Naito Ame
A CardCaptor Sakura FanFic
Chapter 2: Gateways of Friendship
A/N: (expect these at the beginning and end of every chapter) Howdy, y'all. Chapter two here, which'll mostly involve a conversation…so if it's REALLY short, don't blame me! Arigato gozaimasu to the who reviewed my first chapter. (before I reuploaded this…go check out the first chap if you missed my mini-rant on AOL) It's greatly appreciated, even if it is two reviews. Nothing else to say…::whistles absentmindedly::. Adios, amigos!
Oh, and Emi-chan, I honestly don't know Chinese worth a flip. Obviously, you do. If you'd like to explain to me how I should spell it, I'd be most grateful. Arigato!
Disclaimer: Again, CCS no belong to me. I'm broke as it is since I'm trying to go to ACEN next year! It belongs to CLAMP, while CardCaptors (shudder) belongs to Nelvana.
Syaoran stared blankly into the ceiling of his bedroom. Why in the hell is Meilin acting so strange? It's like she's…well, I'm not really sure. Did I do something to harm her? If so, what?
Meilin requested to his mother that she leave to return home. Yelan was equally shocked at this, and she had all rights to, but she granted Meilin's wish. He tried to talk to her before she left, but she never said a word. All I need is Daidouji-san right here to counsel me, and then it'll all be SO perfect! He smirked. Since when had he become so sarcastic? I guess that's the way it was now. His shell that Sakura broke was returning. Don't get him wrong, he was still very warm and caring… But, six years…had it really been that long? She'd be seventeen, like him. He glanced outside at the darkness of the night. Not a star visible. Just the branches of the trees outside. His thoughts were left unsettled when Wei knocked on the door.
"Master Li! You have a private fax!"
But…no one ever writes to me…or
even knows the exact address of my fax line...except Meilin! He climbed out of his bed and
opened the door to see Wei in his pajamas and robes. Syaoran smiled. "Master
Li, you also have this package." "Arigato, Wei. Now please, for your own good, go get some rest." Wei nodded as Syaoran closed his door. He tossed the package on his bed for
later. When he opened the cover
envelope of the fax, he was outright taken aback at the return address.
Daidouji Tomoyo?!
No. No way. Now, this COULDN'T be. Could it? Since when did she need to talk to him? Wasn't she always so interested in Sakura? He shrugged it off. Although he didn't exactly know her too well (Meilin kept in touch, however) she was very thoughtful had a good heart. He wouldn't expect much less from Sakura's best friend. But, knowing her, this was either a notice about something wrong, or a letter to be in contact. He didn't know which was worse.
It read:
To: Li
Syaoran
Konnichiwa, Li-kun! This is
Daidouji Tomoyo. It's been too long
since the Tomoeda company heard any word of the Lis! How are you and
Meilin-chan doing? (At that, Syaoran winced) I hope all is well with you, but
there is an urgent matter to discuss.
And yes, by what I'm sure you're thinking right now, it DOES involve
Sakura-chan. However, it's has nothing
to do with what else you're probably thinking of, the Sakura Cards. I'm not sure why, I just have a hunch that
something's up, no da? Sakura's no longer quite as genki, she has these
peculiar visions, and life here just seems quite boring. I can't watch Sakura forever, and I'm hoping
with all thought that you would be keen on returning to Japan. Please call me as soon as you read this.
With all
respect,
Daidouji
Tomoyo
She left a phone number, and a last note:
PS: To save you the trouble, I've enclosed a one-way plane
ticket from Hong Kong to Tomoeda. The
trip is in two days. Hope I didn't
pressure you. ^^ I also bought out your old apartment, the
deed's in there, too. Sorry for the
short notice. Again, call me once you
get this note!
