Disclaimer:

I have no affiliation with Cardcaptor Sakura or any other of CLAMP's works. Also any similarities to real life events or people are unintentional unless explicitly stated.

"We're leaving!" called Sakura Kinomoto, Tomoyo Daidouji and their cousins, the three Hanato Sisters.

Kotori, Kobato and Kohane, also known as "Tori", "Koe" and "Honey" respectively, were born into the magically gifted Amamiya Clan. But unlike her, they inherited clan's magical talents.

"Stay safe!" called Aunt Saya, Aunt Sonomi's older sister. Aunt Saya was married to Kyogo Hanato who is the head priest of the Tokagushi Shrine in Heung Gong. The Tokagushi shrine had been run by the Hanato for the past eight generations.

"Where are we going?" said Sakura as the descended the shrine's steps and past the stone inscription at the gate that read, "The journey of a thousand Li begins beneath one's feet."

She found it strange that two completely different looking characters could sound the same.

"We made reservations for lunch at the Peak," said Tori, the eldest by two years and a dream seer like Tomoyo and Sakura's mother. "It's close to one of our favourite shopping centres. Sorry we couldn't take you up there earlier."

"No, that's okay. Right To-Lady?"

"That is correct," said Tomoyo. Sakura still had difficulties getting used to referring her second cousin by a nickname. They used first names freely back home in Lecourt. "You were busy with the New Year's Celebrations."

"But we have to apologize for making you help us out even though you're our guests," said Koe, who had a magnificent singing voice like Tomoyo.

The past few days have been busy with the New Year's festivities at the shrine. Sakura and Tomoyo's families arrived just before the New Year and had been helping with various shrine duties such as cleaning, cooking, purifying and handing out paper fortunes to visitors to the visitors.

Their parents returned back to Lecourt yesterday as businesses opened up again today on the fourth day of the New Year. Sakura was sad to see her parents go, but they said that they would visit again around her birthday.

Her brother, Toya, meanwhile, was also doing a semester exchange but at Heung Gong University. He moved into his dorm yesterday as his classes started today.

If it wasn't for him, Sakura and Tomoyo wouldn't have been able to do their exchange at Heung Gong High School.

"What else is family for?" said Tomoyo.

"Besides," added Sakura, "we had a lot of fun."

Additionally they managed to find time to light their own flower-fire to Sakura's delight.

"Hold my hand, Honey," said Sakura in the Zhonguo speech.

"Yes."

Sakura wanted to hug her now twelve year old cousin. Everyone in Zhonguo kept their birthdates secret and added an extra year to their age at the start of the New Year.

Honey was so cute and very intelligent but wouldn't start learning the Lecourt speech until next year when she entered high school. So Sakura practised speaking in the Zhonguo speech with her. That's the reason she was here, to improve her language skills and to learn more about this culture.

Tori and Koe's grasp on the Lecourt speech was superb. Sakura's own version of the Zhonguo tongue was a mutilation by comparison. She found it a little embarrassing being praised for saying things like, "Where is the soap?"

There were a number of different languages spoken through the streets of Heung Gong. Sakura heard Taiyo Isle speech and Gaule speech.

This place was so different from Lecourt. Buildings rose up to touch the sky and were connected by clothes lines and energy wires like spider webs. Despite this it was very green outside the city boundaries.

Cousin Tori flagged a couple of rickshaws and briefly talked to the drivers before saying, "Star, you ride with Koe. Lady, you'll ride with me and Honey to the lower Peak stop."

Instead of butterfly horses and other various flying transportations, the people of Heung Gong rode rickshaws or trams to get to one place to another. Also there were the Stella Ferries that connected Heung Gong Isle to the mainland and the other isles of the harbour. Apparently building a bridge to connect them would be bad Fung Seoi as the flow of the money in Heung Gong is considered tied to the flow of the water in the bay. A tunnel was being constructed underneath the water for the trams to run through.

"Over there is the tram stop Sister Tori and I ride to to school," said Koe. "I hope that you and Lady will be in my class."

"Mei-Li is in your in your class isn't she?"

Mei-Li was the nickname of Sakura's friend, Meiling Li, who lived in Lecourt for three years. They used to be friendly rivals in the physical education classes. Now that Meiling had returned to Heung Gong, the physical education classes weren't as fun and she joined the female classes instead.

"Ye-," she began to cough.

"Are you all right, Koe?" said Sakura, concerned.

"Don't worry about it," Koe replied, once the coughs subsided. "I'm fine. It's just the weather."

Winter in Heung Gong wasn't cold enough to snow, but Sakura still wore a thick coat to keep warm.

