Song of Light
Chapter 1
Touya and Yukito were both graduating. Syaoran wanted to buy a ticket to see Yukito in costume and wanted to see Yue in that hat. At least that was what he said in his letter. Sakura was a bit mortified, but Yukito took it in a stride, saying that Yue would even let Syaoran take pictures if he wished as long as Syaoran also wears the costume at one point and takes the picture with him.
The graduation ceremony took place in a large auditorium. The graduates sat in the front while the deans and advisors prepared to give their long speeches. Syaoran met up with Sakura and Fujitaka as they entered the auditorium.
" I take lots of pictures of Yue." Syaoran declared a little goofily. " I want to show all my friends back in Korea what the great Yue looked like when he graduated from college."
He really changed a lot. As Chul and Ritsuko constantly predicted, despite his pimples which were far and few between, at age fourteen he already looked quite handsome, and although boys grow later than girls he still managed to be slightly taller than Sakura. His voice was very scratchy and his body was lanky and his face still extremely boyish, but that only promised future growth and potential.
They had not seen each other for about two years, actually. Sakura got busy preparing for the standardized tests for high school and she had no idea just how Syaoran occupied his time during that period. They communicated often enough through letters and by phone, but Syaoran did not come by Japan until today. It was good to see him.
Syaoran was happy to see Sakura too. He actually kissed Sakura on the cheek, conveniently when Fujitaka was not looking. They sat next to each other in the audience and Syaoran kept squeezing her hand and looking at her, grinning. It seemed like it was all he could do to contain his joy. He even kept his hold on her hand when taking pictures of Yukito. This Fujitaka did notice, but the man did not comment, only smiled faintly. Sakura wondered if she had ever been this content in her life.
The actual ceremony was quite boring. There were a lot of meaningless speeches pretending they were meant to inspire whatever ethics it was in the hearts and minds of the graduates, who really wanted nothing more than to go out and get drunk in a bar somewhere. Touya and Yukito had planned originally to go out with friends for the post graduation party, but after Yukito heard Syaoran was coming he insisted that such parties were not hard to come by during any of their former college years, but a visit from the thunderspeaker was. Touya was slightly annoyed at this but he saw Yukito's point, and Sakura did not mention to Syaoran that they had changed their plans so drastically on his account. After what happened four years ago, the last thing Syaoran needed was to know that he was messing up anyone's plans, however minor and trivial they may be. And besides, the fact that Touya would not get drunk that night was something that pleased Fujitaka immensely, and that was always a plus for anything.
Once the ceremony was over all the graduates swarmed out in their little groups with their families. When it came down to it Yue was much more bashful than Yukito made him out to be.
" Just one." Syaoran insisted, grinning devilishly. " Just one. Iie, two. Just two. They'll be quick. You look splendid."
" If I looked splendid," At this point Yukito had taken off his gown and cap as it was kind of hot, " You would not be wearing that expression."
Syaoran made no effort to clear it off his face. " Just two." He continued. " Come on, Yue. Be a good sport. It's really not such a big deal. Well, except I'll look even cooler among my friends."
" You desire popularity?" Yue cocked an eyebrow.
" Iie. I desire coolness." Syaoran grinned, knowing full well that what he just said did not make any sense. " And being able to catch Yue in a cap and gown is really really cool. Come on, you've got to admit. Only special people like the three of us can take a picture of you like this. And Eriol-san, who is not here…wonder why not. He told me he was coming. Probably got caught up in things again."
Touya eyed Syaoran with a bit of amusement, while Sakura just stood there wondering how Yue would respond. Fujitaka had gone to speak to some of the professors concerning some kind of government grant, which left the two college graduates and high school students to themselves for the moment.
" Just two." Syaoran grinned. " Besides, you promised. Sakura told me so. Then I can wear the cap and you can take a picture of a thunderspeaker wearing that garb. I'd look even more ridiculous. I'm too short."
Actually, no matter how Syaoran puts it Yue would always look more ridiculous in a graduation gown and cap, and everyone knew it.
" Fine." Yue relented.
Syaoran, still grinning, handed the camera to Sakura. " Take a picture of me with the famous Yue, Guardian of Sakura Cards."
" What kind of joke is that?" Touya snorted. " You're the one and only thunderspeaker."
" But Yue looks cooler. He's tall, he's got awesome hair, and he's in a cap and gown. Where is that bird I made you?"
" At home."
" You've gotten so blunt over the years." Touya chuckled as Sakura adjusted the camera angle.
" That is fine." Yue even went so far as to wrap his arm around Syaoran's shoulders as they posed for the picture. Sakura told herself to remind Syaoran to give her a copy.
" You know what would be awful?" Syaoran told Yue as Sakura took another picture.
" Nani?"
" If your gown was pink."
" Good heavens." Touya looked disturbed now.
" Daijoubu, your turn." Yue took off the cap. Syaoran put them on with more enthusiasm than Yue did.
" You've gotten too tall for me to lift you." Yue noted a little regretfully.
Syaoran grinned at Yue. " Hey, I can't stay short forever. That's just not suave enough for a cool thunderspeaker like me."
" You are really happy today." Touya noted.