Syaoran grabbed the
parcel. It was from her. As he rummaged through it, yes, true to her
word (as if she wouldn't be), she included the apartment deed, and a plane
ticket headed for Tokyo. He wasn't
surprised she bought this. Thanks to
Tomoyo's parents, particularly her mother, Sonomi, the President of Daidouji
Toys, she was filthy rich. Hell, if she
truly wanted to, she could fill an Olympic sized swimming pool to the brim with
green Jell-O. (A/N: O.o) He picked up
his phone. He didn't care what time it
was in Japan right now, or how rude it would be to call her this late at night
(or early in the morning, depending on how you look at it), he knew that he
grant her vital request of him to call her.
He punched in the numbers to Tomoyo's private phone line. He tapped his finger against the receiver
waiting for her to pick up.
::in Tomoeda::
::ring! ring!:: Tomoyo's phone rang quietly, but loud enough to wake the Sleeping Beauty of her slumber. "Augh…who in the hell would call this late at night! It's 3:15!" She gasped. Only her friends knew that number. Was it him? It had to be! Everyone else was much too polite (well, half the time) to call at such an indecent hour. She picked up her phone and pressed the "Talk" button.
"Moshi…::yawn:: moshi?"
"Daidouji! How in the heavens did you get my fax number?!"
The Japanese woman could tell that Syaoran definitely wasn't in a good mood. "Well, thanks for saying konnichiwa, Li-kun. It's heart-warming to know that I still consider you a friend. I see you're royally pissed off."
He was befuddled (A/N: Odd word, but can you think of a better one?) by her language. He guessed Daidouji was either incredibly cranky from being woken up, or she had PMS. He didn't mean to scream at her…but, honestly, in this situation, wouldn't you? "Gomen, Daidouji."
Tomoyo grasped the side of her head. "Unh…sorry, Li-kun, I'm just not feeling too well right now. I'm glad that you called though, honest."
"Daidouji-san, do you truly believe that I'll come to Tomoeda, even after living six years in Hong Kong?"
Tomoyo smiled inwardly. "Haven't gotten much sleep, have you, Li-kun? This is SAKURA we're talking about. Remember? The one you were so afraid to lose? Trust me, Li-kun, she hasn't let go of you yet. (His eyes grew as big as saucers at that statement.) Do you want me to tell you how she's been the past few years?"
Well, that was one of those obvious questions. "Of course!" Li huffed into the telephone.
"Well then, Sakura's matured, like the rest of us obviously, and do you know how many guys have asked her out, hmm?" She put in a dramatic pause to heighten the mood. "Twenty-two. But, she's declined every offer. She's on the cheerleading squad along with Naoko and Chiharu…"
She
declined every boy? Did that mean…was she still? …Whoa. If that many people were interested in
Sakura, were the other girls in the same boat? Well, excluding Chiharu…she and
Takashi had to be an item. His tone
softened greatly from that point on in the conversation. There wasn't a need to be so cynical. "Sumimasen for my asking Daidouji-san, but
are you seeing anyone?"
Now, Tomoyo didn't quite expect this from Syaoran. She thought all his questions would stick straight towards Sakura. However, she would answer his question. He sounded so sincere, and he asked politely. It's not like she had anything to hide.
"Yes, Li-kun, I am going out with someone. You actually know him."
Syaoran was about to ask who, but figured it was rude enough to ask her the question anyway.
"Now, I'm not sure if school's out there, but we have two more weeks. You're welcome to visit if you wish."
He had no reason not to come. He was quite grateful for Tomoyo to go through all this trouble. She was a great friend, incredibly polite, even though he himself didn't know her that well. Besides, he wasn't going to waste all the money that Tomoyo spent on him. "Arigato gozaimasu, Daidouji-san. You've done too much for me already. I suppose you'll be picking me up at the airport?"
She smiled. "Hai! Anything for a friend, you know that!"
"And what about Sakura's visions? I suppose she's told you about them?"
"Every one of them. Perhaps you should ask her yourself about them when you arrive. Well, we've been talking for a little while now. Please pack your necessities. I hope your flight goes well, and we see each other soon! Ja!"
"Sayonara."
