The Fading Horizon
By Clever Insanity
Summary: (AU) Li Syaoran: Successful lawyer and proud single father of six-year-old Li Shiori. Kinomoto Sakura: Middle class worker, just trying to make it by in life. How are these two people related? Well, it seems Shiori thinks Sakura's her mother…
Loosely based off the Filipino Movie "Till There Was You".
Disclaimer: I don't own "Till There Was You" or CCS. I just like writing about it. Makes my world go round. Yeah! (I'm so cool. ) I don't plan on making profit and this is for my sheer enjoyment. Hopefully the readers find it enjoyable too.
A/N: To those of you have watched the movie, I plan to take the basic plot of said movie, but I think I'm going to take it into my own hands and twist the plot up even more. Hehe.
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Chapter One: Something's Missing
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KUSO!
Where the hell did I go wrong? Seriously, can someone tell me? I mean, this whole situation isn't supposed to happen to me. I was supposed to finish college, plow on to law school, and somewhere in the midst of my crazy and hectic life, I was supposed to be happy and start a family. Yeah, and that got me where?
I've managed to get about one thing on my list done. I completed college. Okay, so it is a load off my shoulders but it's absolutely nothing compared to what I have to do now. I sighed as I reached into my pocket, careful to watch the road and steer the car with one hand while doing so. Once I had managed to pull out my cell phone, I flipped it open and pressed a button that automatically called a house that I hadn't intended on calling for a very, very, very long time.
At least, not until I was done with all the things in my list.
Pressing the cell phone against my right leg, I managed to make the call go on speaker. After placing the cell phone in the clasp that hung by my radio, I listened intently to the shrill, high-pitched rings. When I heard the faint click that signaled someone had picked up, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
Perhaps I was too jittery to call like this, while on the road and completely unable to multitask. But hey, what the heck? Worse people were on the road…
"What do you want, little brother?"
Huh? Oh right! The phone…
"Ni hao? Fuutie, is that you? Well, can you give the phone to - "
"Fuutie? This is Feimei, Xiao Lang!" my sister screeched indignantly.
I didn't feel the need to make a snide comment or even simply laugh. It caught my sister off guard though. "Okay. Fine then. Feimei, give the phone to Mother, please."
"But…you never mix us up. Is something wrong?"
"Yes, of course something's wrong! Why else would I call? I mean, argh! Never mind, just give the phone to Mother, please."
"But Xiao Lang - "
"Feimei!"
"Okay, okay."
I slowly came to a stop in front of a red light. My knuckles had turned white since I had been gripping the steering wheel for so long. I quickly released my death grip, afraid I'd break the steering wheel off if I'd held it like that any longer.
"Xiao Lang…" the voice came out low and expectant, almost as if it knew that something had gone terribly wrong. I subconsciously winced at the sound of her voice.
"Ni hao, Mother."
There was a beat, silent as the air thickened even with the great distance between us that was growing smaller and smaller the more I drove. I opened my mouth to say something to make simple conversation before I brought up the real reason I had to call. Yet, leave it to my mother to go directly to the point.
"Well, it is a pleasure to hear from you," she had begun, seemingly adding 'at all' silently to the end of her sentence with her tone. "But I must ask…"
I held my breath.
"What is that sound?"
I blinked, not expecting to hear those exact words from my Mother. I was expecting something more on the lines of "What the heck did you mess up now?" Pressing on the gas pedal to speed up and pass the slow, little, blue car in front of me, I muttered an intelligent, "What?"
"It…sounds like faint crying."
I gulped, my eyes darting over to the bundle of blankets that lay in the car seat right beside me. The damn thing wouldn't stop crying no matter what I did! I fed her the bottled milk. I rocked her endlessly all last night. I was close to just throwing her out the-
Okay, calm down…don't want to do that. You love the little girl, remember? She's your own flesh and blood. She's…oh Kami-sama…
"I…Mom? There's a problem."
"Oh really?" was my mother's dry response.
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The sun was shining beautifully over the town of Tokyo. After a long array of thunderstorms that had been falling for a week, the sun was most appreciated by one little girl who hadn't been to the playground for quite a while. Her cheerful laugh reverberated from where she currently was swinging, eyes sparkling with delight. Her long mane of dark, chestnut brown hair flew behind her as she swayed back and forth.
"Shiori-chan!"
The little girl turned her head to see who had called her name. She smiled as she recognized the woman, lowering her legs so that she could make the swing come to a stop. Hopping off the strap of leather held up by two silver chains, Shiori ran towards her caller. "Oba-san!" she cried. "What are you doing here? Is everyone back from Hong-Kong?"
Fanren nodded in response. "Hai, Shiori-chan," she uttered, her grin never leaving her face as she scooped up the little girl into her arms and rested Shiori on her hip. Shiori squealed in delight as she was picked up and then clasped onto her aunt's side. "Ne, Shiori-chan, why don't we bring you home?" she said, turning in the direction of the Li Apartment.
Shiori gasped and shook her head violently, attempting to get out of her aunt's grasp. "Iie! Iie! Iie! I want to stay here, Oba-san! It's not even dark yet! One more hour, onegai!"