"But-"

"By the way, Mei-Li is excited to see you."

"She told us all about you, Lady and also about her cousin, Li."

Sakura could've sworn there was a cheeky glint in her eye.

"Ah, we're here." Koe paid the driver and hopped off.

Sakura chewed her lip. Truth be told, she couldn't stop thinking about him. But he probably forgot or didn't care to reply to her letter.

Regardless she was here not to seem him, but to see Meiling and create new bonds.

"Five tickets please," requested Cousin Kotori. "Huh?"

"Hoe?" exclaimed Sakura. "What are you doing here, brother? Don't you have class?"

"I only had one lecture this morning," said Cousin Toya.

"And you already have a job?"

"I'm covering for a classmate."

"Is that so?"

"The platform is over there."

They boarded the tram and took their seats. Tomoyo took out her camera and began taking several photographs. She felt extremely fortunate to be able to capture photographs of Sakura enjoying herself in Heung Gong.

"The buildings looked as if they're leaning towards the hill," exclaimed Sakura.

"Which way is the lookout again?" asked Kotori.

"It's this way, First Sister," said Kohane pointing towards a flight of stairs.

"Ah, so it is. You're such a good girl, Honey. What would we do without you?" She gave her youngest sister a hug.

From this height the vertical skyscrapers and their horizontal windows seemed to blend into a tight mesh.

Kobato pointed and said, "See those two buildings? They're the buildings of the two rivalling banks in Heung gong. And over there across the harbour, that's the Walled City."

Tomoyo took a photograph of Sakura staring off into the distance. She had a sad expression that was becoming increasingly more frequent. She was most likely recalling the memories of Mr Li. She still loved him and it was hurting her that she hadn't heard from him in the past six months.

"Are we going to have lunch soon?" said Sakura.

"I just want to take more photographs," said Tomoyo.

Meiling was late. During the rickshaw ride, she and Cousin Kotori called her, only to wake her up. To compound the misfortune, Mr Li had already left the house. She said that she would find out where he was and meet them at the lookout.

"Ah my hat!" said Kobato. Her pearly broad brimmed hat had blown off in the strong gust of wind.

"I'll get it." Sakura clicked her heels and jumped after the hat without a second thought.

Cousin Kotori followed running down the flight of stairs.

"Star! Sister! Wait up!" yelled Kobato, running after them. After a few steps she fainted.

Sakura's fingertips brushed the brim of the hat. She rebounded off a branch with a little more force this time and caught the hat. From the topmost branch of a tree, she tried to figure out where her cousins were but branch snapped and she fell.

Syaoran was climbing up the stairs to the peak, the groceries heavier than usual because Meiling decided that she was going to cook lunch for her and her friends today. She was pestering him about this lunch for weeks. The things he does for his family.

Suddenly he heard a scream from above.

A girl in a green coat was falling from the sky. Instinctively he dropped his groceries, sent out a gust of wind, and caught her in his arms.

"Are you okay?"

"Thank you," she said. "Hoe?"

She had opened her eyes. They were startling green and seemed to sparkle.

"Star! Are you okay?" shouted someone running down the stairs using the Lecourt language.

The girl scrambled off him.

"I'm okay, Cousin Tori, thanks to him," she said, waving a hat wildly. "And I caught Koe's hat."

Syaoran recognized the girl she called "Tori" as a final year students in his high school, and the older sister of "Koe" Hanato in his grade. Her chronophone rang.

"Hello? Ah, Lady. I found Star. What? Koe is-? Ah, Mei-Li arrived? Coincidentally we bumped into Li."

Syaoran paused while he was picking up the ginger.

Mei-Li? As in his cousin, Meiling? If that was who they were referring to, then that girl who fell from the sky probably was Sakura Kinomoto. What was she doing here?

"What is going on? Is Koe okay?"

"She fainted, but Mei-Li arrived and has brought them to the Li Mansion to be seen by her mother, oh okay- Li?" Hanato held out her chronophone to him. "Mei-Li wants to talk to you."

"Hello?"

"Wan-Wan," said Meiling, "since you're already there, can you take Hanato and Miss Kinomoto to the Li Mansion? They're the friends I said were having lunch with us. Hanato's sisters and Miss Daidouji are already here."

"Okay." So that's who the extra ingredients were for.

"I'll see you three at home soon. Bye." Meiling's image disappeared.

"Ah these are heavy, Cousin Tori."

"Nothing looks broken or damaged."

They each were putting the spilled groceries back into the bags.

"Let me take those." He took the bag from Hanato. He tried to get it off her but she wouldn't let him.

"I can hold them."

"Just hand it over." He reached and wrapped his hand around the handle, brushing her hand. She quickly let go.

