Title: 中秋节
Disclaimer: I don't own the Wonderful Cardcaptor Sakura. I am not that intelligent to make up such a wonderful story, so don't sue me.
Summary: A very young Syaoran can't sleep so his sister tells him the legend of how Harvest Moon Festival came to be. Please no Flames. This is more of a Sister-brother bonding. Syaoran's 4 and Fuutie is 11.
Genres: General/ a bit of humor?
A/N- just so you know Harvest Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival is a Chinese (well they have it in other Asian countries too but they have a different name for it ehehe…) holiday that is usually in the 8th, month and 15th day of very year, which falls in September this year. Okay another note… I don't live in Asian so I never celebrated like they do but from my knowledge; this is how I know the legend. There are many variations of it and a few other legends. This is just one. Please do not flame me.
A little boy with amber eyes padded silently as possible down the dark hallway to a room next to his. Going inside he spotted a flashlight on. One of his sisters must be awake.
Going over to the bed the little boy with wide amber eyes whispered as he tugged softly on the sleeve of his eldest sister to get her attention. "Dai ga jie."
The girl looked down at the little boy, surprised. "Xiu Lang? What are you doing up? You should be asleep now." She marked the page she was reading and put the book down beside her bed, giving Xiu Lang her full attention. She never really spent much time with him so she was surprised that he was here.
Still whispering so to not wake his other sisters he continued. "Xiu Lang cants sleep and whys everyones having those light thingies today?"
"Light thingies…? Xiu Lang what are you—oh! You mean those lanterns? Why are you thinking about that now?"
Xiu Lang nodded "Yea laters—"
"Lanterns" she corrected. "Why are you thinking about that now though?"
"I never see dem before"
She laughed quietly to herself at her brother's language.
"What so funny?" Xiu Lang crossed his little arms and pouted angrily.
"Nothing nothing" She ceased her giggling and sat up. She leaned over pick him up. Setting him down on her lap she leaned back against her pillows. Holding him, she ran her hands through his hair over and over to make him sleepy. "I guess you just don't remember because every year we do have the lanterns. Xiu Lang, tomorrow's the Harvest Moon Festival."
He looked up puzzled and even in the darkness she saw his face and giggled again.
"Stop laughin at Xiu" Xiu Lang pouted again.
In between trying to stop herself she managed out a sentence. "You just look so cute"
The little boy signed and leaned over on the bed with his elbows. He was used to this but didn't like it. "Fine fine, tell me what Harvest Moon Festival is" He cut in impatiently, trying to get her to stop with the cute stuff.
"Okay Okay. How about I tell you the legend? It's pretty cool. Mommy told us when we were younger." She referred to the their other siblings. "There are like three or four other legends but I like this one. Its cool!" Fuutie got this dreamy look in her eyes and sighed blissfully.
Impatiently he poked his sister in the side to get her attention. She soon snapped out of it and after another giggling fit she started the tale. Xiu Lang's wide curious amber eyes looked up at her, eagerly to hear the bedtime story and gave his full attention to his sister.
"Legend says that long ago during the 600's A.D.—" Began Fuutie.
"What's A.D.?" Xiu Lang interrupted.
"A.D.? Oh um…its some name for a time." She giggled nervously. She really didn't know.
The little boy blinked and accepted the confusing answer. "Oh okay. More." He leaned in closer to her to listen.
"Okay…well long ago in 600 A.D. there was believed to be a lady, named Chang'er. She was married to this guy named Hou Yi. Hou Yi was an archer—"
"What's arc-er, Dai ga jie?" He stumbled over the word.
"Archer. Er…It's someone that can shoot arrows."
"Oh."
"Yea…"
"This is a boring bed time stowie." Xiu Lang complained. "Cants you tell a better one?"
"No no no! It gets better Xiu Lang! Really!" She whispered a bit too loud causing Feimei to mumble and turn over in her sleep. Fuutie noticed and quickly lowered her voice.
"Fine." Closing his eyes he leaned on her.
"Okay no interruptions okay?"
Still with his eyes closed he nodded. "Okay then. Hou Yi was an archer… One day he was assigned to go and shoot the ten suns. These ten suns were supposed to take turns to rise each day, but one day they all got up and were shooting rays at each other. The Goddess of the Western Heaven feared that they would—yawn—bring a terrible drought to the earth and Hou Yi was given the order to shoot them down. So that's what he did—"
"That's all?" A tired mumbling interrupted her once again.
"No Xiu Lang. There is more. You're very impatient." She tapped his nose and smiled.
"Am not." He defended.
She giggled. "Stop laughing at Xiu" Xiu Lang glared and pouted.
"We're never going to get to the end are we?" Fuutie ceased her giggling.
"Yes we are. Keep telling. What happened to the arc-er?"
"Well he shot down nine of the ten suns and left one left to shine. Hehe. The Goddess of the Western Heaven was pleased with his task and gave him a pill. The pill had a special magic elixir of immortality. And before you ask what immortality is, it means that people can live forever. And elixir is a…uh…medicine kind of thing. Did you get that?"
A short nod. "Can we live forever?" Xiu Lang looked up at her; his innocent eyes wide with curiosity.
"Uhm…lets put it this way. We will live for a long, long, long time. Yea lots and lots of years to come okay?"
"Okay…Finish da stowie. Xiu sleepy." He yawned and closed his eyes once more.
She glanced at the clock. 1:54 am. "Dai dai. It's really late. I think mommy will be mad if we don't get to sleep soon."
"Aww… please? Xiu Lang promise he be quiet."
"But you said you were sleepy"
"Am not..." He mumbled while yawning.
"Fine, but I'll have to tell it fast" She shifted him into a more comfortable position for her and him and pulled up the blankets around.
Without wasting anymore time she continued the tale.
"Okay. Well after Hou Yi gave him the pill of immortality, he carried it home and hid it. One day while he went out his wife, Chang'er found the pill and she was curious. She swallowed it. The pill took effect almost immediately and she felt herself become lighter. She began to float higher and higher. When the Goddess of the Western Heaven heard of this she got really, really mad and punished Chang'er to the moon. Now as legend says—yawn—tomorrow night when the full moon is up and at it's brightest they can see Chang'er at her most beautiful on the moon!" She concluded. "Wasn't that a great story Xiu Lang?"
"…" She looked down at her lap and waited for an answer but she didn't get any except for soft breathing.
Fuutie sighed and a frown made its way to her face. "You make me finish the story and you fall asleep at the very end?" She whispered to his sleeping form.
But as quickly as the frown was there a smile replaced it as she gazed sleepily at her innocent-looking little brother while he was asleep. When he was awake he didn't look so peaceful, in her opinion. "Oh well dai dai. I guess I should do what you are doing." She yawned and carefully she lowered her brother onto her pillow and then lowered herself next to him. Covering him and her, she happily let sleep claim her. She faintly heard a murmur through the soft breathing of her younger siblings.
"I love you dai ga jie…"
Dai ga Jie- Eldest sister
Dai dai- little brother
A/N- Yea, I know its short and bad no need to tell me. Please no flames. Really. Anyway I was thinking maybe just Syaoran and his sister spending time with each other and tying in the legend of Chang'er since the 28th is Mid Autumn Festival.
A/N II- Okay, so at the time of writing this, I thought, "I'll use "Xiao Lang" so not to confuse people, even if it is Mandarin." But I think that's just confusing people even more. In this story, I'm using Cantonese. Not mandarin. That is why I used, "Dai dai" instead of "Di di." About the names in the story that Fuutie is telling, I don't know the Canto equivalent, so I left them. XDD Yes. Does it really matter? This story is nearly 3 years old already. --;;