Frowning, Fanren struggled to keep Shiori close to her. Despite the girl's reasoning, it had already begun to get dark, the sun fading away in the horizon. Syaoran had told her to come and pick up Shiori, insisting that she'd be more than delighted to leave with her. Hmm…sure didn't seem that way.
Of course, Wei was present, having been the one to watch over her while she played. It wasn't smart to allow a young girl to waltz around the streets of Tokyo where she could easily be kidnapped, run over, or in any way hurt. Sure, Wei had grown a bit older but he still could manage a little girl at the very least. Taking care of the Li children was what he loved to do, always watching over them with a patient yet amused gaze. Fondly, Wei watched over Fanren and Shiori from afar, wondering if he should intervene and help them. But as he was about to lift himself up and compromise with the girl, a grin spread over Fanren's face.
"Oh, but you'll want to go home. The others are making dinner as we speak. Don't you want to help out? It's a lot of fun! And, if you're sneaky enough, you can take an egg roll and eat it while your cooking." At that point, Fanren looked put out. She pouted, "But I can't pull it off anymore, but if you can…make sure to get some for Oba-san, alright?"
Shiori giggled and swatted at her aunt playfully. "I can't do that, Oba-san! You know that. Demo…I still want to play. It's okay, you guys cook. I'll just stay here for another - "
"Oh no you don't," Fanren said, tightening her grasp. Her little brother would be coming home soon and he'd have a fit if she couldn't do something as simple as bringing his little girl home. Sure, he makes it sound so easy but has he ever done it before? Fanren knew that stubbornness anywhere. The girl was just like her father.
Fanren sighed, clasping her arms around the little girl's waist. Shiori had already managed to get down to the ground and was trying to run back to the ladder of the slide. There was only one way she knew how to solve this.
"If you don't come home now, I would be too late after you ate, showered, and got into bed to be able to read your newest letter that came for you in the mail…"
Shiori suddenly stopped struggling and turned around slowly, her eyes as wide as saucers. "From…?"
Fanren simply nodded. But when Shiori began to jump up and down with excitement, the woman wondered if what she had done was the right thing. Biting her lip as she stood up straight, she offered her hand to Shiori so they could finally head home. "Are you going to come now?" she asked with a wary smile.
Shiori nodded frantically, grabbing onto her aunt's hand. But when they turned around, Shiori let go of Fanren's hand and ran over to another, more elderly, woman. She stood with practiced grace, her head held up high, a small smile tugging at her lips as she embraced her little treasure.
"Obaa-san!" Shiori greeted, clinging to Li Yelan's leg. Conveniently, Yelan's long fingers curled around the child's ears as the grandmother returned the embrace to her granddaughter.
"Didn't Xiao Lang say we had to finish that business, Fanren?" Yelan asked her daughter softly.
"How else was I supposed to get her home?" Fanren retorted gingerly, careful not to sound disrespectful although she possessed a strong urge to cross her arms and pout.
"I'm sure you could find other ways," Yelan answered, guiding Shiori slowly back to the apartment.
"Did you hear, Obaa-san?" Shiori asked excitedly. "Okaa-san sent me another letter! Let's get home quickly, ne? Haiaku! Haiaku!"
Yelan nodded solemnly before taking hold of Shiori's hand and crossing the street. Wei and Fanren followed close behind. Nobody said a word and all that could be heard was the faint taps against the concrete sidewalk that Shiori's feet made as they merrily skipped along.
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"Tadaima!" Shiori called, after one of her oba-sans had opened the door. She glanced around, and then rushed over to the wooden table across the hall. The smell of newly cooked food permeated through the fairly large apartment. She settled quickly into her own chair, ready to dig into the food that was set before her. Her smile widened as she restlessly waited for the others to join her.
"Itadakimasu!" All four oba-sans, Shiori, and Yelan said, before they began to eat. Shiori, while finishing off the rice from the bowl beside her, glanced around the table and frowned. "Otou-san…where is he?"
"Still at work, little one," Shiefa responded. "He'll be home soon, I promise."
"At least he better be!" Feimei cried.
"Ehhh?" Shiori gasped.
"Oh shush! Don't listen to her, Shiori-chan," Shiefa said.
Finishing the food on her plate, Shiori placed her spoon and fork down and was about to leave the table when Yelan stopped her. "Shiori, what do you need to do first?"
Shiori dropped her head and quietly asked if she may be excused. Yelan excused her and informed the little girl it was time for her bath. Shiori shrieked when all her four aunts chased after her, screeching, "It's time for kawaii Shiori-chan to take a bath!"
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Shiori sat on her bed, her legs folded neatly beneath her. Her eldest aunt, Fuutie, was currently brushing the knots out of her long, dark hair. In the mirror that hung over the dresser in Shiori's room, one could see the brightened expression that was on little Shiori's face as she grasped the paper and envelope in her hands. She was so busy looking over the picture of her Mother that she couldn't see the frown etched so deeply on Fuutie's face. After combing through one last time, Fuutie pulled the long mane of hair and placed it over her niece's left shoulder. "Shiori-chan?" Fuutie whispered, bowing her head. "Gomen ne…"
Shiori turned around, confused. "Eh? Dosh-"
"Shi-Oh-Ri!" came a voice from the bedroom door. "Shiori-chan, aren't you going to greet your Otou-san?"