He turned his head. She was so close, almost like the last time-

He straightened and cleared his throat. "The main residence isn't far. My cousin will tend to that gash in your arm."

"Hoe?" She noticed the blood seeping through a tear in her sleeve. "Hoe!?"

"Star you're bleeding! What do we do?!"

He started climbing the steps without waiting for them to follow.

"Welcome. May I help you with the bags, Young Master?" said Wei as he opened the gate to Syaoran, Miss Kinomoto and Tori Hanato.

"It's okay," said Syaoran. "I can carry it myself. I'll start making lunch."

"Thank you again," said Miss Kinomoto, bowing slightly. He nodded back.

While he disappeared to the kitchen, Miss Kinomoto noticed Meiling and ran towards her across the main courtyard and gave her a hug. "Meiling, I'm so happy to see you!"

Meiling hugged her back. "Miss Kinomoto! It's been a while! What did you to do to yourself? Were you being an air head as usual?"

There was a cut on her cheek and a deep tear on her coat. Luckily the cut underneath wasn't that deep.

"I fell. That's all."

"Koe's hat blew away and Star ran after it and she landed on a branch and which broke, but luckily Li was there to catch her," said Tori Hanato. "Is Koe okay?"

"Yeah, she's resting in a guest rooms," said Meiling. She was annoyed that she missed Syaoran and Miss Kinomoto's reunion after all that effort she put into getting them together, but she'd deal with that later. "Wei, can you please take Hanato to the Peony guest room where her sisters are?"

"Certainly, Young Miss," said Wei. He escorted Hanato to the west wing.

"Let me look at your wounds," she said. Meiling motioned for Miss Kinomoto to follow her into her mother's empty study on the ground floor of the southern wing. Her parents were currently at the clinic.

"Thank you."

"So Syaoran caught you in his arms?" said Meiling as she applied the salve on her cheek.

Miss Kinomoto became flustered. "Hoe… umm. I like you're hair, Meiling."

"Don't think I didn't notice that you changed the topic," she laughed. "Let me check that wound on your arm."

Miss Kinomoto removed her coat, and pushed up her sleeve to the elbow. It bled a lot but the cut wasn't that deep.

"I don't think that this gold colour suits me that much," confessed Meiling. "I'll try another colour when it washes out. The colour actually becomes more saturated if there's more spiritual energy, perfect for school with all the seals to keep out the spirits and ghosts."

"There are ghosts at the school?!"

"Don't worry. That's why we have the Fung Seoi com-"

There was a knock on the door.

"Hello? May I enter the study?" said Miss Daidouji.

"Come in."

"I apologize for intru- Oh!" she ran in and clutched Miss Kinomoto's hand. "Cousin Tori informed me that you hand injured yourself, but I did not anticipate that it was this serious."

"I'm okay. It's just a few scratches the branch."

"And Syaoran caught her before she hit the ground," added Meiling.

"What providence!" Miss Daidouji then sighed. "It is such a shame I was not able to capture that on camera."

"It was just a coincide-ah"

"Sorry. There is no such thing as coincidence," said Meiling. She added the last bandage around Miss Kinomoto's arm. "Make sure you keep the bandages on until the morning. It should be completely healed by then."

"What happened to Koe?" said Miss Kinomoto, as Meiling packed away the ointments and bandages.

"When you and Cousin Tori ran off to chase after the hat," began Miss Daidouji, "Koe ran after you. However, she only took a few steps before she fainted. Fortunately, Meiling was there to provide immediate medical attention and call for her driver to escort us all here where was then looked at by her mother."

"She says that she thinks it's that the stress of the New Years and running after the hat might've been too much for her weak heart to handle at that moment." Seeing Miss Kinomoto's worried expression Meiling added, "Don't worry though. All she needs is some rest!"

"Okay then," she said. She suddenly stood up. "You said that you were busy today. We shouldn't be here taking up your time!"

"Well," began Meiling. How could she explain the lunch to Miss Kinomoto without revealing that she lied to her to keep the meeting a surprise? "We've been non-stop for the past week with preparations and celebrat-"

The doors burst open and three of Syaoran's sisters came rushing in squealing. Meiling was saved.

"Welcome!"

They attached themselves to the two guests.

"They're even cuter than what I expected," said Syaoran's second eldest sister.

"Yeah!"

"They look good enough to eat," said the third eldest.

"Definitely!"

"Can I be you're big sister?" said the Fourth Sister.

"Who suppose are these women?" whispered Miss Daidouji.

"Umm, are you Li's sisters?" asked Miss Kinomoto in the Zhonguo speech.

They squealed again.

