Cards, Love, war, and rebellion
Chapter 7
Authors note: Ok now it's time for Sakura to meet the family. In this story Sakura didn't meet Syaorans family just like in the manga. However I want to use material from the anime and manga. And I'll be using the Chinese spelling for Syaorans sisters names. Sorry to tell ya'll this late but please enjoy
POV: Syaoran
Getting through the gates was a breeze. One of the guards was a good friend of Bao and he lets us through with no trouble. Although he had to show his papers to him first But we got in and we finally are in Hong kong. As we got in through the double gates we were greeted with the hustle and bustle of the city. Shops and stalls are selling all kinds of goods, from medicine to spices, silks and even pottery of all sorts. I feel both glad and nostalgic to be home in my home town.
As we were walking through the streets Sakura apparently was like child looking at everything there is to see. I couldn't help but smile at the site of her cute reactions. If I was at my younger age I would have thought of her as being childish, but now I find that side of hers adorable.
'Oh heavens help me I'm becoming Tomoyo now have I?' I though.
"Something wrong Senior Xiao?" I heard Boa ask.
"No nothing really!" I quickly answered. I'm sure I was blushing because it didn't seem to go unnoticed as I saw Meiling give of and evil smile. I hope she wouldn't make go insane with her plans, sure I want to spend more time with Sakura but I want to have some privacy. We are not a drama unfolding are we?
"DEMON!" We heard a shout coming from somewhere on the streets. And as soon as the poor mans' shout everyone was in a state of panic. And soon enough a black and red humanoid figure jumped out and pounced on a unlucky victim raising its clawed hand to strike. I pulled a talisman to take out the demon but then a bolt of energy flew straight at its chest and disintegrated it to dust. I looked at the direction of where the bolt of energy came from to find a hooded figure running into a nearby alley. The hooded figure was quick as he just ran away as soon as I saw him. The poor victim did survive but he didn't go unscathed, he has cuts on his body and is in need of a doctor. A few bystanders went up to him and took him away to what I hope was a doctor. He is bleeding quite bad, not life threatening but still he needed help.
"Heavens that's the third one this week." Shanyuan said.
"I've heard that the situation is dire but to this extend? This is not normal." I mentioned
"Hoe." I looked at Sakura to see a worried look on her face. We both have faced danger from the cards but not to this extend. She's probably as scared as everyone else.
"I don't know about you guys but something seems fishy going on around here." Tomoyo told us
"Let's get to the compound before we are noticed." Bao Adviced, and we all agreed. The Li Compound is on the high hills of the city which is in one of the noble districts. As walk through the district we could see the gates to the compound. As me and the girls look at the gates Bao and his friends start to leave.
"You're not coming in?" Meiling asked the group, Then Shi started to write.
[No we're going to go to our favorite restaurant to catch up.] was what she wrote.
"You guys go on ahead; we'll see each other later. I've already informed your mother that we have arrived." Bao told us. As the three friends left us I feel a little nervous going in and for good reason. My mother is a strict woman when it comes to me since I'm her only son and that I have a lot on my shoulders as the heir to the clan. But she does show her affection to men when it was one of the calm days when I don't have to study or anything like that. But what make me more nervous than my mother are my 4 elder sisters. Sakura said that Touya is bad enough for a brother; she hasn't met my sisters yet. Let me tell you, they are on a whole different level than Touya. They are absolutly exhausting, anything they see as cute they will cuddle you for a good few minutes. And that's not the worst part, back when I was a kid they would constantly dote on me, tease me, heck they even dressed me up as a girl once for heavens sakes. They gave the impression that girls are nothing but trouble in my child hood years. And when I was betrothed to Meiling she only made it worse. That was until I met and got to know Sakura. She showed me a different side to girls, a side that got me to fall in love with her. But we're getting ahead of ourselves right now so let us get back to reality. I went to the gates and knocked on the door and said the password. We change passwords every few days and only give certain ones to those who are out for a long time. As the gates open we were greeted with the maids of the household.
"-welcome back master Xiao lang, and mistress Meiling. And to your guest-." The maid said in our native language. As we walked in on maid walked up to us and spoke to us.
"The mistress has already prepared rooms for your guest and we have arranged dinner for you four in your room. And the bath is just being prepared for you."
The maid showed Sakura and Tomoyo to their rooms while I unpacked in my room. It's a bit more spacious than the one I had in my apartment back in Tomoeda. I got a big bed with a desk and a low round table in case I want to have tea or food in my room. After I unpacked my stuff I picked a few comfortable clean clothes for me when I'm done bathing.
