Light of My Life
by Andréa Meiouh
Translator: JaneTristanDoe
Chapter 9
"Oh, God!" Masaki sobbed. "I came looking for a missing granddaughter and ended up finding two!"
The weight of Masaki's revelation oppressed Sakura's chest, making her heart race. Now, she had a family. A grandfather and a cousin. She wasn't all alone in the world anymore.
"This is surprising!" said Eriol, astonished. From one hour to the next, he had discovered the wounded girl's identity and, on top of that, that she was related to Sakura.
Still shocked with it all, Sakura looked from her medical friend to her recently discovered grandfather and began to feel a sudden and strange lack of air. "I need to leave," she whispered weakly. "With your permission." Quickly, she left the room.
"What's with her?" Masaki said, finding it odd.
"She's surprised," Answered Eriol, looking at the door that Sakura had just exited. "Give her time to assimilate this information... You caught her unarmed."
"I'll try, Dr. Hiiragisawa," the man sighed, wetting his face. "But it will be hard. I spent the last twelve years of my life searching for my beloved Nadeshiko's family... And speaking of that, where are Professor Fukitaka and the young Touya?"
Before Eriol could answer, another voice, weak and hoarse, resonated inside the room. "Grandpa?"
"Tomoyo?" Turning around, Masaki met a pair of violet eyes who were gazing at him.
"Grandpa..." A light smile appeared on the girl's dry and bruised lips, while a tear descended her cheek.
"My sweet Tomoyo!" Masaki said, also in tears, hurrying up to sit beside his granddaughter and hold her hand. "How nice to see you well, my angel... It's so good to see you..."
"It's good to see you too, grandpa," she articulated with difficulty, her throat dry.
"Oh, my dear, I was so worried... I didn't know what had happened to you and where you were..." the man complained. "I'm glad this people found you, Tomoyo... They took care of you with care and thoughtfulness... Ah, this is Doctor Hiiragisawa, who took care of you."
Tomoyo's gaze landed on the gentleman who was standing not very far from the bed. He wore a navy blue tunic with golden details and black trousers. His long hair was tied in a ponytail. And behind the round rimmed glasses, dark blue eyes were gazing her with intensity, making her feel uncomfortable.
"I'm happy you're awake. Miss Daidouji," he said. "How are you feeling?"
Tomoyo touched her lips with her tongue, in an attempt to assuage the dryness she felt on her mouth, without knowing how that simple gesture made Eriol uneasy. "Tired, hurting and thirsty... Very thirsty."
The young doctor poured some water into a mug and handed it over to the girl who was trying to seat with the help of her grandfather. "Drink in small sips and swallow slowly so as not to choke," he ordered.
Tomoyo did as she was asked. "How long have I been out?" she asked after drinking half the water.
"Well, you disappeared a week ago and, according to Dr. Hiiragisawa, you've been here for two days," answered Masaki. "Ah, my dear, I have so much to tell you..."
While continuing to drink the water, Tomoyo couldn't pay attention to her grandfather, who chatted happily. She only managed to hear some parts of his sentences: warn the police, the search had ended, she was there the whole time... She was too busy analyzing the doctor discreetly to understand what Masaki was saying.
Eriol also wasn't paying attention to the old Amamiya's chatter. He felt extremely relieved. He had been worried with that woman, more so than normal. And that was strange. He had always cared about his patients, but, in Tomoyo's case, the concern had been greater than usual. During the time he stood in wakefulness by her side, lowering her fever and treating her wounds, he tried to imagine how her eyes were... How she would look when she woke up... And reality couldn't be compared to his fantasies at all. It was much better. She had incredibly beautiful eyes, two orbs the color of a rare gem, the amethyst.
"... And now we can go back home!" Masaki finalized, with an expression of total happiness.
That caught their attention. "Go back!?" they cried out simultaneously.
"Yes, of course! Now that we've found your cousin Sakura, nothing restrains us here. And we'll be a family, the three of us."
"You found Sakura?" Tomoyo asked, confused. "How? When? Where?"
"Right here, a few moments ago..." the man answered. "She works here. But I already said that... Weren't you listening, Tomoyo?"
"I'm sorry, grandpa," the girl said, uneasy. "I'm very tired, I couldn't pay attention to what you were saying..."