"You speak so well in the Zhonguo language! I'm the fourth daughter Feimei."

"And she knows who we are! I'm the third daughter Fanren."

"I'm Second Sister Shiefa. Are you the daughter of the model called Nadeshiko?"

Sakura nodded. "I am Sakura."

"Eh?" Meiling's cousins exclaimed. "You consider us family too?!"

"Hoe?"

"In Zhonguo, especially in Heung Gong, only family members know one's true name," exclaimed Syaoran's Second Sister, "if demons hear your first name, they'll know what your true name is even if you don't show them how it is written."

"Inside the boundaries of the Li compound you are safe, but remember to be careful outside," advised the Fourth Sister.

"Do you have a nickname?" said the Third Sister.

"Star."

"It really suits you!

"Yeah!" they chorused.

"And this beautiful young lady is?" said the Fourth Sister.

"Since we are all sharing our first names as well, my name is Tomoyo Daidouji," she said, bowing elegantly. "My cousins call me Lady."

"I thought there were four of you," said Miss Kinomoto.

"First Sister is with Mother at the matchmaker to find out if her proposal will lead to a happy marriage. They should be home soon."

"Does everyone rely on matchmakers to determine if a marriage should go ahead?"

"It's common practice, but in first sister's case it's more a formality," said the Third Sister. "They've known each other since they were little. They're determined to make it work no matter what the book says."

"But enough of that!" declared the Fourth Sister. "Let's play a game of mah-jong! Mei-Mei, we need a fourth player?"

"No way!" said Meiling. The Li Sisters were sly players. "Why don't you get Star or Lady to play?"

The Amamiya Cousins looked at one another then at the Li Sister's pleading eyes.

"I've never played before," said Miss Kinomoto.

"Don't worry," they said, already dragging her away. "It's easy!"

Wei handed Syaoran a tray laden with teacups. The teapots steamed and hovered behind him. "Bring this to our lovely guests. I believe that they are playing mah-jong in the reception room."

Syaoran hesitated. "I haven't finished plating the dishes."

"Leave that to me, Young Master," said Wei. "It is your duty as a son of the Li Clan to be a good host to your guests."

He sighed and took the tray.

As he walked down the corridors, the sounds of clashing mah-jong tiles and voices grew louder.

"Great Three Dragons?!" a number of people yelled.

"Star won again?" said a couple of his sisters.

"That's not possible!"

He opened the door. There was a great crowd surrounding the table.

"Great Four Winds?!"

Meiling approached him, taking the tray from him and helping pour the tea. "I'll help, Syaoran."

"What cheerful sisters you have, Li," Daidouji said to him. In her arms she held a young girl approximately eleven years old with long light brown hair. She watched him silently.

The game was rowdy. Rather than being skilled at the game, Kinomoto appeared to have incredible luck. The majority of the times she won or drew tiles that quickly won the rounds.

In the middle of shuffling the tiles, Syaoran, his sisters and Meiling at once and faced the door. Mother and First Sister were home.

Moments later his mother glided through the door. He and everyone bowed to her.

"Good food and good fortune to you and your family," said Kinomoto.

His mother gently raised her head with her finger tips.

"Miss Sakura, Miss Daidouji. How wonderful it is for you to visit our home. You are both coming lovely young women."

"Thank you very much. Let us talk in the dining room. Wei has informed me that. lunch is ready."

Syaoran never felt so outnumbered by women in his life.

There was general chatter that he hardly paid attention to. It was mostly about how their parents already went back to Lecourt, and how they'll be leaving their cousins in a couple of days and the excitement of the upcoming wedding and the book of memories book recently developed to combat Ko, and how excited his sisters were since Mei-Mei said they were coming-

Syaoran looked up. Fourth Sister had her hands over her mouth.

"You knew that you were coming here?" he said. "Wait is that why you were making sure I had no plans for today? Who else knew?"

Meiling and his sisters wouldn't look him in the eye.

"Syaoran."

He glared at his mother.

"You are acting dishonourably."

That annoyed him greatly. "It's dishonourable to keep secrets," he said under his breath.

"Syaoran Li-"

He had enough of being the only one who didn't know anything. Not being able to remember most of what happened over a year. Syaoran left and slammed the door behind him.

Author's Notes:

Happy New Year!

Sorry for the late update, but I was working retail during the Christmas and Boxing Day period. Also, I was having difficulties with getting all the details and customs right. It still doesn't feel completely right to me, but I'll figure it out as I continue writing.

The proverb "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," originated from the traditional Chinese saying, "The journey of a thousand Li begins beneath one's feet." Li is a unit of distance.

Let me know what you think! =)