needed that info and that's how I got it. Also, I use the American names, because I don't know how to spell the Japanese names ^_^
Send FB to PhoenixB_82@hotmail.com or just REVIEW. Again, no flames pretty please. I have a very sensitive...temper and believe me I don't enjoy flames. Just kidding! But BE NICE! (Thanks!)
~*~
OUT OF THE DARKNESS
By: P.B. (PhoenixB_82@hotmail.com)
~*~
Somewhere in time
The truth shines through
And the spirit knows
What it has to do
Somewhere in you
There's a power with no name
One that can rise to meet the moment
And burn like a flame
And you can be stronger
Than anything you know
Believe in what you dream
Don't let it go
Reach for the light
To capture a star
Come out of the darkness
And find out who you are...
~*~
Jonas watched the candle's flame burn and illuminate his small room. He enjoyed the solitude of his home which allowed him time to concentrate on the future. He knew the time was upon the Oracle of the Clow to show her powers and knew he had to be ready for the upcoming battle. A soft knock at his door brought Jonas out of his thoughts.
"Enter."
A young man, named Ta Yu, entered the room and bowed deeply to his elder. "Sir, we have received news that Huai and Gin of the K'an Clan are heading to Japan. They know of the Oracle and her powers."
Jonas sadly nodded his head. "We knew we couldn't keep the secret from them for long. They had too many ways to gain the information."
Ta Yu sighed. "She will be in danger from them and herself. She had no warning from us, The Rae Clan or the Li Clan and will, no doubt, be confused."
"I know, but there was nothing we could do. If she or anyone knew of her powers she would have been in danger since birth. We had to protect her." Jonas cupped his hands in his lap and looked back towards his candle. "She is not alone, either. She has the help of those around her, especially her love."
"Jonas, you and I both know he does not care for her like that. He doesn't love her as she loves him, in fact, he would have rather she stayed in China with us."
The older man chuckled softly. "The young always think they know everything. Love is not always so easy to be seen. Sometimes it remains hidden even in the heart of those involved and yet it only needs one small push to make itself known."
Ta Yu raised an eyebrow toward Jonas. "You feel that this will bring them closer together?"
The old man blew on his candle, leaving the room in darkness, only allowing the light from the hallway in. Jonas slowly stood and took a deep breath. "I know this will." With that said, he moved past the younger man and made his way into his hallway with Ta Yu in tow.
~*~
Meilin stormed into the classroom and slammed her books on the desk. Both Sakura and Madison turned around and observed the temperamental girl. With a loud humph, she fell into her chair and placed her head on her hands.
Madison and Sakura exchanged a strange glance before latter spoke. "Um...what's the matter?"
Meilin raised her head and rolled her eyes. "Nothing that concerns you, Avalon."
Madison matched the Chinese girl's eyeroll. "Having trouble with *your* Li, *again*?" The sarcasm was over-powering and Sakura held her breath, waiting for Meilin to explode at her friend.
However, no one was able to hear the young girl's response because, at that moment, the subject of Madison's question entered. Meilin picked up her head and watched as Li made his way to his seat and sat down. He stared down at his desk for a few moments before looking over at the girls.
"Morning." A loud growl came from the raven-haired girl and she jumped to her feet. With a swift turn she stomped her way out of the room with her long hair swishing behind her. Li released a sad sigh and let his head fall to his desk with a thump.
Madison and Sakura exchanged another look. This time Madison spoke up. "What was that about?"
The young boy spoke into his desk as he answered the question. "Last night I was supposed to have dinner with her. I completely forgot and now she's...um...a little upset."
"A little?!?" Li let out a noise somewhat like a groan and Sakura only shook her head. No doubt Meilin wouldn't let him live this down for a long while.
~*~
Meilin threw open the girl's bathroom door and crashed inside. How dare Li stand her up? How dare he!?! How dare her love leave *her* waiting for *him*!?! She looked up into the mirror and was both shocked and angered to see tears in her eyes and streaming down her face.
She hated to cry, especially over her emotions, but she couldn't help it.
She loved Li and had loved him since she had first seen him when they were little children in China. They had been the best of friends for ages. Always training together and 'playing' cardcaptors. For years, things had been perfect between them.
Yet, all that had changed when Li was shipped off to Japan to help the cardcaptor.
Meilin had made him promise, when the Elders told him that he was leaving, that things would never change between them and Li had agreed. After him being gone nearly two months, The Elders surprised Meilin by saying she could go and help him in Japan. She had been ecstatic! She could go back to her Li and help him, just like in the old days, they would be cardcaptors.
But when she got to Japan, she found that not only had things changed between her and Li, they would never be the same. He no longer would joke with her or laugh with her or even hang off of her like they use to do. He was cold towards her and shut her out. They use to share everything and now, they seemed to share nothing. She knew, to the other kids, she had to look like a codependent brat that did nothing but annoy Li, but they never knew him before Japan. They never knew him when *he* would be to one to run up to her and give her a large hug. They never knew him when *he* would call her name from across a room just to get her attention.
They didn't know the old Li.
And she didn't know the new Li.
Meilin roughly brushed the tears off her face and took a deep, cleansing breath. A bell out in the hallway let her know she would be late for class, but she didn't care. The only thing that mattered to her was getting her old Li back and that, as long as they were in Japan, seemed hopeless.
With one last look in the mirror to make sure she look presentable, she headed back to her class.
~*~
Meilin bit the top of her pencil in concentration as she thought of how to answer the next math problem. Normally, she did okay with math, but her thoughts were so jumbled in her head that she couldn't even add two and two. With a quick look up she noted that Li, Sakura and Madison were working away furiously at their tests.
~Great, just great. Sit here like an idiot as they pass the class, Meilin!~ With a shake of her head, the young girl looked back down at her test.
Suddenly, a strange feeling passed over her. It was like a soft breeze that made the hairs on her neck stand up. Slowly, she took her eyes away from her test and looked around the classroom. Apparently, no one else seemed effected by the odd breeze. She had just turned back to her test when the feeling hit her again. This time stronger.
Meilin's head jerked up at the onrush of a chilling breeze. She could feel goosebumps on her arms and swung her head quickly around the room trying to see if anyone felt the breeze.
"Meilin Rae, keep your eyes on your own test." The young girl felt her face flush and dropped her eyes knowing the whole class was probably staring at her. She finished the test, all the time feeling the strange coldness in the air.
