Disclaimer: I don't own CC/CCS and those characters, settings etc. I have no permission and make no money from this work. The title comes from MatchBox 20 and their song 'Bed of Lies.' I also don't own Touched By an Angel or those characters and, like CC/CCS, it is used without permission and zero money being made.
Rating: I always hate trying to figure this out. I'm going to say PG.
Archive: Anyone who wants this (or any of my stories for that matter) just drop me a line and let me know you took it. I don't have a problem with anyone having my story, just like to know who has it so I can visit it. ^_^ (BTW- E-mail is PhoenixB_82@hotmail.com, but you probably could have figured that out)
Author's Notes: Well, this is the only crossover I've ever attempted (after you read this you'll probably know why...hehehe...hopefully not actually). This is a CC/Touched By an Angel crossover. Now, if you haven't seen TBA or don't know what it is, well you shouldn't be too lost and, if you are, you should be able to figure it out real quickly.
This is in the American CardCaptors era, since I've never seen Card Captor Sakura. So, what does that mean? Well, Meilin and Li aren't cousins mainly. Just keep that in mind, okay? Thanks!
No flames would be terrific because, well, who liked flames? I know S&S fans don't care for MeiLi and actually understand that...I mean who wants to see the couple they love not end up together? I don't mind S&S, just enjoy MeiLi more...hopefully you, that aren't MeiLi fans, can understand that.
Reviews would sure be terrific!
BTW- I realized I've never had a beta and if someone would like to beta for me, I'd love that. I have one more story that I'm going to finish for a fact, but another bunny might bite and, if it does, I'd loved to know someone I could bounce ideas off of. Thanks!!
ENJOY!!
~*~
BED OF LIES
By: PhoenixB
~*~
The young girl watched, with a heavy heart, as the two companions broke into simultaneous laughter. Their voices harmonized perfectly; hers a high octave, his a low, but crisp, baritone. She sighed as they moved further away from her, leaving together for an afternoon of fun no doubt.
Meilin moved away from the tree she had been standing by and headed towards the home she shared with Li. It had been a little over four years since they had returned to Reedington after the last of the Clow Cards had been captured. They had gone home to China for a while, but found it not to be the same it was when they first had lived there. There had been something missing. For Li it had been Sakura. For Meilin, it had been the fact that she was an outcast in China. The Rae's were notoriously known for their powerful magic that kept them tightly knitted. The young raven-haired girl had no magic and thus was alone even while at home.
Back in Japan, at least she knew others without magic. It had taken so serious commitment on her part, but finally the Chinese girl found herself being nice and even liking Sakura and Madison. She fully understood now that Sakura held Li's heart and she did not. It was not something she truly liked to think about, however.
Somewhere, deep in her soul, she held out hope that her love for Li would be reciprocated one day.
So far, though, she saw no sign of anything like that occurring. Even at the young age of sixteen, she could see the love he had for the one-time Clow Mistress. It was, unfortunately, painfully obvious. Unknown to anyone, Meilin's heart continued to break inside of her each time they grabbed hands, each time they smiled just for each other, and each time they kissed. She had become quite the actress since moving back to Japan.
Everyday she awoke with a smile that stayed on until she wept in her bed- alone. Each day it became harder and harder to wake up and Meilin knew she was beginning to make herself sick. She had already lost too much weight on her already small frame. Her skin had become paler, but nothing that she couldn't write off as not getting enough sun. She was wasting away, and no one noticed.
The young girl entered the home that was deathly silent. After much persuasion by Li and herself, they had convinced their families to let Wei go back home to China. Now, the two sixteen years old had their home all to themselves. Luckily, the Rae's and Showron's were wealthy enough that they paid for their children's home and other necessities. One day, though, when they were older, the two of them would gain control of the house, but for now, they were content.
Meilin threw her bag down and moved to her room. She laid on her bed and closed her eyes. Too tired and too depressed to do anything else. She was vaguely aware of the fact she had gone since yesterday morning without eating as she fell asleep.