"Oh, it's okay, my angel," Masaki smiled, understanding. "Get a lot of rest so we can leave tomorrow."
"Mt. Amamiya," Eriol interfered. "I think it's better if you stay for a while longer, until your granddaughter is fully recovered. And we still need to find out who did this to her."
"Dr. Hiiragisawa is right, grandpa," corrected Tomoyo. "I don't feel well enough to make a boat trip..."
"But we can't abuse this people's hospitality, honey. They already did a lot for us."
"Don't worry, Mt. Amamiya," the doctor tried to calm Masaki down. "You are welcome here and you can stay as long as you like. We'll also make sure your bags arrive here tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, young man. I don't know how to thank you for all you've done," the old man said, grateful. "You and Mt. Li are being very generous with us."
'Mt. Li?! I'm in Li Xiaolang's mansion?' thought Tomoyo, frantically. Ken's words came back to her mind with full force. 'Seduce him, gain his trust, weaken him...' Then Dr. Hiiragisawa was the doctor and Sakura, her cousin, was the woman... She would have to kill them both. The young woman turned pale, feeling a strong nausea.
"Honey, are you okay?" her grandfather asked.
"Yes, grandpa... It's just dizziness..."
"You must be feeling weak due to lack of food..." Eriol established. "I'll ask Huike to prepare a large plate of soup for you to eat. Excuse me." He turned around to leave, but stopped when he heard Miss Daidouji call him.
"Dr. Hiiragisawa?"
"Yes?" he turned around.
"Thank you so much," she thanked him with a smile.
Not being able to restrain it, Eriol smiled back. "It was no trouble, miss," he said before leaving the room.
--
Still stunned with the news she received, Sakura walked through the mansion's corridors randomly. She didn't realize where she heading until stopping in front of Xiaolang's office, the one where he had received her for the first time.
The door was half opened and Sakura could hear voices coming from the room. Mu Bai and his master were talking, probably concerning the new house guests. Without wanting to interrupt their conversation, she gave a step backwards, but the door was fully opened at exactly that instant and she came across Lau Ma's brother.
"Miss Sakura? Something wrong?" the young warrior had a worried expression.
"Could I talk with mister Li, Mu Bai?" she asked, without hiding her anguish.
"Of course, miss. Enter, please," he gave her passage.
The room was drowned in the twilight of the night, as usual. The only source of light being the candle Mu Bai was holding in his hands. That weak lighting allowed Sakura to see Xiaolang standing, beside his desk.
"Leave us alone, Mu Bai," he ordered.
"Yes, master," Mu Bai agreed with a nod. "If you'll excuse me." He put the candle on the table and retreated.
After the servant left, Sakura remained silent. She didn't know how and where to start. All she knew was how lost and confused she felt... and she ended up finding the only person who could make her feel safe and protected.
"Sakura?" she felt a shiver upon hearing Xiaolang's deep voice. She asked herself if he knew how much it affected her.
"Mt. Amamiya is indeed the wounded girl's grandfather..." she started, after taking a deep breath, but without being able to control the quivering of her own voice or the tears.
Li already knew that. He had just ordered Mu Bai to go to town as soon as the sun rose, to pick up Amamiya and his granddaughter's things at the hotel. But why did it bother Sakura so much? He could clearly hear her weak and trembling voice, besides worrying about her lack of initiative.
Since she had accepted being his wife, Sakura had always been at his side, reading a book, embroidering, performing songs on the hu-ch'in, taking walks on the garden, talking or simply being in silence, enjoying his company. They had become close and had formed a complicity that Li was fortunate in having. When he was with her, he felt peaceful. And loved.
"But that's not all..." she continued.
"How so?" he questioned, somewhat alarmed. He approached her and held her by the shoulders. "What happened?"
"He's my grandfather too..." answered Sakura, her head low, letting her body shudder caused by her sobs.
At that same instant, Xiaolang hugged her. It was the first time his flower was openly crying in front of him and he wasn't liking what he was hearing, feeling and imagining at all. He was lost, with his beloved in his arms, without knowing what to do. He was a warrior, he hadn't the slightest clue of how to comfort a weeping woman. He decided to wait for her to calm down and explain to him the story better.