~*~
Li leaned back against the tree and basked in the sun and the silence. Sometimes at lunch, he enjoyed just being by himself and enjoying nature.
"Um...Li...can I ask you something?" The young boy sighed as he opened his eyes and saw Meilin standing in front of him. He was about to snap at her when he noticed she was looking at her hands and twisting them nervously.
"What do you want?" The question came out harsher than Li meant, but the young girl sat down in front of him anyway. Meilin continued to twist her fingers, but finally looked up at him.
"I was wondering...um...whenever you sense magic what does it...like...feel like?"
The young boy stared at his friend for a long moment. "Why do you care?"
"I was just curious."
Li raised an eyebrow at Meilin. "It's sort of like a soft breeze that blows, but no one else seems to feel it and it doesn't effect anything else. It leaves goosebumps and makes the hairs at the end of your neck sort of stand up."
The young girl's eyes grew one size larger. "I...I felt it, Li! During math class while I was taking the test. It was the strangest thing, but there were chills going down my spine. I really felt it. I felt magic!"
Li rolled his eyes and rose to his feet. "Give it a rest; you don't have magic powers. You know that, I know that, and the Elders know that. You can't just *get* powers either." He looked back towards the school. "I know you want to be a part of the cardcaptoring, but you aren't. I'm sorry."
Meilin jumped to her feet and faced off against Li. "I know what I felt and it was something, so don't *you* tell me otherwise." The girl turned quickly and stepped a few feet away before turning around again. "And I know you aren't sorry! You'd be just as happy if I went back to China and stayed there. Fine, Li, maybe I will do that."
The raven-haired girl stormed away from Li and pushed her way through Sakura and Madison. Both girls could see the hurt on the other's face, but before they could open their mouths she was too far away. The friends turned their eyes towards Li who was watching the retreating form of Meilin.
"What happened now?"
The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. She came to me and asked if I could describe what it felt like when I sensed magic and I told her. She then insisted that she had felt magic during math class. After I told her it was impossible she sort of exploded at me and was talking about going back to China."
"Is it possible she could have sensed magic?"
Li stared at Sakura like she had grown a second head. "No, there's no way she could have. You know what Kero said, she has no magical power and that's the truth. There's no way she could just *get* powers without the Elders knowing it." The boy sighed. "She'll never have magical powers."
Only Madison seemed to catch the true sadness in Li's voice. It was almost as if he had a...longing for her to get powers. Almost as if he wanted her to be part of the magical realm.
~*~
For the rest of the day, Meilin avoided Sakura, Madison and Li, and finally, when the school was let out, she rushed home and locked herself in her room. She knew Li would never believe her, but she was telling the truth. She had felt something odd, and perhaps magical, in the math class and *she* knew it.
Meilin moved over to her dresser and opened her bottom drawer. One by one, she removed old books and parchment papers, each one holding any and all information about Clow Reed and his magic. If she wanted an answer to what she felt then she'd have to find it herself.
And find it she would.
~*~
Li had been home for over an hour and still had yet to see Meilin. He knew she would be angry with him, but he never thought she'd be *this* mad. After all, he had said and done worse things to her since being in Japan and she always came back to him. Distantly, Li wondered if she was serious about going back to China. Surprisingly, he didn't *want* her to go back. He really did enjoy having her with him in Japan.
He knew he was quiet mean to her at times, but he was on a mission in Japan. He had to keep focused and look at the tasks at hand. Besides, he was too busy trying to make sure Sakura didn't make any mistakes to try and make Meilin happy. She knew he cared for her.
Didn't she?
~Of course she does. Why would she think differently?~ Although Li felt he had himself convinced a small voice in the back of his head nagged at him.
~You've changed since being here. You're cold towards her and you know it!~
The young boy groaned and rose to his feet. He needed to talk to Meilin and apologize for his behavior earlier today. He moved down the hallway towards her room and rapped softly on her door.
"Come in."
Li entered her room and found her surrounded by papers. She didn't bother to look up. "What can I do for you?"
The boy cringed at her crude tone. She was still mad at him.
"Um...I was just wondering what you wanted to do for dinner."
For the first time, Meilin looked up at him and shrugged. "I don't care. You can do whatever you want I'll find something."
Li knew he was no longer welcomed in her room and silently left her. Once gone, the young girl placed the papers she had been looking at down. It was hopeless. In all the hundreds of writings she had looked over, not one mentioned anything about someone just receiving their powers suddenly. She had to have been imagining things like Li said.
~Besides wouldn't he have felt it anyways?~ Meilin mentally agreed with herself. If there had been magic around, he and Sakura would have felt it also. With a sad sigh, the Chinese girl began to put her papers away. She stopped when her hands fell on an old brown book about the ancestors of the Clow. She gently picked it up and examined it.
Inside she read the same passage, as a child, her and Li use to read.
*And when the time comes, the true guardians of the Clow, shall rise and come forth to help restore the balance within the world.*
Her and Li use to re-read that passage again and again wondering when the time would come in which their powers would show themselves and they would gather the Cards. They would fantasize over the adventures they were going to have and wonder how they would change when their powers came.
Not but a year later Li began to show magical powers.
Meilin did not.
Still she remembered how Li would constantly assure her that her powers would come and they would hunt the cards together.
He was so convincing that she believed him.
She *had* believed him, but it had turned out to be a lie. Somehow, in the genetics of it all, she had been denied magical powers and been left normal.
Suddenly, Meilin hurled the book towards the mirror over her dresser and watched it shatter into a thousand pieces. She hated the fact that she was normal and Li was magical. It was just one more thing that held them apart.
~*~
Li ran through the night streets, following the magical sensation he felt. He had just been lying down to sleep when the feeling hit him and he left his home in less than five minutes. He couldn't shake the small feeling of guilt he felt at not waking Meilin, but there was nothing to do about it now, and he'd just have to tell her about it in the morning.
Li stopped his forward movement and looked up in time to see Sakura, Madison and Kero coming down by him using the Fly Card. He waited for them to land.
"The Card's just around the corner." Sakura nodded her head and began to follow Li as they went around the corner. Both stopped suddenly causing Madison to run into them.
"What is it? A Card?"
Kero floated next to the Madison. "No, it's...
"Meilin?" Li filled in.
The young girl turned towards the group of four and watched as they moved closer.
"What are you doing our here, little girl?"
Meilin gave Kero a hard stare and opened her mouth to answer, but Li cut her off.