~*~
The trio of angels watched the young girl as her breaths deepened. A large, but kind woman turned to the young two. "That poor dear's just killing herself."
A red-haired woman nodded and spoke with a accented voice. "Why is she doing it?"
Tess sadly sighed. "Love. Poor child is in love with someone that isn't in love with her." She shook her head. "Too young to have that kind of pain."
The other person, a young male, spoke up. "What does He want us to try and do?"
"Andrew, honey, you know as well as I do, that there is no try." The man smiled at Tess. "We're going to get her to see what this world has to offer."
The redhead spoke again. "And what about the young boy she's in love with?"
"Monica, I don't know much about males, but I think that boy's just not seeing what's in front of his face."
Andrew sighed. "I take it I'm supposed to bond with the kid."
Tess put a hand on his shoulder. "Of course."
The blond man rolled his eyes and Monica smiled. The older woman looked at the raven-haired girl and smiled slightly. "Well, children, let's get to work. He doesn't like to see such young ones suffer and it's time we fix this poor creature's heart."
The three figures faded leaving Meilin alone again.
~*~
Li smiled to himself as he walked down the streets towards his home. He had just dropped Sakura off at her house after spending the Sunday in the park with her. He must have lost his concentration because the next thing he knew he ran smack into someone. The two of them stumbled, but remained standing- Li turned and began to apologize.
"I'm terribly sorry, sir, I wasn't paying attention."
The blond haired man looked up and smiled. "It's quiet all right, son." He held out a hand. "Name's Andrew."
The young man took the offered hand, a bit curious as to why this man was being so friendly, but not questioning it. "Li." He offered and Andrew nodded.
"Hmm, you wouldn't happen to be a Showron, would you?"
Li nodded. "Yes, my family's back home in China."
Andrew nodded. "You looked just like a someone I knew there. I think his name was Talo or Tai or-"
"Tao?" The young man asked and the blond man nodded.
"That's it!" Andrew smiled. "Never very good with names." He confessed.
Li looked down at his watch. "I'm terribly sorry, but I've got to be going home." ~Meilin's probably worried~ he thought silently.
"Oh, sorry to keep you." Andrew held out his hand again and the young man shook it.
"Goodnight, Sir."
And with that, Li headed home.
~*~
Meilin woke with a start and nearly ran her head into Li's. "Geez! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
The young boy smiled at her. "Sorry, I was just checking on you."
She raised her eyebrows. "You do know that I can tuck my own self in, don't you?"
"Of course I do." He stood and left her room.
The young girl watched him go and felt the tears rise in her eyes. ~You're SO stupid! He comes in here, checking on you and you make an obnoxious remark~ She fell back against her pillow. ~Stupid, stupid girl~
Li went into the living room and quietly flipping on the TV. He wasn't certain why he went to check on Meilin- she was right- she was old enough to take care of herself, but something was bothering him. It was as if something was telling him to keep an eye on her- watch her- because something happened or was going to happen. He wasn't certain if he was just being paranoid, or if something really was going to take place.
Anyway that it went, Li knew better than to turn his back completely on a feeling. He had spent too much time honing his skills to let certain sensation go- he had been taught to trust himself and his feeling completely.
And he would continue to listen to the feelings until something sorted itself out.
~*~
The annoying beeping of the alarm, rolled Meilin over and she reached out with her arm until she felt contact with the 'off' button. She sighed, not looking forward to leaving the warmth of her bed, but knowing she had to. The young girl flipped off the covers and padded into the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, dressed and ready, she sat at the table with a very unappetizing piece of toast in front of her. Even the small morsel made her stomach churn so she pushed it aside and waited for Li. He came into the kitchen, also ready, and grabbed a glass of juice. The two Chinese students sat until they knew they had to leave and made their way out the door.
Though they were sixteen, the two still walked to school (as did many of their peers), but, now they always met up with Sakura and Madison. As if on cue, the two walked up and said their good mornings. Quickly, Sakura and Li grabbed hands as they did every day and Meilin and Madison got to talking about anything.