Bathing is a bit different in Han-cho than it is in the Ni-hon-Kaido archipelago. In the archipelago they wash themselves before going in the tub which often has form of salts in for soaking and sometimes you soak in volcanic hot springs which is also really relaxing in my opinion when I tried. In Han-cho we use Rice water and plant ash in our tubs with the hot water, and for nobles they often use flower pedals for a more fluorescent smell. I even have the habit of using Rice starch in when I bathe back in my apartment. While I was washing I couldn't help but wonder what my mother would think of Sakura, her being from the archipelago and a flower fairy to boot. I know the empire is at odds with the archipelago, especially the two major warring powers. But still that doesn't have to be the deciding factor for not allowing it right? I just hope mother will tolerate Sakura, and I hope that my sisters aren't as prejudice as some of the others. But the biggest problem is the elders. They are old school and are stuck in the ancient traditions. They are inflexible and are really problematic, and some of them are even against my mother leading the clan in my father's stead after his demise. Lucky for my mother she is a strong woman and didn't take any nonsense from the elders and even put a few of them in their place.
Once I was finished bathing I walked back to my chambers in my fresh cloths and was worried about tomorrow. Sakura has to meet my mother and I bet that some of the elders are coming as well. Once I was near the doors of my room I started to hear squeals and fawning noises. As I listend closely I start to recognized the voices and what they were saying.
"My what cuties they are!" one voice said.
"Though they're from the archipelago but they are so adorable, especially the flower fairy here!" another said.
"I like this black haired one here. She is like a doll!" a third squealed with delight.
"They're so cute I could just eat them up!" the fourth one added. I opened the door wondering what's going on. What came before my eyes was something that I couldn't believe my eyes yet I'm not surprised by it. To both my relief and embarrassment my sisters are fawning over both a troubled looking Sakura and Tomoyo. Sakura was the more troubled expressive out of the two while Tomoyo though looking calm as usual is as confused as she is troubled. Meiling watch from the sidelines with an apologetic smile on her face while Keoberos is hiding in Sakuras purse. Fudie who sports a pink dress and Xuehua who sport a green dress are the eldest of the 4 and sported short style haircuts while Huanglian who sports a yellow and Feimei who sports a blue dress are the youngest and tend to keep their hair long. Worst part is that they are quadruplets and they have excentric personality. They are engaged to a set of good men who are tolerant of their eccentric behavior but I hoped that they have tempered it but it turns out they haven't. They keep on sending me surprise letters every time while I'm at the archipelago. And it can get really annoying at times. Once I walked I sat at the table where the girls are sitting. Food was already on the table and it turns out that my sisters are the ones who brought it.
"Xiao lang why did you kept these cuties from us?" Fudei teased.
"Which one of them are you marrying?" Feimei added.
"Please stop it you four! Can't you see that you are troubling them?" I Fumed my embarrassment.
"But come on you can't keep them from your big sisters right?" Xuehua countered.
"Yeah don't be so stingy little brother. You should have told us that you are coming home with these two lovely ladies." Huanglain added.
"Please. . . Leave" I said with exhaustion in my voice.
"Aaaaawwwww" the disappointment of my sisters didn't go unnoticed. As they left the room they said their cheery good byes as they left the room, promising that they will hang out with them later on. Great even more headache for me, but on the bright side they seem to have taken a liking to Sakura which is good enough for me. Although they should have been a bit more quiet in their interactions with them.
"Your sisters are quite eccentric Li kun" Tomoyo observe.
"Sometimes they can be a riot Tomoyo." I told her.
"Demo at least they show how much they care for you." Sakura added.
"Sometimes they can get worse than that. I mean there are a few times when they play dress up with me." Meiling added. For the rest of the night we ate our dinners with an awkward atmosphere around. But the girls were right, my sisters do care for me but I wish that they would temper their attitude towards me.
The next morning was calmer but both me and Sakura have to see my mother and the elders. We've eaten and finished our breakfast early so that we could go to the meeting hall. Both Tomoyo and Sakura are surprised that we had noodle soup for breakfast. When I told them about it they are equally surprised with the fact that we even had dim sum for breakfast to. I was the same when I learned that in the archipelago they eat grilled fish, miso soup, and rice for breakfast in traditional fashion. Once we were done I immediately dressed up in a more appropriate outfit. I went for a green tangzhuang with a white set of trousers. When I was fully dressed up I went up to Sakura who was behind a folding screen. Meiling decided to give Tomoyo a tour of the compound so it's just me and Sakura and Keroberos right now.