"Why did you follow me *again*?" The young girl removed her eyes from the small guardian and looked, with hurtful eyes, towards Li.
"I didn't follow you! I followed my senses to here."
"You don't have any *senses*, Meilin!"
Sakura watched the exchanged between the two Chinese kids with curiosity. Something was bothering her.
"Li, she couldn't have followed you because she got here first." All four turned their eyes towards the raven-haired girl.
"What are your guys' problems?!?"
"Meilin, how did you know to go here?" The young girl turned towards Sakura.
"I just did. I had this strange sensation that just kept calling me until I came to this spot, then it just..." Meilin looked around. "...it stopped."
For the first time all, who could sense the magic in the small clearing, were aware of the fact that the feeling was now gone.
"It's gone." Kero spoke the obvious.
Li turned towards Meilin and met her glaze. "Let's go home and talk." The young girl nodded her head and followed the young boy while the others went their own way.
~*~
"She is the one."
"Which one?"
"The raven-haired one."
"Are you certain?"
"Completely. I can sense the magic flowing off of her. She is the Oracle of the Clow and the one we are looking for. She is the only one whose power we can take and posses."
The two men moved back into the shadows where they had first observed the group of kids.
"When will we make our move?"
"Soon. Very soon."
"Do you think they will find out that the magic is not a Card, but a hoax?"
One man clicked his teeth. "No. They can sense magic, but cannot deceiver it. Our hoax will hold until we make our move."
~*~
Meilin and Li entered their home in silence. The young girl went over to the kitchen and pulled two cups from a cupboard. She filled them with water and then headed back into the living area. By the time she made her way back in, Li was already siting on the couch with his sword laying on the floor. He was dragging his fingers across the fabric on the couch and didn't even look up when Meilin sat down next to him and placed the drinks on the table.
A long silence filled the small home and the girl resisted the urge to twiddle her thumbs, finally her companion spoke.
"What *exactly* did you feel tonight?"
Meilin looked down at her hands and began to play with the cuff on her outfit. "I had just gotten into bed and closed my eyes when I felt this incredible warmth and a bright light even though my eyes were closed. I got up and just stood in the middle of my room for about two minutes. Then I felt the chills again. I began to get dressed and as I did the feeling just got stronger and stronger. Finally, I went outside and the feeling sort of guided me. The closer I got; the stronger it got."
Li shook his head and finally looked up at Meilin. She could see, in his eyes, his mind trying to figure out all the information that he had just been given. He opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it just as quickly with a snap. After another long moment of silence, he spoke.
"I don't know what's happening, Meilin." He grabbed one of her hands and held it tight. "I really don't."
For the first time, in as long as she could remember, Meilin saw pure confusion in Li's eyes.
And it frightened her.
Since, they were children, they could find the answer to any question; be it magical or not. But now, to see him confused about something that was happening to *her*, was scary. If he didn't know what was happening, how on earth was she supposed to?
Again, for the first time in a long time something else happened. Meilin burst into tears. Li reacted quickly, pulled her to his chest and allowed her to cry onto him. All the while, he softly stroked her back and whispered kind words to her. Meilin let all her worry flood out in her tears. She felt protected in her friend's arms and relished his closeness. Though she didn't want to move, she knew she had to act brave for Li and herself, so she gently pushed away from him.
"I'm sorry." Blush crept up her cheeks.
"That's okay. You know, it's all right to be frightened."
Meilin looked over at him and smiled. "I'm never frightened."
Li smiled back. "Of course not. You're Meilin Rae."
He patted her on the head in a friendly manner and Meilin playfully swatted him away. The young boy laughed at her and grabbed both her wrists.
"Hey, that's not fair!" In attempt to free her arms, the young girl kicked out with her leg and made contact with the boy's elbow. He felt it buckle and the end result was the boy falling atop her. Meilin let out a surprised shriek.
"Li, get off!" She pushed him upward with her knees and, due to the force, he fell on the arm of the couch. Because of his swinging arms, his balance was off, and he tumbled to the floor with a thump. Slowly, Meilin put her hands on the arm and leaned over the end of the sofa looking for Li. All she saw was his arm grab her by the shoulder before she fell on top him on the ground.
The young boy let out a loud 'oof' as Meilin made contact with his chest. "Geez, you've gain weight!"
"Hey!!" Meilin rolled off him and smacked him in the stomach as she got off. She looked over at him and simultaneously they both broke into laughter. All the troubles, and worries, forgotten as they re-found what they had lost when they left China.
They re-found a bond that had somehow been hidden once they left their homeland.
Meilin and Li slowly caught their breath and enjoyed the silence after their little war. They both were content to leave each other to their own thoughts.
Li thought of what his best friend was involved in and what it meant that she was gaining magic that neither he nor she understood.
Meilin thought of how much she had missed her old Li and how wonderful it felt to be back to normal with him.
~*~
The young Chinese girl hummed to herself and she put the final touches to the midnight meal she was making. After sharing each other's company for close to a half an hour, Meilin decided to make something for the both of them since it appeared neither would be going to bed soon.
~A little more pepper and it's done!~ The young girl tasted her sauce and smiled approvingly. The meal was going to be delicious. She went to put the pepper back and accidentally knocked open the cupboard at her feet. When she bent down to close it, Meilin caught site of Li's most valuable possession: the Lasin board.
Curiosity set in and the young girl picked up the board. She turned it over in her hands, examining it. Meilin remembered the day Li received the board, both had been so fascinated with it that they had spent well over forty hours just trying to figure it out. The Elders finally told Li the enchanting words to activate the board.
The young girl looked over down at the Lasin board and smiled. ~I wonder~
Closing her eyes, she recited the very words she had heard Li say over a thousand times.
"Force know my plight, release the light! Lightning!" Although the one thing Meilin wanted more than anything was for the board to listen to her, she wasn't prepared for the loud crash of light that happened barely outside the kitchen window.
Meilin jumped and ran to the window. Outside she could clearly see a large black, charred spot where the lightning hit. With a small cry she dropped the board and ran out of the kitchen in search of Li.
She only made it a little ways before she crashed into him.
"What is it, Meilin?"
"I...I...was...cooking the kitchen." The young boy raised an eyebrow. "No, no I mean cooking in the kitchen! I saw the Lasin board and I...I did the incantation and it worked!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen and to the window. She pointed at the large spot in the earth.
"It really worked! I conjured magic!"
