Courage to Love
By: sakuraflowergal
Chapter One: Li Syaoran
Year 1985
"Papa, will you be alright?"
A middle aged man lay on the hospital bed. As his 6-year-old son shows his concern, beads of sweat would roll down his forehead. He was educated to be brave; surely he could handle a little pain!
In a slightly trembling voice, the man answered,
"I'll be alright… the doctor said it will only be a small surgery, nothing to worry about." His hand reached out and plays with his son's chocolate brown hair. Oh, how amazing it is! That soft brown hair resembles his and those eyes, those lips… A father never seems to get used to the idea that this little boy whom he loves so much, belongs to him!
The little boy nodded in reply and gave his father a hug.
"Mr. Li Xian Bing, it is time for your surgery." A nurse informs the patient as she enters the hospital ward.
Mr. Li gave soft sigh.
"I'll be back real soon; you just wait here for your mother and sisters, okay? When I am well, I will teach you how to fight with the sword."
The boy's eyes shone like bright stars,
"Really? Promise?"
"I promise. But you must also be a good boy and stay here. Okay?"
"Okay!"
"Good boy, Syaoran, good boy."
The nurse then brought Mr. Li out in a wheelchair, leaving young Syaoran alone in the empty room.
6 days later
"Papa! How can you leave me! You said that you will be alright! And you promised to teach me sword fighting! How can you back out on your promise?" Syaoran cried as he hugs the casket, not letting the attendants carry it away for cremation.
Mrs. Li stood aside, tearless. A widow now, she told herself that she cannot cry. She is responsible of five children and the Li Clan. She cannot cry. She must be strong for her children and the Clan. Crying is now a luxury she cannot afford. She looked at her eldest daughter and motions her to bring Syaoran away from the casket, her face stone cold.
Syaoran was dragged away and the casket was brought for cremation. As Syaoran see the casket disappear into the roaring fire, his heart yelled, 'I will become a doctor! The best in the world! This, Papa, I promise you. Goodbye, Papa, Goodbye.'
20 years later, Year 2005
A young man pace around in his room, waiting to hear any footsteps heading towards his room. Anxiety is consuming him, his results for the National Medical Examinations is to be posted to him today. But somehow, the mail seems to be later then usual. If the letter doesn't arrive soon, he is sure to be swallowed by the worms twirling in his stomach.
Then, 'thump, thump, thump…' the sound of footsteps grow louder and louder. Syaoran quickly sit at his desk and take out a book, pretending to read it.
'tap, tap' Someone knocked on the door, then entered the room.
"Young Master, letters for you." Wei, the butler reported dutifully and hand the letters to Syaoran.
While pretending to be calm and composed as usual, Syaoran looked through the letters, but couldn't find the one he wants.
"That's all?"
"Yes, Young Master." Wei bowed and left the room.
Alone again, Syaoran showed his puzzlement openly. He opened up every envelop and read every word in the letters. None is related to education, just the usual credit card bills and such. Now frustrated, he threw the letters aside stared outside the window.
"My dear nephew, what are you doing?"
Syaoran was shocked out of his thoughts and almost jumped out of his chair. He looked around the room and saw his uncle sitting on the sofa. Syaoran recovered from his shock and instantly got angry. "What are you doing in my room? How many times do I have to tell you to knock on the door before entering? And stop calling me that! You are only 1 year older than me!" Syaoran shouted, blowing his frustration at the uninvited guest.
"I knocked; you were just too busy looking out of the window to hear me."
Eriol is 27, only one year older than Syaoran. But due to complicated family ties, Eriol is related to Syaoran as his Uncle. The two of them grew up together as close friends, although they fight more than they talk.
Syaoran rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here then? I don't have time for idle chat."
Eriol smiled in a sly way. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, can't I visit my nephew for a chat every now and then?"
"No. Now get out!" Syaoran points towards the direction of the door.
Still unaffected by Syaoran's ice cold treatment, Eriol took out an envelop from his pocket. "Don't you want this?"
Syaoran looked at it and notice that the letter is from the Examination Board. "Give me that, you sly rat! Hand it over!"
"I think I should leave now and leave you to daydream." And that, Eriol got up and walked towards the door.
Syaoran thought that smoke will stream out of his nose by now. Clearly, words don't mean anything to Eriol. Syaoran got up from his seat and tackled Eriol to the floor. He retrieved his letter and returned to his study table. After opening the envelop and reading the contents of the letter, a look of sadness replaced all his other expressions
Eriol snatched the letter from his hands and read through. "You came in 1st in the National Exams and you are sad, not joyous?"
"So? I only scored 599!"