"Sakura are you sure that you want to do this?" During breakfast I told her that I need to see my mother to know what the situation is like. From what I heard she also asked to meet Sakura in person.
"Daijobu Syaoran kun. Besides I want to meet your family anyways. Your sisters were quite cheerfull but I still haven't met your mother yet." Sakura answered.
"Still Li your sisters are quite a riot last night! Have lost a few marbles or something?" Keroberos ask while munching on a mooncake I personally asked the maids to bring for breakfast.
"No they were always like that. Infact I would rather have a brother Touya though. I can atleast have an argument with him" I confirmed.
"you don't need to Syaoran kun." Sakura assured as she walked out. When I saw her she was absolutely mesmerizing. She was wearing a white yukata with pink sakura flowers woven into the fabric. It was tied together by a pink Obi that help show off her true beauty. She even tied her short hair into a small but that is held by a hairpin with a flower ornament on it. Her wings are out in the open and it made her look as mystical as she is beautiful.
"Then let's not waste any more time and let us meet my mother." I stuttered a bit at that because I just couldn't believe my girlfriend can look this beautiful. As we walked through the court yard some of the servants were quite surprised by Sakura. As a flower fairy she was considered a deity by some of the citizens of Han-cho so I bet that there would be some who would want to worship her. As we arrived at the doors of the meeting hall I told Sakura to wait till I tell to come in. As I walked in My mother was sitting on the main chair as the Dowager and head of the clan, and the elders are there as well. My mother was dressed in a simple long-sleeved Cheongsam style dress and her hair was tied up in a heavy ornament. She looks young for her age and had a poker faced expression on her.
"Greetings mother." I bowed ion respect. "Forgive me for being rude but why are the elders here?"
"They want to hear about what has happened with the Clow cards." My mother said answering my question.
"I understand. . . I've heard about the situation and I've seen some of the problems myself. Is what you said in your message true mother?" I asked.
"I'm afraid it is. . . and what you just saw yesterday was just the tip of the Iceberg." My mother confirmed.
"Xiao Lang as it come to our attention that you failed in retrieving the Clow cards in Ni-hon-kaido and becoming its master" one elder asked. I looked at the elder with no emotion yet I still felt a bit embarrassed about what happened nearly 6 years ago.
"Mind telling us how it happened?" another one asked. This is going to be a long day.
"Two reasons actually elder. The first and most important one is that my arrogance got the better of me." I confirmed.
"Your arrogance?" He asked
"When the final test came I was unprepared and not even considered worthy as the master by the guardians." I answered
"Unworthy!" A third elder shouted in surprised. "you are the heir to the Li clan, How can you not be worthy?"
"It wasn't my lineage that made me worthy of the cards elder. It had nothing to do with birthright or lineage." I countered
"Alright then what's the second reason?" A fourth one asked.
"I had a rival. And she became the mistress of the cards through her pure heart." I answered. I was sure that Sakura was blushing from the fact that she had a pure heart.
"You're telling us that a girl from the archipelago went after the cards and became the mistress through her pure heart?" The first one asked.
"It's true and it's fact. And not only that elder. The cards became hers alone and no one else." I answered back.
"Who is the mistress of the cards? Xiao lang?" my mother asked.
"Her name is Kinomoto Sakura mother. She's a powerful mage, while she has a lot to learn she's already an excellent mage herself. Her father is a scholar by trade and she is also the third cousin of the princess of the Dadouji kingdom in the archipelago. And she is the most kindest girl I've ever met." I answered
"You speak highly of her. Why is that?" my mother asked. It's now or never, I have to come clean anyway.
"I am courting her at the moment. And I've thinking that sometime in the future I would like to marry her." I declared. I'm pretty sure that I'm blushing red all over my face. This caused quite a stir among the elders. The heir declaring and claiming someone to be his bride is not unheard of but quite rare among the elite and clan heads. It's usually the parents or guardians who would decide who their children would marry.
"I want to meet her." My mother declared. I nodded and turned to the door where Sakura was waiting.