He hung up. He couldn't think of the times when he hasn't thought about returning to Tomoeda. However, his mother was set on having become the leader of the Li Clan, but he couldn't help it. His fate may see it that he is a Li, but he happens to love his childhood rival, the Mistress of the Sakura Cards. He had failed once before, but, how was he going to explain this to his family? He decided to sleep on the matter.
When he awoke the next morning, he chose to talk to his mother first thing. Training wasn't for a few hours…and, based on the time, his mother should be having tea. He grabbed Tomoyo's fax. Exiting his room, he passed through the hallways to the sitting room where the women in his life sat. He entered cautiously. Yelan was sipping her tea. "Hello, Shaolan. Are you here to join us?" He nodded. She picked up the teapot and poured some of the strong liquid into another cup.
"Now then," one of Syaoran's sisters, Fuutie, opted to make conversation. "What would you like to discuss?"
Syaoran didn't say anything, but instead handed her mother the fax. The girls all crowded around as they read. When they finished, Yelan folded the message and laid it on the table insensibly.
"Awww!! Isn't she one of your friends who came to visit us?"
"That was so sweet of her! I wonder what she looks like now…"
As his sisters continued to point out all the cute and sweet things in the letter, Syaoran had an objective to accomplish. "Okaa-sama, may I?" (A/N: This is INCREDIBLY honorific. It's typically used as –san, but I made an exception. In clans, I would hope that honor meant something. I mean, Syaoran sometimes FEARS his mother!"
Yelan's eyes narrowed. "Absolutely not. You must carry out your place in the Clan as Leader. Her powers are quite immense. I'm positive the Mistress can take care of herself."
It took Syaoran a moment for the shock to sink in. His only opportunity to see her had been blown out the window. "Y-yes." He placed his tea down, and started to head out of the room.
His sisters took it in disbelief also. They weren't oblivious to their brother's feelings. They knew perfectly well that their little brother loved the Card Mistress. Just to see the hurt in his eyes…it crushed them all, but one…one sister was in pure rage.
FeiMei slammed her hands on the table. "Okaa-sama! Just let him go! He can assume his responsibility later! Based on that letter, you and I well know that it doesn't sound like the Card Mistress! LET. HIM. GO. Shaolan deserves it! He's been striving intensely day in and day out to reach his goals and make YOU proud! How can you possibly disagree?!"
The others just stared in utter shock at FeiMei's rash outburst of emotion. She began to sob. Never in her life had she been so violent with words, and especially to her mother! She could see it…severe punishment…Fuutie, Fanren, and Siefa tried to comfort her. Syaoran just stared at her. Why would she do that…for me? She shouldn't have…FeiMei…
Yelan sighed. What was she supposed to do? The Elders have been training Syaoran ever since he was young to fulfill his duty of the Clan to become Leader. She was angered at FeiMei's reaction; however, she wasn't completely heartless. "Shaolan. I will permit you to go, for FeiMei's sake. Heavens forbid what she and your sisters will do if I didn't give any consent. However, when you return, you are required to complete your training. You WILL become the head of the Li Clan."
Syaoran had never been happier in his life. "Thank you, Mother. Thank you so very much. When I return, I will do whatever is necessary of me." He bowed and left the room.
Siefa gazed at the point where Syaoran exited. "He reminds me…so much, of Otou-sama…"
For some reason, I feel somewhat odd. I mean…I have the Li's speaking in Japanese…but they're Chinese! Oh well…I don't know Chinese, so sue me. Technically, I don't know Japanese either, but I do know some words! Also, the ending was too blunt…I meant for it to be sentimental. Thanks for reading this so far, if you've gotten here. Arigato, minna! And read and review! If you review, I continue!
GLOSSARYArigato – thanks
No da – you know
Genki – high spirited, energetic
Moshi moshi – hello (on the phone)
Konnichiwa – good afternoon, or simply hello
Sumimasen – excuse me
Arigato gozaimasu – thank you very much
Hai – yes
Ja – later
Sayonara – goodbye
-sama – signifies honor/respect, or, in some cases: Master/Mistress
Otou- father (I used him as a very respectful person. Usually written as Otou-san)