Li was speechless and simply stared at the earth when the lightning had hit. It was now undeniable; Meilin had somehow gained magic powers. The young girl saw the forlorn expression on the young boy's face and cocked her head to one side.
"Li, *I* conjured magic, aren't you happy?" The young boy shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked at the young girl.
"Meilin, think of it. We now *know* you have some magical powers, but how? There are so many questions and I don't have the answers." He looked down at his hands. "I'm worried what this means."
The girl looked at him and, for once in a long while, was the voice of reason. "Li, we can call the Elders tomorrow. *They'll* know what's happening. Until then, let's enjoy the food and think of what this could mean." Meilin's smile grew larger. "I can really help you now!"
Li put on a false smile and sat down at the table while the young girl served up the meal. She sat across from him and happily dug in. The young boy half-heartily ate his meal, but constantly shot glances at the girl across the table.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was only going to come along with Meilin's magic. He realized that he was deathly worried for her and couldn't imagine what things would be like without her. She had always been a constant in his life and was the only person he could ever be himself around. She was the only one who could bring out all his emotions; his anger, fear, love, sadness, and happiness. He, in a flash of brilliance, realized that he was who he was because of Meilin.
Their eyes met for a long minute and Li could feel himself getting lost in her ruby-eyes. She smiled and he couldn't help but smile back. She looked back down at her meal, but Li continued to watch her. He felt another dash of reality hit him.
He loved her.
He truly loved her.
He now knew why all this worry and fear kept creeping up in him. He was afraid to lose her, because he *loved* her. All the times, in Japan, that he had pushed her away wasn't because he wanted her to move away, but because he wanted to protect her. Until a day ago, Meilin never possessed any magic, yet she dealt with it all the time. She had no way to protect herself against the dangers that constantly arose with magic.
He knew that at any moment she could have been killed or injured and, even if he never consciously knew it, he pushed her away hoping that she would not want to get involved, and thus, he wouldn't have to worry about her. But she never went away, regardless of how badly her treated her.
"Thank you."
He hadn't realized he spoken out loud until Meilin looked at him with a questioning stare.
"For what?"
Li looked at her and gave her a large smile. "For being here and for putting up with me."
The young girl rolled her eyes. "Like you could get rid of me *that* easily, silly!"
The young boy nodded his head. "I wouldn't want to get rid of you." Again, he hadn't thought he spoke out loud, but he had.
"You mean that?"
Li looked back up at her. "Of course I do."
"Thank you."
Both turned back to their meals and ate the remaining food in silence. Li's mind, though, was anything but silent because of one thought: the thought that the girl who stole his heart could be in danger.
~*~
"Night!" Meilin watched as Li shut his bedroom door behind him before stepping into hers. She took two steps in before stopping abruptly.
"OUCH!" With a quick flick of her hand, the young girl turned on her light to see what caused the pain in her foot. She saw that her floor was covered in the glass from the mirror she had broken hours before. She forgot that, before went to bed and headed out, she hadn't cleaned up her floor. With a few chose words, Meilin sat on her bed and cleaned the glass out of her foot.
Once finished, she got to the floor and began to pick up the larger pieces. She had just grabbed one of the larger slabs of glass when a movement caught her eye. She looked around, but couldn't see whatever had moved. With a shrug she continued her work.
Not a minute later, she saw another movement out of the corner of her eye, this time, though, Meilin had a general direction of where the movement was from. She stepped, carefully avoiding glass, to the spot and kept her eyes glued to that one spot. However, she saw movement in another spot.
With a frustrated sighed, the girl forgot about it, leaving it to her eyes playing tricks due to tiredness. Meilin just grabbed the last large piece of glass and offhandedly looked into it. Yet, instead of seeing the black-haired, ruby-eyed girl she suspected to see, she saw an older man.
But the strange image, surprisingly, did not frighten Meilin and she continued to look into the mirror. The old man's face began to fad away and was replaced by another. This one, unlike the first, was recognizable to her.
It was Clow Reed.
Meilin felt her hands begin to tremble with anticipation as another image came to the mirror. She watched as Clow Reed's face faded away and was replaced by and image of Kero, but as a full guardian. The massive winged lion was laying on the ground next to...
The mirror suddenly went blank and Meilin saw herself staring into her own eyes. She continued to watch her image wondering what had just happened and why on earth she wasn't the least bit worried. The girl rose up from the ground and placed the piece of glass on her dresser. Meilin didn't bother with the rest of the glass and instead turned off her light and climbed into her bed.
For some reason she had strong need to sleep.
~*~
She was surround by thousand of candles that illuminated the room as well at a hundred light bulbs. Yet, even with all the candles, she felt no heat. Meilin took a step further into the room and saw another figure sitting in a chair. The person had their head turned away from her, so Meilin took more steps to get closer.
Once she was barely a foot away, the figure turned around and, again, Meilin recognize the man. It was Clow Reed, creator of the Clow Cards. The young girl took a self-conscious step back and then quickly bowed to the Elder.
"Rise."
She had never expected Clow Reed's voice to be so compassionate. She always thought of him as a strong commanding figure, but the way he spoke to her was so...gentle and kind. Meilin straightened and looked deep into his eyes.
"You are the Chosen One."
"I mean no disrespect sir, but chosen for what?"
Clow Reed didn't answer her, but instead closed his eyes and held his palms towards the young girl. She felt a soft breeze blow about her and could see a soft white glow surround her.
She could see Clow Reed's lips moving, but could not hear a word he was saying. Instead she felt what he was saying in her mind. She felt his words penetrate her mind in the form of images. Meilin closed her eyes and began to focus on the images.
Each picture, though only in her brain for a second, gave her more knowledge of Clow Reed, the Clow Cards, and of the powers they held than any book she had ever read. She felt as if she was Clow Reed. She felt as if *she* had created the Clow Cards.
She had more knowledge of them than Sakura. She knew them better than Li. She knew their powers and their ambitions and their minds. She now understand why she sensed magic. She was a part of the Clow Reed magic. She held all their powers deep inside and could possess that power at any moment.
She was the very center of the Clow. She was the one person who knew them as well as Clow Reed did.
She was the Oracle of the Clow.
~*~
Meilin woke up with a start to the beeping of her alarm clock. She looked around her room and gained all her senses back. She had been having the strangest dream, but could not recall any of it. It was just barely out of her reach and nagging her already. With a moan she got out of her bed and began to go to her dresser. She noticed a large piece of the mirror she had broken last night sitting on her dresser.