The walk ended at the entrance of their high school. The quartet entered and, after a trip to their lockers, went to their separate classes. Unlike they had through all of elementary school, the friends no longer had many classes together and only saw each other at lunch and fifth hour biology.
Meilin entered her math class and instantly noticed that lack of their regular teacher. A substitute, a young woman with red hair, stood at the front of the class writing her name on the board. The young girl took her normal seat and waited for the start of math.
The bell ran and the sub turned to her students. "Good day, class." Her voice had a slight accent to it, one that Meilin couldn't quite place, but it sounded almost...Scottish or Irish.
The calming, accented voice spoke again. "Your regular teacher is sick and won't be here for the next couple of days." A couple soft cheers went throughout the room. "I will be here until he comes back. My name is Miss Monica MacIvory. And yes," she answered the unasked. "I'm from Ireland."
Meilin instantly liked the teacher and class went by swifter than it ever had. The release bell rang and, as she packed up, Monica came up to the raven-haired girl.
"Meilin Rae, isn't it?"
The young girl nodded.
"I was wondering if you would mind coming after school to met with me. You see, I need on of the students to help me go over what you've already learn. I think that Mr. White might be gone for longer than a week."
The raven-haired girl thought over the offer and found no reason why not. "I'd be more than happy to help you, Miss MacIvory."
The redhead smiled a large and kind smile. "Thank you so much. I'll see you today then."
Meilin nodded again and left to her next class.
~*~
At the same time, in a class across campus, Li was meeting another sub. This substitute was quite a familiar face to the young boy. He sat in his class listening to Andrew, or rather Mr. Foley, as he talked about the history of the world. At the end of class, the substitute greeted Li.
"Well, what a coincidence. Li Showron, right?"
The young man nodded. He had a sudden flash back to the fifth grade and Miss Mackenzie. He wondered, idly, if Andrew was who he said to be. Deep down Li thought there was something...different about this man, but he couldn't place what. Dampening the feeling, but not forgetting about it, the young man talked briefly with Andrew before heading off to his next hour.
~*~
Lunch came and with it the quartet met up and sat together. Madison and Meilin faced Li and Sakura as they ate together. Although, she smiled at the appropriate times and laughed, to the observers they could see the emptiness and pain etched in her ruby eyes.
"Can't he see what this is doing to her?"
Andrew shrugged. "I'm not sure if he can't see or if he doesn't want to."
Monica sighed. "What about the other girl- Sakura Avalon. If she loves him how can we effect that?"
"Child," Monica and Andrew turned to see Tess standing behind them with a 'visitor' sticker attached to her shirt. "You know He would never want you to hurt one of His children. He knows that these young ones are not happy how they are and, in the end, everything will work itself out."
Monica put her hand on Tess's shoulder. "I never thought the He would want us to hurt Sakura, I was just curious about how she feels and what would happen to her."
She looked at the teenagers. "In time, things will become clearer." The older woman turned to the two angels. "How did today go?"
The redhead spoke first. "Meilin is coming after school today to help me with lesson plans." The younger woman sighed. "I never thought I'd have to do math again."
Andrew smiled. "At least you aren't teaching the history of the world. I swear some of these events were added just to confuse me."
Tess looked at the younger ones. "Now, now, it can't be that bad. Besides learning a little something is probably the easiest part."
~*~
Meilin knocked on the door and entered when told she could. She found Monica sitting at her desk with paper littered around her.
"Ah, hello, Meilin, thank you so much for offering to help me. I don't even know where to start!"
The young girl smiled at the substitute and put her bag in a desk. "Well, the last thing we learned was different triangle formulas."
A shuffle of different objects and Monica produced a stack of papers. "Ah, here's that lesson plan." She looked over it. "Do you know what he wanted to do next?"
Meilin thought for a moment and went to her bag getting out the math book. She began to shuffle through it, when Monica spoke again.
