Realizations
A CCS Fanfic
by SyaoranSword
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to Card Captor Sakura. CLAMP and other companies I may not know of own it all. This is a fanfic and not part of the "official" storyline. The story is only meant for the enjoyment of the author and any would-be readers.
Notes: I am also the author of "The Magitech War", but this story has no connection whatsoever with it. (Don't worry! I'm working on the next chapter as I speak… er, type!) A short and sweet one-shot about Sakura, Syaoran, and the Li clan. The idea for this fic came to me one night, and I just had to write about it. I was actually quite shocked by the idea, hence the name "Realizations". I warn you now that this fic is actually semi-dark, but no one dies. When you reach the end, you may be shocked as well.
Realizations
~~~ Syaoran's Apartment ~~~
Syaoran took one last look around the place he called home for almost 12 years. He had finished packing an hour ago, but he couldn't help to think about how much this place meant to him. It was hard to imagine that 12 years ago, he had hated being sent to Japan and away from his family, but he had a mission to fulfill.
(flashback)
Syaoran knelt on the red carpeting with his head bowed. Three figures hidden in shadow were seated eyeing the boy.
"Do you understand the importance of this mission, young Xiao Lang?"
"Yes, Elder."
"Repeat the instructions you have been given."
"The Clow Cards have been released in Japan. As the future leader of the Li clan, I am to retrieve the Cards as they rightfully belong to the Li. Once accomplished, I will assume leadership of the Li."
"What will happen to those who interfere with your task?"
"I am to let no one stand in the way of my mission."
"What is the punishment for failure?"
"If I fail, I will be outcasted from the Li, and I will never be allowed to return."
"Very well. Bring honor to your family, then. You leave for Japan in three days."
(end flashback)
Syaoran never would have guessed what would actually happen. He didn't care that he had no more ties with the Li clan. He knew his mother and his sisters still loved him. Most importantly, she loved him. The girl with auburn hair, emerald-green eyes, and an almost always cheerful personality. She was the one that had melted his heart. When he realized that she was destined to be the mistress of the Cards, he could not bear the thought of hurting her. They had gone through a lot together. Now they were finally going to be together forever. In two weeks, Sakura will become his wife. He picked up the last box of his possessions and walked out the door. With his car stuffed with boxes, Syaoran decided to check his mailbox.
"Junk… bill… junk… what?" One letter had caught Syaoran off guard. "This is… the Li family crest!"
He tore the envelope open, and read over the letter inside.
My dear Xiao Lang,
The clan requests your return immediately. This is an urgent matter that requires the presence of both you and your fiancée. Enclosed are your plane tickets back to Hong Kong. I will see you soon, my little wolf.
Your loving mother,
Li Yelan
Syaoran felt himself trembling after he had finished reading the letter. "What do they want with me and Sakura?"
~~~ Sakura's House ~~~
Sakura was exhausted. She and Tomoyo had made sure everything was perfect for her wedding. That included making sure the house was ready for Syaoran to move in. Touya had already moved out to live with Yukito, and to her surprise, her dad had settled into Touya's old room. Sakura's room would belong to Kero, and that left the master bedroom to Syaoran and her. Sakura plopped herself down on the couch to take a quick nap, when she heard Syaoran's car pull up. She opened the door and noticed the look on Syaoran's face.
"Syaoran, what's wrong?"
He handed Sakura the letter he received earlier today. "My family wants to see us for some reason."
"That's great!" Sakura looked at his face again. "Isn't it?"
"The letters I usually get from my mom are not like this. The envelope I received it in had the Li family crest on it. That means that this is Li clan business."
"I thought you told me that since you failed to collect the Clow Cards you're no longer part of the Li clan."
"That's right, which is why I got a bad feeling after reading this letter. I don't know what they want with us."
"Well… we should go!"
"What? Are you serious?!"
"Syaoran, you haven't been with your family for a long time now. You should at least go back to see them before we get married."
Syaoran paused for a few seconds. Then he said, "I do miss my mom… and I guess I miss my sisters too."
"Then it's settled. When do we leave?"