~Why on earth did I save it?~ She didn't bother to answer her question, and instead threw the piece of glass with the others.
~I really need to sweep~ She thought as she avoided the smaller pieces of glass still scattered on her floor. Jumping out of the glass's way she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for school.
~*~
The young raven-haired girl sat at the lunchroom table idly picking at her food. Ever so often she would look upwards towards the doors of the school looking for someone. After a long second of watching she would look back at her food and pick at it.
"Where do you suppose Li is? Meilin looks rather lonely over there." Madison nodded her head at Sakura.
"She does. Should we go over to her?"
Sakura and Madison had just finished grabbing their food to head over towards Meilin, when they heard the loud cry of laughter. Both girls looked in the direction of the noise and were shocked at the site.
Meilin was attempting to push Li's hands off of her eyes, but the young boy kept alluding her grasps. She tried to swing her arms to hit him, but he avoided her. Both Chinese kids were laughing hysterically. Finally, the young girl succeed in pulling his hands away from her eyes and turned around towards the young boy. She bent down and grabbed on to one of his legs. With a quick tug the boy found himself laying on the ground with Meilin standing over him.
"I win!" The young girl placed her hands on her hips and then finally offered her hand to Li. He took it and got to his feet. Both sat back down on the bench and Meilin pushed her lunch in front of Li; the two of them began to eat and converse.
Off to the side Madison and Sakura finally snapped out of their silent stupor.
"Was that Li?
Madison nodded.
"What do you suppose is wrong with him? He was...laughing and having...FUN!!"
The darker haired girl looked towards Sakura with a tilt of her head. "Don't you see?"
"See what?"
Madison sighed and grabbed her packed up lunch. "They found what they were missing."
"Huh?"
Madison didn't bother to answer her friend, but instead smiled knowingly. For the longest time she had been certain that Li had feelings for Sakura. With the way he would blush at her or the way he seemed to get tongued tied when trying to tell her something. But then she saw him with Meilin. She saw the way he let his heart show on his sleeve and the way only she could make him angry or sad or happy. Madison saw the way that he felt a need to protect her and the sad look he would get in his eyes whenever he said something cruel to her.
Yes, Madison knew where Li's heart was, even if he hadn't.
The young girl looked back to the Chinese students and smiled. It looked as if he finally realized who had stolen his heart and let himself show the love that she felt for him back.
Sakura looked oddly at her friend and waved a hand in front of her face. "Geez, everyone's acting odd today."
Madison just shook her head. Sakura may be kind and sweet, but seemed to lack a lot of knowledge of the heart.
"Come on, Sakura. Let's go to class." Madison headed forward, but did one more look behind her towards Meilin and Li. She smiled one last time at the two; finally Li saw what a special person Meilin was and how much she loved him and he loved her.
~*~
The two Chinese kids ran through the streets of Reedington. Both wearing strange battle outfits and one carried a sword. Anyone watching them would probably think it was two young kids just having fun with costumes. But, anyone who *really* knew why they were out in the street would be keeping their eyes open for a Clow Card.
Li and Meilin turned into the park and headed over toward the Penguin slide. It was decided, once the Clow Cards began to show up regularly, that Sakura would meet up with the two of them so they could regroup and focus on the Card.
Meilin stood next to Li and shook slightly with anticipation. After school, they had called upon the Elders to ask them about the young girl's strange situation with the magic. However, after speaking with three different message machines, they finally gave up and noted to try later.
However, later never came because not a half an hour after they tried calling the Elders, both sensed a Clow Card. Li, of course, went and got on his uniform, grabbed his Lasin Board and sword. Meilin, uncertain of what to do, also got dressed and waited for Li.
For a long, silent minute, the young boy simply stared at his friend. And finally, in a moment that made the young girl's heart beat faster, Li nodded to her and told her to come along.
Now, she was here with Li at the Penguin slide and could actually sense the magic swirling around the city.
It was a marvelous feeling.
Li looked over to Meilin and smiled. She had a look of pure contentment on her face. A soft wind was blowing in the park making her two-bunned hairstyle fly around her. Her long black strands of hair swam around her face gracefully and Li realized she was quiet beautiful.
A blush quickly crept its way up the young boy's face as he realized he was staring at Meilin. He quickly jerked his head away and focused on the large buildings in the downtown. A thump of feet behind the Chinese fighters turned them around. Sakura, Madison and Kero came up to the Penguin slide.
"Do you know what Card it is?" Li and Meilin both shook their heads.
"You?"
"No."
Kero flew up next to Sakura. "I can't get any clear senses from it. Whatever one it is, it's powerful."
Meilin closed her eyes for a moment and then jerked them open. "It's not a Clow Card. It's something else."
All looked at her. "What is it then?"
The raven-haired girl shook her head. "I don't know, but focus on it. *Really* focus and you'll be able to tell."
All with magic tightly closed their eyes.
"She's right." Kero agreed with the young girl.
With the small guardian's proclamation, no one knew what to say and, instead, fell into a thoughtful silence.
The silence was broken, however, by the strange sound of clapping. All the kids turned, along with Kero, in the direction of the noise.
"Wow, Gin, aren't you *so* impressed with them? It only took them, how long, to figure out there wasn't a Clow Card?"
Two men walked out of the shadows and closer to the group. They both wore blood red shirts with black pants and shoes. In the middle of their shirts was a large picture of ying-yang spilt in two. Both ends of the ying-yang were flipped outwards. Each had dark brown hair cut in a very short style save for a ponytail that stuck out the back of the scalp.
"Who are you?" Li and Meilin asked simultaneously.
"Ah, the two little brats from the Rae and Li Clans. It is an *honor* to meet you." Huai bow mockingly.
"Why are you here?" Li, by now, had stepped somewhat in front of the group and had drawn his sword. It was being held out in front of him; pointed at the two men.
"Brave aren't you, little wolf?" Gin continued. "Well, to enlighten your puny brain, we're here for the powerful magician on the Clow."
Sakura let out a small gasp. The men had to be after her; her being the Clow Mistress.
Huai started laughing and uncontrolled, evil laugh. "You? You think we're after *you*?" Now Gin joined in on the laughter.
"Why on earth would we want you?" No one had answer.
"Fine, I'm here. Let's go." Li tightened his grip on the sword and stood ready for a fight.