Shiori jumped up from her bed and ran over to Syaoran, attaching herself to his leg. "I was waiting for you to come home, Otou-san! Mou…you take too long!"
Syaoran let out a laugh and placed a hand on her head of flowing chestnut tresses. "Gomen ne, Shiori-chan. I had a busy day at work today. Eh? Oh Fuutie! Arigatou for watching over Shiori tonight. You can…" his voice trailed off as his eyes landed on the crumpled up pieces of paper and the picture that was barely peeking out of the envelope. He eyed his sister fiercely while he carried his daughter back to her bed. Shiori had school the next morning and it was best she had a good night's sleep or she'd be rather cranky by the afternoon.
"Guess what, Otou-san! Okaa-san sent me a letter again! Isn't that great?"
Syaoran nodded his head, pulling the warm comforter up to Shiori's chin. "Wonderful. Well, you go to bed now, okay?"
Shiori let out a 'hai' in between a long yawn. Syaoran then briskly walked out of the room, expecting to hear his sister's hurried steps behind him.
"What were you thinking, Onee-chan? Which one of you did it? Didn't I say that we were going to tell her soon? Tell Shiori the truth. I don't want her going around thinking that…that woman is her mother."
"I know, Syaoran, I know. But, what did you expect us to do? It was the only way Fanren could bring her home! Besides, how are you going to break it to Shiori-chan? Huh? Tell me." She frowned placing both hands on the side of her face. "It'll be so sad to see something as kawaii as Shiori crying…"
Syaoran sighed. "This isn't the time for jokes, Fuutie." Sitting on the black leather coach in the living room, "Fine, I'll just tell her tomorrow. She has to know sometime right? I'll just break it to her easily and we'll see what happens from there…" He buried his aching head in his hands. "Kami-sama…what a mess I'm in…"
Fuutie stood awkwardly in her spot, not daring to make a sound. She knew of Syaoran's temper and how it had grown shorter as his cases became more and more irritating.
"Well, it's not your sisters' fault that your daughter wouldn't stop crying unless she saw that picture of the girl. Don't be so hard on them, Xiao Lang."
Syaoran glanced up slowly from his hands to see his mother glancing down at him pointedly. He knew she was right. Ever since that day Shiori set eyes on that woman, she had been able to become cheerful, to be quiet, to simply let Syaoran have a good night's sleep. It had been okay for him when Shiori was a baby and she didn't know any better but now it was like his little girl depended more on a picture than him. It silently tore him apart.
"So be reasonable, Xiao Lang. Pick a good date to tell your daughter the truth. You can't just bring it up so casually. Have a plan, be prepared for every reaction," Yelan informed him before heading towards the door out.
Syaoran quickly scrambled to his feet. "You don't have to leave, Mother. You can just stay here for the night. It's really cold and - "
"Nonsense, Xiao Lang. After all, our apartment is simply across the street."
Syaoran nodded. "Right…"
"After her birthday," Fuutie whispered, finding her voice.
"What?" Syaoran asked, turning to face her.
"Wait until after Shiori's birthday. It's this weekend isn't it? And she's having that party? Don't ruin it for her, little brother. You can wait that long, can't you?"
Syaoran sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Yeah…sure…"
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A/N: Hope you liked the first chapter. You'll get to read the letter from Shiori's "Mother" soon (most likely next chapter). I didn't really introduce Saku-chan into mix yet but she'll be coming shortly. Please read and review! Thanks! Oh, and about the change from first person to third person. I'm very sorry if that confused any of you…I was simply in the mood to take you deep into Syaoran's brain at that time. Then it skips to about six years later. Yeah…I don't think I'll be writing first person anymore for this story. It was just a way to bring you in. Hopefully it served its purpose!
Quick Note:
Ni hao: Hello (mandarin)
Oba-san: Aunt
Onegai: Please
Obaa-san: Grandma
Hai: yes, okay (depending on the context)
Otou-san: Dad
Okaa-san: Mom
Haiaku: Hurry
Iie: No
Tadaima: I'm home
Itadakimasu: Let's eat
Arigatou: Thanks, thank you
Gomen: Sorry
Onee-chan: Older sister
Okay, now I know when I first started out reading anime fanfics, I would've greatly appreciated a little dictionary/glossary like that. I'm not exactly sure if the translations I put up are right. I know I'm crazy to integrate Japanese and English together in the dialogue but…I'm just crazy in general. Now all you Japanese experts out there, if you find a word used incorrectly or a word defined incorrectly, please do tell me! I'm always happy to learn new things. I have a couple friends who take the Japanese class at my school but since it's summer vacation right now, I don't have a lot of access to them because they're out on the beach…or something. D
Well hope you enjoyed!