~~~ Hong Kong Airport ~~~
Sakura and Syaoran left the gate that their plane arrived in. Four women immediately surrounded them.
"Our little brother has returned!"
"Look at how handsome he has become!"
"And this must be his fiancée."
"She is so pretty! She's perfect for him!"
Syaoran sweatdropped and sighed, "They haven't changed."
"Girls! Please!" an elderly woman said.
Syaoran's four sisters dispersed and let the woman walk up to Syaoran.
"Mother!"
"It is good to have you back, Little Wolf." She turned to Sakura and bowed to her. "And it is also good to see you, Card Mistress. Now let us hurry. The Elders are waiting."
~~~ Li mansion ~~~
Syaoran recognized this place all too well. He was in the same spot 12 years ago. Three figures in shadow were seated in front of him. Syaoran kneeled down on the red carpeting with his head bowed.
"We see you have responded to the letter that your mother had written to you."
"Yes, Elder."
"Do you know why you have been called back?"
"No, I do not."
"Think back to when we sent you off to Japan 12 years ago. Do you remember that day, Xiao Lang?"
"Yes, Elder."
"What was the purpose of you going to Japan?"
"I was to retrieve the Clow Cards for the Li clan."
"What was your reward for success?"
"The mantle of leadership of the Li clan."
"What was your punishment for failure?"
"Banishment from the clan."
"Now do you know why you have been called back?"
Syaoran felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. [So this is why I am here. I am going to be humiliated and formally kicked out of the clan.] "I will accept my fate."
"Very well. Bring in the Card Mistress."
Syaoran did not move from his position as Sakura walked up beside him.
"Kneel, Card Mistress."
"Yes, Elder."
Syaoran was shocked as he felt Sakura kneel beside him. [Since when did Sakura learn Cantonese?]
"This matter is clear." The three figures stood. "We, the Elders of the Li clan, give you our blessing. May you both live a long and happy life together."
"Thank you, Elder." Sakura said. Syaoran was still in shock, but he managed to say, "Thank you, Elder."
"Your wedding is in two weeks, correct?"
"Yes, Elder." Syaoran said.
"Then you will return here in three weeks. At that time, you will be initiated as the leader of the Li clan. Afterwards, you may remain in Japan with your new wife."
Questions swirled in Syaoran's head. "May I speak, Elder?"
"You may."
"I failed my mission, so why have you given me leadership of the clan?"
"You never failed your mission, Xiao Lang. You actually have succeeded, just not in the way you expected. We have no further business to discuss. You may rise."
Sakura and Syaoran stood up. Sakura bowed to them and said, "Thank you, Elders."
The three bowed to Sakura and said, "The honor is ours, Card Mistress."
~~~ On the plane back to Japan ~~~
Syaoran was still really confused at what happened. He looked at Sakura, who was staring out the window, looking at the clouds. [What was she doing? I have to know.] He nudged Sakura on the shoulder. She turned to him with her bright green eyes.
"What is it, Syaoran?"
"This might sound crazy, but I want to know why you acted the way you did back there."
"Oh, you mean in front of the Elders?"
"Yes."
"Did I get it right? Your mother didn't have much time to teach me."
"Get what right? What did my mom tell you?"
"How a Li should act in front of the Elders."
"Wait a minute. You're not part of the Li clan."
Sakura nuzzled Syaoran on the ear, which made him shiver. She whispered, "I will be… in two weeks."
"What do you mean?"
"In two weeks, I will be Sakura Kinomoto Li." She wrapped her arms around him, snuggled in his chest, and sighed blissfully. "And I will be yours, forever."
Syaoran's eyes widened. He suddenly came to a shocking realization. [So that's why… my actual mission never was the Cards!] He looked down at the beautiful angel that held him tight. Another realization struck him. [It was you! They knew all along… that I would never be able to hurt you…] Syaoran reached a final realization. [And that one day… by marrying you… the Cards will then belong…] He gasped. […to a Li!!] Syaoran froze as he sat there in his seat with Sakura drifting to sleep while still holding him. [So I actually fulfilled my mission… without even realizing what it really was… until now.] He put his arms lovingly around Sakura, closed his eyes, and dropped a soft kiss on the top of her head. [I don't care. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. No matter what, I will always love you, my Ying Fa.]
