Lilover131: Hey there everyone! I'm back with another story, but this one will be a collection of oneshots! I've always wanted to write stories about Tsubasa's life before the events of the Tsubasa Chronicles manga, so here we go! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Before My Name Was Syaoran

What Makes Me Happiest

"Did you wash your hands, Tsu-chan?"

"Yes, mother!" said the young child, beaming up at his mother.

Sakura smiled down at her son and handed him a clean green apron, his favorite one, and he quickly tied it around himself.

"What are we making for dinner again?" he asked.

"Har gow," she responded.

Tsubasa's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Har gow? You mean those shrimp dumplings Father made us before?"

Sakura nodded.

"Yes. He said since you liked them so much, he wanted to show you how to make them. They're one of his favorites too," she said with a smile.

Tsubasa bounced slightly in his excitement. Being only six years old, Sakura was slightly concerned about letting him handle sharp objects when helping them cook, but Syaoran had finally insisted she let him. His recent argument was 'If he can handle a sword, he can handle a knife'. Perhaps he was right. Tsubasa was incredibly responsible for his age anyways and would take it very seriously. The boy was so much like his father in so many ways after all.

Just as Syaoran crossed her mind, he entered the kitchen, as if he had been inadvertently summoned, and she felt her heart flutter just at seeing his face. He had a bag in each hand, undoubtedly filled with the ingredients they needed, and he placed them on the countertop.

"Sorry for the delay everyone. Wei just came back with the ingredients and I got sidetracked by my sisters," he said, looking almost out of breath.

"Which ones?" Tsubasa asked, and Syaoran sighed.

"All of them. It's not like they ever spend time apart. Those four are always together"

Tsubasa nodded knowingly, and Sakura tilted her head at her son.

"You like your aunts, don't you Tsu-chan?"

The boy nodded.

"I do, but I wish they wouldn't hold me so tight every time they see me. I can't breathe when they do that."

Syaoran and Sakura both laughed before finally making eye contact with each other, and like magnetism, Syaoran leaned in and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm home," he whispered gently to her.

This action had practically become their greeting to each other every time they were reunited now. Life in Hong Kong was very peaceful, but with Syaoran being the leader of the Li clan, it kept him very busy, and by kissing her head and telling her he was home, it was his way of letting her know that he would always return to her and Tsubasa. However, after all they'd been through, it wasn't as if he needed to say anything at all. They would always find their way to each other, and she was well aware of that.

The two glanced to their son as he carried the stepping stool that would help him reach the countertop, and once he placed it down on the ground, both Sakura and Syaoran each grabbed one of his hands and hoisted him up. Honestly, he didn't really need the help getting up, but it was a habit they hadn't been quite ready to let go of yet. After all, he would always be a baby in their eyes.

Syaoran removed the ingredients from the bag and laid them out. Seeing all the ingredients together seemed a bit daunting at first, but with Syaoran's cooking skills and guidance, everything would surely be all right. The man laid out the first set of ingredients before them and handed each of them a knife.

"Sakura, if you could be in charge of cutting the bamboo shoots, Tsubasa can start cutting the peeled shrimp," he said.

Both nodded in understanding of their tasks. Syaoran chose for Tsubasa to start with cutting the shrimp, since it was soft, and the less amount of force he used to cut, the less likely he would be to injure himself. It also didn't require very much precise cutting, even if the child was plenty skilled with a blade. He had absolute faith in his son, but he remembered how Wei used to tell him as a child not to try and run before he could walk.

A pile of rather squishy, slightly brown colored peeled shrimp was placed in front of Tsubasa, and Syaoran moved to stand directly behind him, reaching over with the knife and placing it in his son's hand. He then put both of his hands around Tsubasa's and slowly started to guide him in the motions.

"When cutting, you want to make sure you curl your fingers in a bit so your knuckles work as a guard against the knife. It will help you to work faster and not cut yourself"

Tsubasa acknowledged his words with a little hum, his amber eyes deeply focused on the motions his father was moving his hands in. He was a fast learner, and he would surely become an expert at this in no time. Sakura watched with baited breath as Syaoran took his hands away and left their son to do it on his own, and she sighed in relief when he seemed to be doing just fine.

Sakura was so distracted watching him that for a brief moment, she lost focus of her cutting, and accidentally nicked her finger. She squeaked, immediately drawing Syaoran's attention, and he caught her with her finger in her mouth. He frowned, eyes softening on her.

"Did you cut yourself?"

She nodded, showing the very small cut on her finger.