" Of course I am. My favorite Clow guardian graduated from college today."
" And you got to hold hands with the kaijuu. Don't think I did not see that."
" You know what, I am so happy right now I won't even get nervous about that."
" You shouldn't." Sakura glared at her brother. " Besides, who's the thunderspeaker here?"
" Sakura, your brother is the scariest guy I know. Short of your father."
" Nani? What did my father ever do to you?"
" I'm just scared of what he might do to me once he finds out you and I are—"
" Kids?" Fujitaka looked at Syaoran a little oddly. " Shall we go home?"
oO
" Come and visit me in Korea for the summer."
" My job starts next week."
" Mine starts in the fall. I can come."
" I was thinking about volunteering this year."
" It's your first year. Don't sweat it. You get a free transport to Korea and back via the lightning express."
" You sure you won't throw us around like you did with Eriol?"
" Oh please. That was years ago. I've gotten it all worked out now. I have tons of friends who want to meet you. It's going to be a blast."
" I can't speak Korean."
" You can speak English."
" We're all bad at English."
" Don't worry. We are too. It's no big deal. And besides, if you come, I can show you a whole new world."
" That sounds kind of disturbing."
" You're a pervert, To-ya."
" You are." Syaoran looked pointedly at Touya. " And don't think I didn't get that reference. I know quite a few American college students. And as for the song, they were on a carpet."
" What are you talking about?" Sakura asked.
" Don't ask." Syaoran looked at Sakura. " But I mean it. You think that magic's just a few scattered events between lunch times, but I'm telling you, there's a whole society that we elementals are unfortunate enough to have to regulate. I want to show you the unicorns too."
" Unicorns?" Sakura blinked.
" Hai." Syaoran grinned. " Yue knows about them. Right Yue?"
" Sure." Yukito replied. " It should be fun, Yue says."
" I know, Yue." Syaoran grinned again. " You didn't say 'fun'."
The group laughed.
" You're eventually going to get caught up in the mess." He shrugged. " So start early. I mean, I've weeded out all the bad folks. You're only going to meet the good folks. They're quirky, one of them's even more perverted than Touya—"
" Hey!"
Yukito elbowed Touya. " You deserved that." He said, much to Sakura's confusion.
" He's irritating and he gets on our nerves at times but he's a good guy." Syaoran shrugged. " And besides, as I said, they all want to meet you. This Card Mistress that I claim to be dating. Oh darn it."
" I did not hear anything." Touya said flatly.
" Get over it, Oni-chan." Sakura punched him lightly on the arm. " Who else would you rather I date?"
" You're too young."
" I'm fifteen!"
" Romeo and Juliet were both fourteen…they died, well, that's a bad example." Syaoran frowned. " that Christine from Phantom of the Opera was fourteen too. Or was she sixteen? She had a happy ending. And she married the Vicomte de Chagny. And girls in the old days use to get married when they were fourteen. Sakura and I are just, well, we're not even dating." He looked a little morose at this.
" I see nothing wrong with the matter."
" You're unusually biased, Yuki."
A cell phone rang. Syaoran jerked and fumbled for his phone.
" Chul," He greeted, then started speaking in Korean. The other three turned around and started talking amongst themselves.
" Isn't it great?" Yukito smiled. " He's been through so much but look at him."
" Don't give her any ideas."
" I'm not!"
" I want to go with Syaoran-kun." Sakura told Touya.
The young man shrugged. " Can't stop you."
" I think we'd have lots of fun, anyway." Yukito smiled.
" Well," Syaoran hung up, " That was Chul, asking me how long I plan to stay here. I think I plan to hang around for a week in Japan, visit a few friends, say hello, especially to Takashi-san. This is just great. I'm trilingual but I suck at all three languages."
" You don't sound like you suck." Sakura looked at him.
" Don't you know English too?" Yukito asked.
" You don't get it. I suck in Korean. I keep getting eighties on my essays." Touya snorted at this, which Syaoran ignored. " It's the price of knowing too many languages. And as for English the junk that I learned probably would not even get me out of a subway station in New York, according to Jack. Well, maybe if I learn by turning into light again, but there are too many versions of English to keep track of. So I'm sticking with trilingual. And I guess I won't be able to write decent essays in Chinese or Japanese. And just when China's economy is booming." Here Syaoran actually looked a little tired and depressed. No doubt the traumatic year still affected him, as much as his new bright exterior liked to cover that up.
" How has Chul been treating you?" Yukito asked.
" He's been very good to me." Syaoran smiled. " He's actually nice to people now."
Everyone laughed.
" Hai, he's cool."
" Should I ask Otou-san if I can go?" Sakura asked.
" Go ahead." Touya shrugged. " I'm pretty sure he'd be alright with it."
" Doesn't hurt." Syaoran agreed. " Go ask."
Sakura headed upstairs to ask Fujitaka. Syaoran held up the camera suddenly and took a shot of Touya and Yukito.
" Hey!" Touya started. " What was that?"
Syaoran smiled, but suddenly it seemed to both Touya and Yukito that his smile was strangely sad and wistful. It was so quick they barely believed they saw it, for instantly Syaoran looked away and the smile looked happy again.