"That's like, 1 mark away from perfect! 99.8!"
"What about the remaining 0.2? If this was a surgery, the patient would have had 0.2 chance of dieing! I simply cannot allow that!"
"My dear nephew, you expect too high…"
'Tap, tap' Wei knocked and enter the room once again. "Young Master, the elders wish to speak to you in the Great Hall."
Syaoran sighed, "Okay." And he left he room.
"How did Young Master do in the Examinations?" Wei asked with concern.
"First in the country." Eriol replied dully.
"Master would have been very proud!"
Great Hall
"Have a seat, Syaoran." One of the elders said.
Syaoran sat down and wait for the elders to start what they want to say.
"Syaoran, you should have taken over the leadership when you turned 21 but you have wished to continue your studies and your mother have helped you perform the duties. Now that your education has finally ended, it is time for you to reclaim your rightful place as the leader of the Li Clan." The most respected of all elders said.
"Indeed, it is time for you to take over. You are also old enough to marry." Another elder spoke.
"Yes…Indeed…" the other elders piped up.
Syaoran sighed aloud, which made the elders silent.
"What do you have to say, my son?" Mrs. Li asked.
"I have no wish to become the leader of the Clan." Syaoran spoke with power.
The elders gasped and started discussing among themselves.
"I wish to put my education to practice. I wish to be a doctor." Syaoran continued.
The discussion grew louder until one of the elders stood up angrily.
"I will not allow this! We have been kind enough to allow you to continue your education 5 years ago. And now, you back out on your duty? I simply won't allow such a thing to happen!"
"Yes. Have you no sense of responsibility? Your future as the leader was decided even before your birth! It is your destiny to be the leader of the Clan!" Another shouted.
"Your Father would have been very disappointed with you! A child with no respect for the elders and the decisions we make!" One older elder said.
Other comments flew towards Syaoran, one more vulgar than the one before.
"Stop!" Mrs. Li shouted. "I proposed that Syaoran would be given more time to straighten out his thoughts and make a wise decision. I hope the elders will grant him the time to think over and decide his future for himself."
The angry elder refused to listen. "This is not just about his future; it is also about the future of the entire Li Clan! I will not allow a young man like him darken the future of the Clan!"
"I agree." The most respected elder said. "Yelen, you have helped with Syaoran for many years now. He must no longer run away from his destiny. Syaoran will take over the leadership next month."
"But…" Syaoran started.
"No more buts! Dismissed!"
Syaoran's room
"The elders have orders for you to stay in your room until the ceremony next month." Mrs. Li informed Syaoran.
"Yes, mother."
After Mrs. Li left the room, Syaoran lay on the bed, thinking about his already decided future.
"I heard about it, my dear nephew."
Twice in the same day, Syaoran almost yelled in surprise. But unlike before, he did not have the mood to shout at Eriol.
"I haven't lived my life yet. I don't want to be tied down but the many rules of the Clan now. I want to be a doctor. Why is it so had for me to live my dream?" Syaoran mumbled.
"Do you want me to help?" Eriol asked, with the same sly smile.
"I am beyond help!"
"Don't you want to run away? Don't you want to become the best doctor of the world?"
"Run away? Of course I want to. But the security of the house is too tight. Every one entering or leaving the house is monitored closely. Moreover, I cannot even leave my room, let alone the house!"
"Do you not remember? There is nothing I can't do! I am in-charge of the security of the house and so I know how to avoid being detected, And your part of the house is so deserted. No one ever comes to this wing, so how would they know you are not in your room?"
"Your right!" Syaoran's spirit rose. "I can run away!"
"Exactly!" Eriol replied.
"I will be able to live the life I want!"
"Yes!" Eriol agreed.
"With your help, I can escape this prisoner's life!" Syaoran continued excitedly.
"Of course!" Eriol smiled.
"But why would you want to help me?" Syaoran asked, his high spirit a thing of the past.
Eriol smiled slyly and replied, "Because it would be interesting!"
Syaoran sweat dropped. "You must be very bored."
"Indeed." Eriol replied
"Whatever the reason, as long as you can help me escape and live the life I have dreamed, I will do anything for you!"
"Deal!"
Two weeks later
"This is tomorrow's plane ticket to Japan. I have arranged a job for you in the best hospital of Asia. Work starts next week. Your sisters helped to get you a house there. This is the address. Don't lose it! The house is already furnished and some of your belonging has been sent there. Some Japanese Yen for you, and your sisters has kindly given you a credit card. Here, keep all of these items carefully!" Eriol said, handing all the important documents to Syaoran.
"Thank…thank you."