"I saw you at lunch today. Friendly group of friends you have there- they seem very nice." Meilin absently nodded. ~Well, Monica, it's now or never~ "And that young boy is quite cute."
With that the young girl's head jerked up and looked to the substitute. "Um...I...well...it's Li." Meilin finally settled for asking.
The redhead bit her lip. She always hated trying to bait people into talking, but obviously, this is what the raven-haired girl needed. "Is he with that little brown haired girl?" A nod answered. "Well, they make an okay couple."
Again, Meilin's head moved up from her math book, but not a fast this time. Always, she had heard of Li and Sakura as being the 'cutest couple', or being 'made for each other'- even from adults. Monica, however, didn't sound so assuring. "Yes, I guess they do make an okay couple."
~Now, we're getting somewhere~ The angel thought. "How do you know this Li?"
She answered while looking down into her math book. "We grew up together in China and moved here together. We're...friends." Meilin wondered if her voice dropped at the word 'friends' like it did in her head.
"I see." Monica flipped absently through some papers. "How come you two, if you're so close, aren't together?"
Meilin, if she thought a teacher asking such questions was odd, never let on, but answered. "He doesn't like me like that."
"Oh." Was the response. "Well, if you two don't like each other like that, I guess there's no point in getting together, is there?" Monica asked with a smile.
"Yeah...no point." Meilin mumbled into her math book hiding the tears that had formed in her eyes.
"Of course." The young teacher began. "I don't know much about young love, but sometimes I think that people care most for the ones they forget are there. Sometimes they don't see what's right in front of their eyes." Monica shrugged her shoulder as if she hadn't said anything of importance. "Well, why don't we get down to business." She smiled.
Meilin nodded her head, but couldn't shake Miss MacIvory's words. 'Sometimes they don't see what's right in front of their eyes' ~Could it be that Li, her one and only true love, would care for her and just not know it?~
~*~
The young raven-haired girl practically sprinted home after leaving school. Monica's words echoing in her head with each step. For the first time in, what felt like, forever, she had hope. If the substitute's words are true then...
And with that she threw open the door to her house and looked around for Li. She couldn't see him and slowly walked around the small home -finding nothing. In a last attempt she looked outside and saw him with Sakura sitting on the grass. They were leaning against each other while holding hands.
Meilin could see the door was open and held her breath to listen.
"...meant to be. I've never felt this way about anyone before." She listened as Li moved to look Sakura in the eyes. "I've wanted to say this for the longest time." Meilin watched him take a deep breath and could hear a soft whisper in her mind ~no, please, no~. She swallowed.
"I," He grabbed her hands, "love you, Sakura."
~NO~ Her mind now shouted. ~Nonono! This wasn't supposed to happen!~ The raven-haired girl watched Sakura's eyes fill with tears of joy and felt her soul shatter. The couple moved into a kiss and Meilin felt her heart stop.
This was what it was to be then. What Miss MacIvory said was wrong- what Meilin thought was wrong- Li didn't miss what was in front of his face.
He didn't want it.
The young girl moved away from the door and headed out the front door in a daze. ~This was it~ She pondered. ~This was the end~ She now knew, with the uttermost finality, that Li was Sakura's. The small glimmer of hope she use to hold on to faded and extinguished inside of her. With that small flame being killed, a piece of Meilin died as well.
~*~
It was well past dinner, by the time she returned, but she didn't care. Without a word to Li who sat on the couch, she moved to her room and locked the door. With movements, only possible because of the repetition she had done it with, the young girl got ready for bed and laid down to sleep.
"Are you okay?" She heard Li asked just outside her door.
~I'll never be okay~ the raven-haired girl thought, but answered, "Just tired." For a moment, he remained at her door, but then Meilin heard him shuffle away and she closed her eyes.
It was over. Everything she had hoped for, prayed for and wished for, was a joke. She was just a silly girl with hopeful dreams that were unrealistic. She was dreamer.
~Well~ She mused. ~I'm not a dreamer anymore~
Not now and not ever.