Finally, Sakura's tears stopped. He took her in his arms, sat on the armchair close to the fireless fireplace, placing her in his lap. She cuddled to him like a little child while he caressed her back. And so, both settled comfortably, Xiaolang asked her to tell him everything that had happened.
And Sakura did. She told about her mother's past, how her family was against her marriage with professor Kinomoto and how they rejected her, even while knowing she was pregnant. She also told of her first encounter with Mt. Amamiya, how he had recognized her last name and how he told her he was the father of her dead mother.
Xiaolang heard everything quietly, analyzing her every word. Both thought that after the deaths of Fujitaka and Touya, Sakura had no one else in life and Li assumed the responsibility of taking care of her, even without knowing her well. And what would happen now that a relative appeared out of nowhere? He wasn't willing to let his flower go...
During his whole childhood and training, Xiaolang Xiaolang used to hear that feelings weaken a warrior, specially love. They ordered him to avoid this emotion at all costs. However, Sakura's entry in his life made him realize it was impossible to live alone, without affection. Everyone needed someone to love, someone who returned the sentiment as well...
And Sakura was that 'someone' for Xiaolang. She had invaded his life and like a ray of sunshine, warmed his heart little by little, until the barrier of ice that surrounded him melted completely. Sakura was the woman he had always wanted to be his companion, friend, wife, lover, confident... Mother of his children... Little boys and girls he would love with all of his heart, like the way he loved her. He wouldn't let nothing nor anybody to separate them. Not even a relative.
Squeezing Sakura against his chest, Xiaolang kissed her forehead, then her eyes, nose, cheek and finally her lips. When they separated, she cuddled even more against him, searching and finding all the support she needed. Li would always be there for her, she knew that. Slowly, Sakura fell asleep.
"Don't worry, ying-fa," he murmured against her hair. "Nobody will take you away from me. Nobody."
Then the Chinese warrior, tightly hugged to his flower of cherry tree, closed his eyes and allowed his body to give in to the tiredness, taking him to the world of dreams, where he was a completed man and Sakura was his forever.
--
The dawn of a new day brought with it not just the brightness and the heat of the sun, but also the life and the beginning of the work routine in the Li mansion, after a good night's sleep. Several employees were already up, fulfilling their duties, among them Mu Bai. The young man was gathering horses and a wagon, getting prepared to go to the town. He had a lot of things to do and the sooner he left, the sooner he came back. He was finishing putting the harness and fasten the reins when he heard someone approaching.
"Good morning, brother."
"Good morning, Lau Ma," he greeted his sister. "You woke up early today..."
"That's true," the girl smiled.
Mu Bai looked at his younger sister. Lau Ma was a lovely woman. Her long hair was tied in a plait, that reached the middle of the young woman's back. Despite her low stature and fragile way, Lau Ma was a strong and hard-working person. Her hands were full of calluses, but even so, they were clean and well taken care of. Her face, slightly colored due to the sun, lighted up when she smiled, like she was doing now. Mu Bai thought any man would be lucky to marry his sister. That is if he was the right man. He would have to choose carefully his future brother-in-law.
"What do you want from here?" he asked, while he harnessed the horses to the cart.
"I would like to accompany you to the city, brother. I want to go to the fair."
"But you went to the fair yesterday!" he launched, finding his sister's request strange. "What do you need from there? If it's something urgent, tell me that I will bring it to you."
Lau Ma lowered her head and shook her hands, apprehensive. She knew her brother wouldn't easily agree to taking her, but if it was need, she would convince him. She just couldn't tell him the truth. Mu Bai might have a surge of rage if he knew the reason driving her to go to the city was a man...
Since colliding with that stranger the previous day, the young woman couldn't stop thinking about him. He had an air of masculinity, a mystery that had attracted her to him immediately. That was why she wanted to go to the place where she had met him. She needed to know something about the beautiful stranger... Or if she was lucky, to be able to see him again.
"I need notions and material to prepare the clothing for the wedding," she answered what she had rehearsed the previous day, trying to look natural and convincing. "And I know you don't know how to pick those sorts of things... I promise not to be in the way."
She felt her brother gaze her intensely before answering. "Okay. Go get your basket, your hat and we'll leave immediately."
Lau Ma gave a big smile, gave his brother a quick hug, thanking enthusiastically before running home in order to pick her things.