"Yes, but it's very small. I'll be just fine. It will probably be all better by tomor-"

Her words were interrupted as he stepped forward to take her hand into his and he gently kissed the tiny wound. Sakura's face instantly turned red, and she couldn't seem to get any words out. Everything that attempted to come out was released in stutters, and by the time she was focused enough to speak, Syaoran had already slipped a bandage and glove onto her wounded hand.

"D-did you have those in your apron?" she asked.

Syaoran nodded very seriously.

"You cut your fingers very frequently, so I always have one ready just in case"

Sakura wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed at the fact that she sliced her fingers frequently enough for him to carry materials in his apron or to be flattered that he thought to have one ready for her.

"Done!" Tsubasa suddenly exclaimed.

Syaoran and Sakura gazed to him and both were amazed to see that not only was the shrimp sliced, but nearly every ingredient that required slicing was done, and quite expertly!

"Amazing…" the parents both said in unison.

They leaned in to inspect his work, and Syaoran was in awe at the beautifully clean slices.

"How did you do this? This is more than what I showed you in just that short time…"

Tsubasa smiled proudly.

"Wei and I sometimes watch cooking programs together"

"Really now…"

Wei was like a second father to Tsubasa. Whenever Syaoran wasn't around to train him, Wei would fill in, but that certainly didn't stop them from having some fun too. The two of them often enjoyed taking walks through the city and admiring Victoria Harbor.

Syaoran gathered the shrimp that was cut and placed it into a bowl with the water chestnuts and chives that were also cut by Tsubasa.

"We will need to cook the bamboo shoots for a few minutes before we can add them," Syaoran said.

Sakura moved to gather the pot and filled it with water over the bamboo pieces before turning on the stovetop. Although she didn't get to finish cutting them, she felt like she could at least take responsibility for whatever requirements were needed for the shoots. The shoots were cooked for about 10 minutes before drained and cooled. Once cool and dry, they were thrown into the mix along with the other ingredients.

"Things seem to be coming along," Syaoran said with a smile before he grabbed the small piece of ginger from the pile of ingredients yet to be used.

He took a knife and began to peel it, making sure to show his son what he was doing before handing it off to him and letting him do the rest. As expected, the boy did splendidly, and his proud parents were thoroughly enjoying seeing his focused expression. When he finished, Syaoran placed a small bowl on the counter and handed Tsubasa grater.

"Go ahead and grate the ginger until we have enough for about a teaspoon," he instructed, holding up a teaspoon for reference.

Tsubasa enjoyed this part and shaved at the ginger very calculatedly. In hardly any time at all, there was enough, and it was tossed into the bowl with the other ingredients.

"Now what?" Tsubasa asked.

Syaoran handed him an egg and placed two small bowls in front of him.

"Do you remember that time you baked with your aunts and they needed egg whites? We need the egg white, so go ahead and do what they taught you and use the shell to separate the yolk for the whites"

The child nodded and did as instructed, and the egg white was added as well to the ever growing mixture.

"Now we just have some seasoning left for the filling," Syaoran said.

He had Sakura carefully measure the salt, rice alcohol, sesame oil, ground pepper, and corn starch. Once everything was ready, both Sakura and Tsubasa took turns mixing the ingredients together until it seemed to become sticky in texture. After being approved by Syaoran, he covered the bowl with plastic wrap and placed it in the fridge.

"It will need to chill for about 30 minutes. While it's chilling, let's work on the dough"

Together, the family mixed and kneaded the dough before placing flour on a cutting board and rolling the dough into a thick rope like shape. From there, Tsubasa cut 24 equal sized pieces. Syaoran smiled at the work he had done.

"Very good. Now, we'll take each piece and press it down with our palms so they flatten in a circle shape, and we'll use the rolling pin to thin them out," he instructed, and both Sakura and Tsubasa got to work making the desired shapes.

At this point, 30 minutes had passed, and they were able to pull the filling they made from the fridge. Together, the three of them used a spoon to scoop equal portions of filling, and delicately folded the dough around it into a ruffle like edge. Once done, the family stood back a moment to admire their work.

"They look great!" Tsubasa said, and his parents nodded in agreement.

"Now all that's left is to steam them, and it'll be time to eat!" Syaoran said.

Tsubasa's stomach growled loud enough for his parents to hear, causing him to blush in embarrassment, and the both of them laughed lightly.

"I'll take care of steaming them if you two want to clean up and set the table," Syaoran suggested, and both Sakura and their son happily obliged.