~*~
Li knocked on the door until it opened. Meilin stood on the other side looking, for all of the world, like crap. Her long hair was tasseled from sleep and dark circles stood out from under her eyes on her pale face.
"I'm not going to school." She informed before turning around and slipping back into her bed.
The young man entered her room. "What's wrong?"
"Don't feel good." She answered while pulling up covers.
"Oh." He watched he settle in. "Is there anything I can get you?"
The concern in his voice almost made her smile, but then she remembered. ~Stupid Meilin~ She shook her head. "No, I'm fine."
Li stood for a moment before nodding. "Okay. I'll stop by after school to see how you're doing."
The raven-haired girl opened her mouth to argue, but he'd already left. Closing her eyes, Meilin fell into a restless sleep.
~*~
Monica and Andrew watched from their same spot as they had done yesterday, only this time even more concern flooded their features. They, of course, noticed that lack of a certain raven-haired young girl at the lunch table where her friends sat. Not only that, but they saw Li and Sakura acting differently. Almost...closer. Both angels knew this wasn't a good sign- they had to move faster if they hoped to accomplish what He wanted.
~*~
Meilin woke up around one o'clock wondering what she could do. She was almost too tired to go back to sleep and wasn't hungry in the least. Sighing, she stood and took a quick shower. Once done, she donned a pair of white pants with a red shirt while throwing her hair into a ponytail. The young girl sighed again and headed out her door, unsure where she was going, but needing to get out.
The raven-haired girl had been walking for close to thirty minutes when she realized she hadn't the faintest idea where she was. Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time, Meilin turned around and began to walk back in the direction she came.
The young girl had made it a few steps when a wave of dizziness passed over her. She took a pause and took a deep breath to center herself before starting again. This time, when the vertigo hit, Meilin saw the earth come up to meet her as she passed out. With a defined crash, the raven-haired girl's head hit the pavement along with the rest of her.
Off to the side, a woman sadly shook her head and place a hand to her chest. "You poor thing- you're just killing yourself." Tess said to herself as she sat Meilin up and called the paramedics.
~*~
Li ran a hand over his face trying to get wake himself up some. When he had come home from school an officer was waiting for him with information about Meilin. Not two minutes later, he was inside a police car on his way to the hospital. Since getting into the sterile environment, the young man moved beside his raven-haired friend waiting for her to wake up. The doctors told him that she was dangerously malnutrition and dehydrated.
She would be fine, he was affirmed, now that they could get nutrients into her, but Li wasn't as worried about that. The young man was concerned with the idea that Meilin had, obviously, been starving herself. ~Why?~ He wondered. ~Would she do this?~ He leaned his neck against the back of the hospital chair- it was going to be a long night.
~*~
A blinding headache caused Meilin to shut her eyes quickly. She tried to reason why she felt so awful, but couldn't come up with any idea. She shifted in her bed, when she realized something. This wasn't her bed.
With a start, the young girl's consciousness came back to her like lightning. ~Where am I?~ Her eyes slowly focused and she saw white- lots and lots of white. ~A...hosiptal?!?~ She wondered how on earth, or why, she was inside a hosiptal.
And then she remembered.
She had been walking, and then she had been falling. With delicate movements, her hand reached up to a bandage on her forehead that accounted for the headache and confirmed the fact that she had passed out. The young girl relaxed a bit and laid back against the pillow behind her. The movement startled the person that she hadn't noticed next to her.
"Meilin?"
~Oh no!~ The raven-haired girl thought. "Li." She acknowledged.
The young man straightened himself in his chair and looked at his friend. He stared into her face, while she avoided his eyes. Meilin knew what was on his mind.
"What happened?"
The young girl shrugged. Well, she knew what happened, but couldn't tell Li. He wouldn't understand that she hadn't cared much about living for almost the last four years. She couldn't tell him that the reason she slowly was wasting away was because of him.
But somehow, whether because a supernatural power had it in for Meilin, or because they had been so close for so long, