Title: Hitsuzen (or How Fate Gets Back on Track)
Paring/Character: Syaoran, Syaoran/Meiling, Syaoran/Sakura
Rating: PG-13 for thematic references
Warnings: adultery (if you squint hard enough), slight spoilers for Destiny at Work
Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura and its characters rightfully belong to CLAMP.
Author's note: This plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone, so I decided to write my first drabble fic. A "parallel universe" take on my AU fic Destiny at Work. Not necessary to read, but references are made. In this world, Yelan lets Syaoran marry Meiling, so Meiling never leaves, drives a motorcycle, or works at Destiny. Oh, and Meiling acknowledges Eriol as her brother.
"What would've happened if we got married?" she asked, almost wistfully.
There's a tug at his heartstrings and he knew what she's really asking. But he can't lie. Not to her, he valued her too much. "If we got married… we would have been content until I found Sakura."
Her hope faded and she understood. "Content," she repeated. "Not happy."
. . . . . . .
i.
He is happy.
After months of fierce opposition, his mother finally relents and he marries his college sweetheart. She did have one condition, though, that he joins the family business. He agrees, of course. Anything for Meiling. He loves Meiling.
Meiling even joins the company with him, but it isn't as big as a sacrifice. She started as a business major.
They graduate, get married, and Meiling permanently moves in. She still isn't happy about living with her mother-in-law, but she loves him too. She's willing to sacrifice.
He has the girl, the job, the dream life.
He's happy.
ii.
He has everything, but he can't help but think there's something missing.
Meiling doesn't want kids. There's something incompatible with her and children. His mother wants more grandchildren, of course, so she's pressuring them now that they've reached their five year anniversary. They promise to try, but they don't actually talk about it.
He doesn't want children either. He fears it would break the marriage; break Meiling and then break him. He can't lose her. He doesn't want Meiling to turn into her mother, or worse, his own.
So he grabs the chance to expand Li Corp.
iii.
Tokyo's a breath of fresh air.
There's some kind of post-excitement about a big singles' party, but he pays no attention to it. Even if she's back in Hong Kong, he's still married.
He learns Dr. Kinomoto is giving a lecture, but it's so last minute that there's no seats left. He's desperate and he's practically bribing workers to let him in, until someone offers him her ticket. But he's a gentleman and he can't accept it. She just smiles brightly and pushes him in.
Minutes later he finds she's Dr. Kinomoto's daughter and he selfishly took her seat.
iv.
After, he seeks her out to apologize and finds her with a dark-haired woman he thinks he recognizes. But he ignores her, because Kinomoto is more important.
Kinomoto laughs, flabbergasted that he's even apologizing. Something odd happens to his stomach when he hears that hearty laugh.
"Sakura Kinomoto," she says even though he knows.
"Syaoran Li," he responds. She nods- and he's floored she did this- she introduces him to Dr. Kinomoto.
He stutters around for awhile until the archeologist is brought back to life and he carries an intelligent conversation.
She disappears before he could thank her.
v.
Apparently this matchmaking company called Destiny is famous in Japan and they're holding a festival. His coworkers drag him out, though he protests. Even if he isn't married, he still wouldn't be interested. He's not surprised to learn that his brother-in-law Eriol is one mastermind behind Destiny.
The man introduced him to Meiling, after all. He owes everything to him. He decides to go and thank him but stops when he hears that laugh again.
Sakura- ahem, he means Kinomoto- recognizes him at the same moment and runs over. "It's my birthday," she confesses.
He spends the day with her.
vi.
Meiling finally calls.
Something's noticeably different and Meiling must feel it too. But they ignore it, talking about work and his mother and Fuutie's upcoming wedding. Silence creeps up on them when they've reached the wall and it's either confront it or avoid it.
Meiling coughs. "I miss you," she admits.
"I miss you too," he agrees.
They choose to avoid.
He hangs up soon after that and he's relieved it's over. Meiling's not needy so she'll give him space. They won't have to suffer through that phone call ordeal again.
He calls Sakura and she makes him smile.
vii.
He kisses her.
Sakura lets him in her office after hours, but he's not there just to admire artifacts. He's disgustingly glad she's so pure because she doesn't even guess at the thoughts in his head.
He takes his ring off when he sees her.
She's talking about an archaeology dig she'll be participating in and excitement lights up her face. He doesn't want this to ever end, so he pulls her close and gently meets her lips.
She kisses him back.
When he drops her off at her apartment, her roommate looks at him knowingly. It burns.
viii.
The affair continues.
He brings her on dates out of the city, at night, to places he knows he won't get caught. He feels guilty. Not only does she not suspect a thing, but she doesn't deserve this. Neither does the wife.
But she smiles and he can't help but kiss her again. "I love you," she whispers. It's worth it.
She has to leave for her archaeology dig so he kisses her goodbye. At the airport. In public.
He's made his choice.
He tells Meiling they have to talk. She's quiet and this is the end.
"I'm pregnant."
ix.
He immediately flies back to Hong Kong even though he swore Sakura he'd be there when she returns. But he's dug his grave.
Meiling kisses him deeply once she sees him. The spark is no longer there and he's just standing there, numb. She stares at him.
"Do you love me?"
He can't lie. He can't say yes because all he can think about is Sakura's face.
She lets him go. She tells him the pregnancy's a lie; she had an affair and she's in love with him and she wants a divorce. But she's lying.
Because that's him.
x.
He returns to Japan.
The first thing he does is find Sakura and sweep her off her feet with a kiss. In front of everybody.
This time it feels real and true because there's no wedding ring burning in his pocket. It's now at the bottom of an ocean, along with his former wife's.
"I love you," he finally replies and he kisses her grin.
Daidouji, the dark-haired friend, roommate, and co-president of Destiny, informs him it's hitsuzen.
He doesn't believe her until she pulls out a list.
1. Sakura Kinomoto – 99.90%
Meiling's not even in the top ten.
Hitsuzen, obviously.
. . . . . . .
"Content," she repeated. "Not happy."
He just nods.
She nodded too. "You and Sakura were meant to be. We would've started happy, but it wouldn't have stayed that way."
"I would've turned Sakura into a mistress."
Her smile becomes real. "Then I'm glad we didn't."
A/N: For those who didn't catch it, Tomoyo entered Syaoran's name into program DESTINY (a program that tells you your soul mate) and Sakura got number one. Make your inferences.
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