Three spots were set at the table with a little dish of vinegar and soy sauce to dip in by each plate, and within a few minutes, the Har gow was completed. The delicious scent filled the room, and the family took their seats before pressing their hands together in silent thanks for the food. Without wasting any more time, they readied their chopsticks and gently dipped their dumplings into the sauce before biting in. Each of them smiled as they did, silence overcoming the room as they simply enjoyed the taste. Wei once said that the sign of a delicious meal was silence at the table, and in this moment, he couldn't have been more correct.

For a few minutes, they ate their food without saying a word, passing happy glances to each other until Tsubasa seemed to stop for a moment and eyed his father.

"Father…do you really have to work tomorrow?" he suddenly asked.

Syaoran was a bit taken back by it, but he slowly nodded.

"I do. The meetings within the clan are very important, and these are things you may have to learn to do someday too"

Tsubasa frowned slightly, and though he seemed to understand, something still seemed to be bothering him.

"…Must I? I have a lot of fun training, but the responsibilities of being Li clan leader are tough, aren't they?"

Syaoran nodded.

"They are, but I want to do it. Everything we do is for our family; to keep us safe and healthy," he stated with conviction.

"But I miss you…I wish you were home more often, so we could cook like this all the time…"

Sakura frowned hearing her son say this.

"Tsu-chan…"

Syaoran's face softened and he made sure to make eye contact with his son before speaking to let him know what he was saying was the truth.

"Tsubasa…I miss you and your mother all the time. I also wish I was here more often, but knowing that what I do protects you both is important to me. And also…because I know that I get to come home to both of you and do things like this makes it all worth it. I have people waiting for me and cheering me on every single day"

The boy looked up to his father, blinking a bit at his words.

"It's not about how much time we spend with each other, but what we do with the time we have. When I'm home, I want to be with both of you, having fun cooking and eating together. That brings me the most happiness," he said with a smile, and after a moment, his son seemed to mirror that smile.

"I suppose you're right…"

Sakura felt warmth at the conversation between her two special people, and she leaned slightly to the side so that she could rest her head on Syaoran's shoulder. The man blushed at the action but seemed overjoyed nonetheless. Tsubasa tilted his head before a question came to mind.

"Mother…Father…how did you two meet?"

His parents blinked in response and were caught a bit off guard. How did they answer that question exactly?

"It's a very long story…for another day," Syaoran answered, and Sakura nodded in agreement.

Tsubasa was clearly confused by this response, but he did not press further. Maybe he wasn't old enough to hear about it yet. The family gazed at the clock on the wall to see the time, though from the daylight that appeared to be slowly diminishing outside, the day was nearly over.

"Tsu-chan, you have school tomorrow. If you're finished eating, go ahead and ask Wei to start a bath for you. Your father and I can clean up. When we're done, we'll read a story together before bed," she said.

The boy smiled and showed thanks for his meal before giving a short and respectful bow to his parents and running off to the other room. Syaoran and Sakura both stood and began to clean up the dishes, and as Sakura stood at the sink, she felt her husband come up behind her and felt his arms gently embrace her. The man placed a soft kiss upon her shoulder and rested there a moment, savoring this moment.

"I missed you, Sakura…" he said almost longingly.

Sakura blushed, her work with the dishes halting momentarily.

"I missed you too," she said softly.

"Do you think…" he started, "…you two would like to both come with me the next time I travel?"

Sakura blinked in surprise at this, but she was beaming with excitement.

"I think we would like that very much," she responded, and Syaoran seemed ecstatic.

"I'm so glad. The other clans would love you. And I think Tsubasa would enjoy seeing what we do and getting to see new places," he said. Sakura seemed to be in agreement. After all, these peaceful days might not last forever.

"Did you really mean what you said during dinner? That you're the happiest when having fun cooking and eating together with us?" she asked.

It wasn't that she thought he got no enjoyment out of it or anything, but to say such a simple thing made him the happiest was a rather large statement to make. Syaoran nodded.

"I meant every word. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, as long as I am with both of you," he said.

Sakura reached her hand over to touch his arm that was wrapped around her, and she leaned her body back into his.

"Me too…" she said, and when the two made eye contact, the magnetism overpowered them again, and their lips connected now that their innocent child's eyes were not watching.

It only lasted for a moment, but they stood still with their foreheads pressed together for what seemed like an eternity, letting their aura's mingle and warm each other. These seconds were all they ever needed to feel whole again, and perhaps this was why Syaoran wasn't so concerned with how much time one had. One just had to spend it wisely.

Once they were ready to move, the dishes were cleaned, and the husband and wife walked side by side, holding hands.

If only these peaceful days could last forever…