Gin and Huai shared a look and then both rolled their eyes. "Good god, you're all full of yourself. What makes you think we want you, Li Showron?" Again, no one answered. "We don't want anything to do with the guardian, the mistress or even the warrior. Only one thing has any meaning to us. The Oracle of the Clow."
Suddenly, as if those words opened a floodgate, Meilin gasped at the images in her head. Thousands upon thousands of incantations, words, meaning, and pictures soared throughout her mind. She felt her body fill with knowledge of the Clow Cards and Clow Reed.
On top of all this, one bit of information stood out. Like a pulsing light in her mind, she saw the answer.
They were after her.
She was the Oracle of the Clow.
Gin watched the raven-haired girl closely. "Ah, I see you're finding out the truth. Strange isn't it?"
Meilin looked up at the men. "What's happening?"
"Nothing you should worry yourself with. Just come along with us and we'll help you understand all of it."
Li looked at his friend and back at the men. "You're not taking her anywhere!" He stepped in front of Meilin as a protector.
Sakura, who had been in the back, now moved upwards and stood next to Meilin. "Why do you want her?"
Huai sighed deeply. "This is getting annoying. I don't need to answer any of your stupid questions. Now, Meilin Rae, you are going to come with us."
The young Chinese girl looked at the two men. "No. I want nothing to do with the K'an Clan. You all betrayed us when your ancestors tried to kill Clow Reed."
Li looked behind at Meilin. "What are you talking about?"
The young girl shook her head. "I don't know. I just somehow *knew* that; like it was just a memory."
The young boy looked back to the men. "What's happened to her? You seem to know and I want the answer."
"You dare to threaten us?!? Please, boy, we could be rid of you at second's notice. Yet, to answer your question, we want nothing with the girl, but rather with her magic. After Clow Reed sealed the Cards he created a Clow Mistress and another cardcaptor to help her. He knew, however, that the Mistress and Captor would only know of the Clow Cards if they looked into them. He wanted to make certain that someone, whenever the book's seal was broken, knew of the Clow Cards. Knew of their powers and knew all the history of himself and the Clow.
"But, because of Li and his knowledge of the Clow Cards, the Oracle's power didn't need to be called upon because the Mistress was gaining the knowledge she needed when she needed it. So, the Oracle remained hidden until recently. You see, the Clow Cards are becoming fewer and fewer, thus their mindset is changing. You already know that though. Remember the Mirror Card? The Cards are getting smarter, and knowledge, beyond what the captor and even the guardian knows, is needed."
Meilin spoke up. "Thus the reason why my powers are coming out. I'm the Oracle."
The K'an Clan members nodded. "Very good, little girl. You're pretty quick. The one good thing about the Oracle though, is that her powers are transportable. You see, Clow Reed put so much magic into the Mistress and the Captor that he could seal their magic within them. No matter how strong someone is, they will never be able to gain their magic. But, he put so much magic and knowledge into the Oracle, that he didn't have enough left to make her magic a part of her. Her powers are easily taken with the correct mixture of magic."
Li frown. "You know how to gain her magic don't you?"
Gin smiled. "Would we put all this effort into this if we didn't? After years of work and waiting, the K'an Clan finally gained the power to take the Oracle's powers. With that power we will hold all the knowledge of the Clow Cards and be able to take the Cards. Can you imagine what you can do with that power?"
All the kids, and Kero, shivered. They could only imagine the destruction.
Huai held out his hand. "Now, come along with us, Meilin."
The young girl stepped a bit closer to Li. "Are you crazy? After what you just told me you think I'm going to go with you?"
The two men exchanged a look. "Fine. If you feel like doing things the hard way, we have no qualms with that."
Both Chinese men grabbed their swords that had been in their holders on their backs. Li moved forward a bit more and Meilin began to move next to him, but was stopped by Sakura's wand coming in front of her.
"You can't go out there. They're after you."
The raven-haired girl looked at the Clow Mistress. "Then you go and help him! He can't fight those two by himself!"
Sakura took a deep breath and moved beside Li. She couldn't fight the men like Meilin could, but she did have the Clow Cards and their powers. Gin and Huai faced the two young kids and then attacked.
Li's sword struck against Huai's as the two paired off. The clanging of the swords echoed in the still street as the warriors battled. Although, obviously out matched, Li fought with as much vigor as he had ever done.
"You know you can't win, little boy. We are too powerful; she will be ours."
The Chinese boy gritted his teeth. "I won't let you have her."
Huai laughed as he fought. "Oh my, does the little fighter have feelings for the Oracle? Well then that will make this victory even more enjoyable." The two swords fell together and both handlers meet above the cross of their weapons. The older man smiled a wicked smile at Li.
"Did you know that when we take her powers her body will die? Her powers and knowledge are so strong that they support her. Without them, she's dead."
With a loud grunt, Li pushed against the man and heard Huai's sword clash to the ground with satisfaction. "You won't get her."
The young boy moved closer to the man and held his sword at the man's throat. "It's over, call Gin back."
The older man looked over Li's shoulder. "Why don't you tell him that?"
Confused, the boy turned around and found himself staring straight into Gin's eyes. With lightning fast movements, the older man knocked Li's sword out of his hands and grabbed the boy by his uniform. He spun Li around so that he could hold his sword to the boy's neck.
Li looked and saw Sakura rushing forward. Obviously, Gin had used his physical strength and gotten the wand away from Sakura long enough so that he could help out Huai with Li. Now, because of the team up, the young boy was captured and being held with a sword to his neck.
"So, Miss Oracle," all three looked toward Meilin, "what's your decision? Either we run this sword through your Li or you come with us."
~*~
Meilin watched Li begin to battle with Huai and clasped her hand to her mouth. She knew Li was a wonderful fighter, but this man looked just as good; if not better. She watch intently as the two clashed their swords and then seemed to have a conversation. The young girl heard Li grunt and then saw Huai's sword fly away. She smiled happily. Leave it to Li to win a battle where the odds were stacked against him.
Meilin was just about to move over to him and congratulate him when she heard Sakura let out a yell. She turned around in time to see Sakura's wand fly away from her. Gin had kicked it out of her hands before she had a chance to call upon any Cards.
With building horror, the young girl watched as Gin took off and sprinted towards Li and Huai. She opened her mouth to yell to Li, but by the time her brain began to work, Gin was already holding Li with a sword to his neck.
Vaguely, Meilin noticed Sakura had gotten her wand and was standing next to her. All the young Chinese girl saw was Li's eyes as they locked on hers.