"Welcomed, my dear nephew."
"Stop calling me that!" Syaoran shouted.
"Tomorrow, at exactly 1 am, I will cut off the power supply to the entire house. This way, it would be too dark for anyone to see you crawl out. The security system and the electronic locks will also be disabled. Just take note of the time. You only have 2 minutes after the power failure to get out of the compound. 2 minutes later, the back up generator will be activated and provide electricity. You will no longer be able to open the electronic gate, or move around in the compound without being watched. 2 minutes." Eriol announced his perfect plan.
To Eriol, challenging the perfect security system has been fun. It was only after much planning before he settles on his perfect plan. But perfect has its imperfections. 2 minutes is all Syaoran can afford to escape unnoticed. To others, it may be impossible. But to Syaoran, it may be plausible to escape from his prison in 2 minutes. He just needs a very detailed plan, from the escape route to the security guard's timetable. With this information, he may be able to do it. Also, due to strict orders from the elders, Syaoran cannot leave his room. This means that he does not have the chance to rehearsal the great escape.
"Now, the details. This is a map of the Li Compound." Eriol spread a huge map onto the floor and begin preparing Syaoran for his big escape.
The next day
The digital clock on the study table read 12.45 am. Syaoran checked that he has kept everything he needs in his pockets. To camouflage, Syaoran wore a black clothes, and for movement, a pair of comfortable and soundless shoes. Thanks to Eriol's army connections, Syaoran managed to get hold of a pair of night-vision goggles. It will help him much in his great escape.
As planned, the power was cut off at 1 am sharp. The entire compound fell into darkness, and panicky footsteps can be heard around the house. Taking this chance, Syaoran moved off quickly. For more than once in his lifetime, Syaoran thank the heavens that he was well trained in the area of martial arts. All those tough training has given him an agile body. For now, Syaoran feels like he is a Japanese ninja, able to creep around unnoticed by all.
Due to Eriol's well planned route, Syaoran was able to reach the main gates quickly and unnoticed. However, those gates are the most difficult obstacles to overcome. Due to the power failure, all the security guards have gathered at the main gates to deter anyone from entering or leaving the compound. Already anticipating this, Syaoran's sisters came up with a good solution.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" 4 high pitched screams filled the silent night.
The security guards, upon hearing the Li sisters scream, ran towards the back of the house where the screams came from.
'Thanks, Sis' Syaoran thought and creep out of the compound safe and sound, well within 2 minutes.
But unknown to everyone, Syaoran's escape did not go totally unnoticed. Somewhere, in the shadows, an old butler witnesses the entire process in silence.
2 months later, Japan
"Doctor Li, please proceed to the assembly area. I repeat, Doctor Li, please report to the assembly area. Thank you." A voice rang through the public announcement system.
Thanks to Eriol and the sisters, Syaoran managed to escape to Japan and live the life he wants. Shortly after starting work in the hospital, Syaoran was marked as the most capable and the most handsome doctor. Every where he goes, doctors would approach him for advice while the nurses cling to him, offering their help.
"Li Syaoran reporting." Syaoran greeted as he enters the doctors' assembly hall.
The chief doctor motioned Syaoran to sit down beside a middle aged man and a young lady.
"Let me introduce to you," The chief doctor said to the man and the lady, "This is Dr. Li Syaoran, the best in the Cancer Department." Turning to Syaoran, "This is Mr. Kinomoto Fujitaka and his daughter, Ms. Kinomoto Sakura."
Syaoran took a good look at Mr. and Ms. Kinomoto. Both of them looked too healthy to be ill.
"Ms. Kinomoto," The chief doctor stopped and gave a deep sigh. "was diagnosed of gastric cancer two days ago. This is her medical history report. You will be in-charge of her as from today."
Syaoran was slightly shocked. Most gastric cancer patients are 40 and older, yet this young girl has to be his age!
"Dr. Li, you may show Mr. and Ms. Kinomoto to your office and further read through the report." With that, the chief doctor left the assembly hall.
Syaoran showed the pair of father and daughter to his office and said, "Please give me some time to analyze your report. Come again next week and we will discuss the type of treatment to use. I will first prescribe some anti-cancer medicine for you. Please take the medicine within half an hour before every meal. Take care and see you next week."
When the Kinomotos left, Syaoran read through the particulars.
"Age: 26" Syaoran read. Suddenly, a sense of melancholy rose up to his chest. Ms Kinomoto is of the same age as he is!
To be continued
AN: It's been a long time since I last write a story. Was it a year? Anyways, this is my new story and I hope all of you will enjoy it. Of course, last but not least, review!