~~~ Two weeks later ~~~
"I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Syaoran lifted the veil and pulled Sakura into a deep kiss. [You belong to me now, Sakura. As I also belong to you.]
"May I be the first to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Syaoran Li."
On the front row of the right side of the aisle, five women were crying. The eldest had a cell phone in her hand. After the ceremony was over, she dialed a number.
~~~ Li mansion ~~~
A phone rang and a shadowy figure picked it up. "Is it finished?"
The marriage was so beautiful.
"Good. Thank you for your service to the clan, Yelan."
The honor is mine, Elder.
The figure hung up. "Yelan was right. She is a perfect match for Xiao Lang."
"And she will be a great addition to our clan."
"The Cards once again belong to the Li, where they will forever stay."
"This has been completed even better than what we originally had planned."
"We foresaw that young Xiao Lang would not be able to take the Cards by force."
"He grew soft. That is why we left him in Japan with her."
"So that their feelings for each other would blossom."
"And after 12 years, he has succeeded in his mission."
"She is one of us now, and she will serve us well."
"Our clan's influence has extended into Japan."
"All that remains is for Xiao Lang to assume leadership of the clan."
"And the Li family bloodline will continue."
"With their magic combined, their children will have incredible potential."
"More potential than even our ancestor, Clow Reed himself!"
"It has come to pass exactly as we had predicted."
The three shadows stood and together they said, The Card Mistress now belongs to the Li clan!!!"
~~~ On the honeymoon ~~~ (This is a PG fic! Sorry to disappoint you, but that means no hentai! There is lots of extra S+S mush to go around though!)
Syaoran strolled around on the deck of the cruise ship. He spotted Sakura with her head resting on her hands, elbows propped on the railing, watching the sunset. An evil thought popped into his Syaoran's head as he smiled mischievously. He snuck up on Sakura and hugged her from behind. She gave out a squeal as he lifted her off the ground.
"Syaoran! Put me down!" He gently lowered her back onto the ship's deck. She turned to face him. "What did you do that for?"
"Didn't you like it?"
Sakura blushed as she hesitantly said, "Yes… but warn me next time!"
He chuckled. "Then it wouldn't be as fun, would it?."
Sakura playfully slapped him on the back of the head. "You deserved that."
"I'm not done yet, though," Syaoran said as he pulled Sakura closer to him.
Sakura slipped her arms around his neck. "Now you're asking for it!" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I know," he replied, causing shivers to run down Sakura's spine. He pulled her into a soft kiss. Sakura kissed back harder, which caused Syaoran to pull her even closer to him. They lips parted, and Sakura rested her head on her husband's shoulder. "It's going to be strange to think of you as the mistress of the Li clan."
Sakura looked up at him. "What's so strange about it?"
"I spent my entire early childhood in intense training alongside my clansmen. I know what they are like. When I think about you, you're not anything at all like them."
Sakura smiled. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"No, of course not." Syaoran breathed deeply into the scent of Sakura's hair. "I just don't want you to ever change who you are."
"I won't, Syaoran. I promise. But even if I do change, all that matters is that you love me… and I love you."
They held each other's embrace while remaining silent. Syaoran then said, "Sakura Li… I don't know if I'm ever going to get used to that name."
"Syaoran, stop talking to yourself and hold me." Sakura hugged him tighter.
Syaoran responded by asking, "How long do you want me to?"
Sakura sighed blissfully as she said, "Forever."
Syaoran laughed. "That I can do." He ran a hand through her hair as he said, "I love you, Sakura."
"I love you too, Syaoran."
END
Are you shocked? Or did you see it coming a mile away? The thought of Sakura changing her name to Sakura Li was what really got me to write this story. I said this story was semi-dark because of the Elders manipulating Syaoran for their true purpose of bringing Sakura into the Li clan, but it ended up being for the best. Sakura and Syaoran don't even care, as long they have each other. If you thought this was great or if you thought it was terrible, please review!