"So, Miss Oracle, what is your decision? Either we run this sword through your Li or you come with us."
She watched as Li slowly shook his head. The message was clear: don't do it. But, how could she allow them to harm Li?
"Let him go and I'll come with you." Meilin hung her head so she wouldn't have to look at Li's face.
"No, Meilin, don't! They'll kill you!!" The young girl slowly walked in the direction of Gin and Huai with her head down. She had to do this to save Li; it was her only choice.
Huai moved in front of Li and Gin and headed towards Meilin. "Good choice, Little Oracle." He grabbed the young girl by her arm and began to drag her away violently.
As if a sudden flash of light hit her, Meilin jerked herself around and saw Gin pull back his sword. The man held Li's mouth with his hand and held the sword just above the boy's stomach. In a flash of realization, the young girl knew what was going to happen.
"LI!" As she cried out his name, Meilin kicked out at Huai and made contact with his stomach. Not worrying with him, the Chinese girl took off running in the direction of Li. She made it two steps when the Chinese man tackled her to the ground. With a painful crash the two fell to the ground, but Meilin looked up in time to see Gin ram the sword into Li's stomach. With a violent jerk, the man pulled the sword away from Li and allowed the boy to fall to the ground with a dead thump.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Her heart-breaking scream tore itself from the young girl's mouth. Meilin struggled against Huai, but the stronger man held her to the ground. "No no nononono...NO!!!!!!" This time the young girl's cry came as deep growl. The young raven-haired girl took her eyes away from Li and rolled onto her back so she could look at the man on top of her. "Get. Off. Me."
The man laughed in her face. "What are you going to do."
Meilin closed her eyes. "Source of light and ancient spin, send forth the magic power within. Force know my plight, release the light. Lightning!"
A streak of lightning flew from the sky and made contact with the ground on a few feet away from them. The man was so shocked by the lightning, he took his attention away from the young girl. Meilin saw her chance and kicked up with her knee. The contact to the man's stomach caused him to roll off her and onto the ground clutching his sore area.
Meilin didn't waste any time before she rose to her feet and took off in the direction of Li. She saw Gin head towards her, but didn't even give him a look. She knew Li's incantations inside and out.
"Element, Wind!" The wind blew, knocking Gin off his feet and away from the two Chinese kids. Finally, the young girl made it to Li's side and fell to her knees by him. She grabbed his head and gently stroked his cheek. "Li, open your eyes. Please."
Tears ran down Meilin's cheek as she looked at her love's pale face. She placed her hand over his chest at his heart; praying for any movement. "Please." She watched Li's chest and saw no movement.
Now, sobbing Meilin began to shake Li roughly. "No, you have to wake up! You're not dead, damn it! Li, wake up now!"
"He's dead and you killed him." The young Chinese girl looked up and saw that Gin and Huai had recovered and now were standing just in front of her on the other side of Li.
"I didn't kill him." Meilin looked up at the two men with fire in her eyes. "You did!" The girl rose to her feet and carefully stepped over Li's still form.
"You killed him. You!" She began to step closer to the men and finally stopped right in front of them. "And you will pay. Element, Wind!"
With that Meilin closed her eyes. All around the three of them a strong breeze blew. Meilin's hair and outfit whipped around, but she held still on her feet. The two men, though, had been pushed to the ground and were desperately trying to hold onto anything to keep from blowing away. Suddenly the wind stopped and both looked up at the young girl. She had a wicked smile on her face.
"Source of light and ancient spin, send forth the magic power within. Force know my plight, release the light..." Meilin pointed her finger at the two men. "Ligh..."
"NO!" The young girl stopped the incantation and looked over at a tearful Sakura. "Don't Meilin. Li wouldn't want you to harm these men, he'd want you to take them to justice."
The Chinese girl looked at Sakura and felt his anger slowly fad. With a turn of her head she looked back at Li's body on the ground and began to cry again. Meilin looked back to the men. "You will pay." With that she turned away from the K'an Clan members, made her way next to Li and fell, again, beside the young boy.
Gin and Huai smiled and began to rise to their feet. Slowly, they moved in the direction of the Oracle.
"Wood Card, release and dispel. Wood!" The two men only made it one more step before they found themselves trapped in a mess of wooden bars. Sakura moved in front of them and gripped her wand tightly. Tears ran down her face, but she continued to stare at the two men. "Why?"
Gin rolled his eyes. "Because the powers that the Oracle have are worth anything."
The Clow Mistress sadly shook her head. "Not worth a life."
Huai scoffed. "You know nothing."
Sakura looked at the two men and then turned around disgustedly. She looked at over at Meilin, who now had laid her head down on Li's shoulder. The poor girl was sobbing her heart out on the dead boy.
The Clow Mistress tried to take her eyes away from the personal scene before her, but couldn't. She cared for Li as a friend and would mourn for him and was already saddened at the thought he was gone, but Meilin loved him. Meilin considered Li to be a part of her soul and now that part was gone. Sakura couldn't even imagine the pain the young girl was feeling right now.
Madison and Kero moved next to Sakura and all three watched as Meilin continued to cry on Li. No one knew anything to say as they all silently cried over the loss of the young boy.
Slowly, the raven-haired girl picked her head off of Li's chest and stared down into his face. She wiped away tears from her face and brushed the boy's hair off of his forehead. "I love you with all my heart." Although she said it only a whisper, all around her heard the message.
With tears already re-forming, Meilin bent her neck and placed a soft kiss to Li's forehead. "I'll love you forever." With her statement and action, a soft white light began to surround the two Chinese kids. Sakura gasped as soft blue points of light began to swarm around Meilin and Li and finally all joined together in front of the young girl.
Meilin looked into the soft blue sphere and slowly, as if it was the only thing she could do, she moved her hand towards the light. Once her hand penetrated the orb, the blue seemed to transfer itself into her hand. The young girl brought the hand to her face and examined it, then she moved her hand down towards Li.
The Chinese girl placed her hand over the young boy's heart and closed her eyes.
All in the area looked on in awe as the blue light began to grow in intensity and engulf Li's prone figure. Meilin continued to keep her eyes shut and finally, with a jerking movement, removed her hand from Li and looked down.
If the blue light seemed odd, then the next action was unexplainable. Meilin looked into Li's face and felt her heart stop when a pair of amber eyes looked up at her.
"Oh, Li!" The ruby-eyed girl threw a hand over her mouth in surprise.