"Sakura you can come in now." I called out. Then Sakura walked in to the hall. When she came in flower petals were flying by enhancing her beauty already and her wings flutter with grace. I'm pretty sure that the flowery card was doing it on purpose for additional affect but it seems to be having an effect on not just me, but probably the elders as well. As Sakura stride into the hall, she stood right next to me and bowed to my mother.
"Hajimemashite Yelan san. Watashi Sinomoto Sakura desu. It's an honor to have finaly meet you." Sakura greeted politely. I was paying attention to Sakura that I didn't notice that my mother stood from her seat and walked up towards us. She cupped Sakuras cheeks and looked straight into her eyes. From then on I was nervouse as heck, will she accept or reject her? I don't know. It felt like an eternity till my mother spoke.
"You carry a vast amount of magic power. And I can sense the clow cards are yours now." Sakura nodded at my mother's words.
"With great power come's great responsibility, joy, and pain. I'm sure you have gone through allot of it have you?" My mother asked. I looked at both of them and saw Sakura just nod. Then I saw something I never thought my mother would do, she leaned in and kissed on the cheek. It was a motherly kiss and I was shocked.
"Hopefully someday you can call me mother dear Sakura." My mother informed her. This was both relieving and surprising at the same time. My mother who was a strict and traditional woman has accepted Sakura as a potential bride-to-be for me. It made happy to see that Sakura was accepted by my mother like that.
"Xiao lang." My mother called me out of my happiness.
"Yes!" I quickly stood to attention.
"Be sure to take good care of her from now on. If she is going to be your bride then you must make sure to keep her happy and not to make her cry. I can tell that she's very special, so be sure not to lose her." She told me.
"Sure mother." I replied. I looked at Sakura and smiled. She smiled back at me knowing that she's accepted and we were both happy that my mother would like to have her as a daughter in law. I wish this moment would last long. That was till we hear the squeals of delight coming from one of the pillars. We all looked to see my sisters running out with glee in their eyes, and I knew what this meant as they pounced on Sakura.
"We're getting a sister!" they all squealed with delight. I pinched the bridge of my nose as my sisters began to admire Sakura.
"Come one young fairy let big sister here show you around." Xuehua said.
"Xiao lang please let us take her for a moment?" Fudie Asked
"Yeah you had plenty of time with in the archipelago and we really want to get to know her" Huanglain added.
"Please let us." Feimei begged. I looked at mother who just nodded. I looked at Sakura who looked troubled yet she smiled at the same time saying that she wants to get to know them as well. I sighed then gave them my answer.
"Fine. . . but don't trouble her to much ok!" I told them
"YAY!" they all shouted in unison. And with that they left the hall talking to Sakura.
"We must get you a full wardrobe of some of the best Han-Cho clothing." Feimei said.
"Yes I bet orange will look great on her!" Xuehua added. As the went out I looked at my mother with worry.
"Will she be alright with them?" I asked
"Don't worry. . . I'm sure that they will behave themselves. Though I am happy that they want to get along with her." My mother answered. I looked at the elders and to my surprise, they were speechless. With the events that occurred before them and the fact that not only my mother but my sisters also accepted Sakura was something that they have no words to say.
"Looks like the 'meet the parents' went by really well!" A cheery female voice said.
"Yeah I never thought that it would go that smoothly. Thought I feel bad for her to deal with those four" Another yet male voice said.
"On the bright side it seems that the elders couldn't do a thing. They were stunned that they couldn't object." Another female voice said. I turned to see a smiling Tomoyo hold her recording crystal while Keroberos was laying on top of her head and a smug Meiling looking hiding behind a pillar and now letting their presence known.
"What are you two doing here!" I fummed.
"Hey we can't just sit back and not see the two of you meeting aunt Yelan here!" Meiling countered.
"Oh yeah? Well what your father say when he hears about that Ryouma guy that you like!" I shouted.
"My daughter likes who now?" a masculine voice was heard. I looked back at the now open gates and I could tell that it was the voice of my uncle and Meilings father. Looks like Meiling and I have a lot of explaining to do today. This is going to be a long day indeed, I just hope that Sakura is having much easier with my sisters and enjoying herself. Then again they are a riot themselves, I hope that she will survive them.
Authors note: I made the 4 sister of Syaoran quadruplets mainly because I don't know the proper age of the 4 women. Though according to the wiki they are shown who is first by birth but not the age. They could be around their early twenties in age and they differentiate themselves by hairstyle and wardrobe so I could only speculate. Let me know in the review section if I had it wrong. And as allways see ya in the next chapter