They didn't took long to arrive at the 'city', the little village that was seat of Hong Kong. Mu Bai turned first towards the city hall. He was going to receive the license for his master's wedding to Miss Sakura. Then, he would go to the temple to talk to the monks. Xiaolang wanted a simple ceremony in his house. He would need to ask one of them to come to the mansion on the wedding day, to do the prayers and the blessings. And finally he would stop by the hotel to pick the things that belonged to the house guests: the old man and the girl.
That would give Lau Ma enough time to go to the fair, do her shopping and then look for some information about her stranger. The two brothers separated in front of the mayor's house. They agreed to meet two hours later, in that same spot.
The girl was walking through the huts, entered some stores, picked the best material to make her masters' clothes, while discreetly looking to the sides, searching for the tall man who she encountered the previous day. She was almost giving up when she had the sensation of being watched and felt a strange shudder on her nape.
She turned around and saw him. The man she was looking for. Despite him being on the other side of the street, semi-hidden behind a hut, Lau Ma recognized him instantly. The same penetrating eyes, the same scar. He was looking directly at her. The shudder on her nape intensified.
She was going to step forward towards that mysterious figure when she felt a strong hand on her arm.
"Lau Ma, let's go." Without being able to do anything, the girl accompanied her brother to the wagon.
--
Behind the fruit stand, Sato couldn't believe what happened. She had found him out! He was known, among Ken's men, as the best 'looker'. He spent days, even weeks, spying on his enemies and none of them had ever noticed his presence. But that tiny woman had found him without the slightest problem.
Another man joined Sato, behind the hut, while he observed the two brothers walking away. "So, what did you find out?" he asked.
"He went to the hotel to pick up the luggage of the tramp and the old man," the new-comer answered, whose name was Guang. "The boss's plan is working..."
Sato didn't bother to answer back and kept looking at Lau Ma.
"Humm... She looks fine..." said Guang, lustfully smiling and showing his countless missing teeth on his mouth. "Who knows when we enter the damn mansion, boss will let me keep her? I bet I'm going to have lots of fun with her... She's a must..." In the next instant, he felt a cold blade against his throat.
"If you think about her again, you'll die, you son of a..." Sato launched, with his eyes looking more sharper than the kunai that was almost inside his companion's neck.
"'Twas bad, Sato," the other moaned, in a desperate attempt to be forgiven. "I didn't know you were already interested in her."
"Lay a finger on her, moron, and I'll make you regret the day you were born," Ken's right hand threatened, letting go of the miserable guy. Guang clumsily fell on the ground, like a sack of potatoes.
Sato's voice was low in order to not be noticed, but Guang heard perfectly. He agreed with his head, with frenetic movements. It was stupid to piss off Sato. He was the second in command within the gang, Ken's best man. But little was known about the man. Sato was a quiet and reserved man, not even the boss knew anything about his past. The only thing that mattered to Ken was the fact that Sato was his best assassin.
Guang stayed on the ground a few more instants before getting up and following Sato. He considered himself smart enough to never think about Li's maid again. After all, it was stupid to piss off boss's best assassin.
--
Meanwhile, at the Li mansion, Masaki was looking for his granddaughter. He hadn't seen her since last night and it seemed nobody knew Sakura's whereabouts. They needed to talk about the future they would have together. He had lots of plans for her. He would introduce the beautiful daughter of his Nadeshiko to the Tokyo's society. He was sure Sakura would arouse enthusiasm.
He had already looked at every place in the mansion. The west wing was the only one missing. A very kind girl, named Pei Pei, had told him to keep away from it; however, Masaki needed to find his granddaughter. He decided to just look a little. He walked through the corridor, opening every door, not being successful in his search.
When he opened the fourth door, Amamiya was shocked. As well as the other rooms he had looked into, this was also in the shadows, but was different from the others, for there was people inside it. The sunlight came in through the gaps of the blinds, weakly lighting up the room, but Masaki was able to recognize his granddaughter Sakura, seated on a man's lap, sound asleep. The guy was sleeping too, hugging her in a possessive way.
"What's going on here?!" he yelled, enraged.
--
A/N: Hurray for another one :D Hope you like it! And thank you to all of my readers and reviewers, you make me very happy!!