"Meilin, what happened?" Li looked around and saw Sakura, Madison and Kero standing in front of Gin and Huai, who were held by the Wood Card. Finally he looked back at Meilin, who seemed to pale considerable.
"You...you...oh my god Li! You were de...de...dead!" With that the young girl looked up to the group of bystanders. "He...he's alive!"
Li slowly rolled to his hands and knees and then got to his feet. Meilin continued to sit on the ground. Sakura, Madison, and Kero were all staring at Li in shock.
The young boy looked down to the raven-haired girl and saw her staring at her hands. He offered her a hand and she hesitantly took it. Li pulled her up, but as soon as she made her way up, the exhaustion of the magic that just happened, took its toll and Meilin passed out into blackness.
~*~
Meilin woke up to the feeling of someone's warm hand running itself over her forehead. She opened her eyes and found Li sitting on the bed next to her.
"Welcome back." Instantly, tears came to the girl's eyes.
"I thought you were dead! It was awful, you had been stabbed and...and there was nothing I could do." Li grabbed Meilin's hand.
"Shh, don't think about it now. Just rest; you wore yourself out." Meilin held onto the young boy's hand a bit tighter.
"Please stay with me. Don't leave me, again."
Li bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll be right here when you wake up."
Feeling the warmth of Li's hand and presence, Meilin closed her eyes and feel into a peaceful sleep.
~*~
This time when Meilin woke up she saw Li reading a book next to her bed and also noticed another person in the room.
"Good evening."
"How long have I been asleep?"
Li stole a glance to his watch. "Over 36 hours. You were completely exhausted and worn out."
The other presence stepped forward. "How did you feel, Meilin?"
The girl stared into the face of the older man. She knew him; it was the same man that she had seen in that piece of mirror. "I recognize you."
The older man nodded. "I assumed you would. My name is Jonas and I'm here to enlighten you. No doubt you are thoroughly confused, but things will become clearer in time. Firstly, you know you are the Oracle of the Clow and have gained magic powers, but you must know what your powers are. Firstly, you know *everything* about the Clow Cards and Clow Reed. In time your memories or rather, the information you have, will become stronger and clearer. You, also, know you can sense magic and even conjure certain spells, but there's more to it. You have the power to conjured this spells without the use of Cards. Also, like your knowledge, you will learn more incantations and how to use them in time. Finally, you have the ability..."
Meilin cut him off. "...to heal others."
Jonas nodded. "I see you have found that out. The reason for this strange power is when Clow Reed decided that there needed to be an Oracle he, as the K'an Clan told you, didn't have enough energy to secure your powers. So, he knew that the Oracle would be in danger, as well as, those she cared for. He created the power of healing as a precaution, that you are, well aware of, works perfectly."
Meilin looked up to Li who smiled down at her. "Yes, it does."
Jonas smiled at the two. "However, the healing power is very draining and cannot be taken for granted. It is a miraculous gift that you have been given and don't use it in vain." Meilin nodded her head in agreement. "Now, about the K'an Clan..."
The raven-haired girl held up her hand. "I know the story. Back in Clow Reed's time the Li, Rae and K'an Clans worked together to help him with his powers and to be ready if he needed them. However, the K'an Clan leaders grew greedy and impatient and attempted to kill Clow Reed to gain his powers. It backfired and Clow Reed banned them from anything with the Cards. Ever since, the K'an Clan has been attempting to gain revenge on Clow Reed by trying to gain the power of the Clow."
The old man nodded his head. "Very good. I see your powers have already settled in." Meilin smiled.
Jonas moved next to the young girl. "You have been given a true gift of magic and knowledge, please use it correctly."
The raven-haired girl looked up to Jonas. "I promise you I will."
The old man moved away from her and headed towards the door. "I must be getting home to China and let the Clans know of the Oracle. Good luck to you both." He moved out of the room; leaving the two Chinese kids alone.
As soon as the old man left, the young girl looked up to Li. "What happened to Gin and Huai?"
"After you passed out, Madison called the police and told them about the two. Apparently, they were wanted to China for robbery and assault. Sakura stayed with them and the Wood Card until the police came close then she held them with threat of the wand until the police came to them. They're now being tried here and China. We don't have to worry about them."
"Have you explained my situation to Sakura and them?"
"Jonas did before you woke up. They're a little...shocked by it all, but they'll get us to it."
Meilin sighed. "What if other members from the K'an Can come for me? Surely, now the others will know about me and might come after me."
Li jumped up onto the bed and sat next to the young girl. He placed his arm around her and she leaned against him. "I won't let anything happen to you."
The Chinese girl suddenly began to shake with silent tears. "What is it?"
"Everyone I know is in danger. I almost got you killed. Wait, actually I did get you killed! I don't want to lose you, Li."
The young boy made Meilin looked him in the eyes. "You can't get rid of my *that* easily, silly" The young girl laughed at Li's mocking statement. "Seriously, nothing will happen to me."
The raven-haired girl sighed again and leaned closer into Li. "I love you."
The young boy placed his chin atop Meilin's head. "I love you, too."
The young girl jerked her head upward and stared at him. "You...you mean that?"
Li bent down and gently placed a kiss to Meilin's lips. "With all my heart."
"Oh, Li!" The young Chinese girl threw her arms around him, causing both to fall on the bed. "I can't believe it! I...I can't...I just..."
"Breathe, Meilin!" The young girl laughed and gave Li a small kiss on the cheek.
"I have everything I could ever want." The young girl closed her eyes and moved closer to Li.
The young boy put his arms around her and smiled down at her. "I do too." With that he closed his eyes also.
Outside the window, Jonas smiled at the two and turned towards Ta Yu. "I told you so."
The younger man rolled his eyes. "You made me fly to Japan to show me that you were right about Li's affections for Meilin."
The old man looked at Ta Yu. "Yes. Now, let's go home and inform the Clans of the joyous news. The two young ones have found each other again."
Outside of the room where Li and Meilin laid, sleeping peacefully, the sun began to slide beneath the horizon taking the day with it. And with the day leaving came another new sunrise and with the sunrise came a new chance for the two young loves to grow together both in life and in magic.
~*~
Reach for the light
To capture a star
Come out of the darkness
And find out who you are...
~*~
A/N: Okay remember, pretty please NO FLAMES! I know there are a LOT of S&S fans out there and, hey even I like a S&S story, but I just love Meilin and Li together. Thank you ever so much. Please be a nice reader and leave a REVIEW!!!!! ^_^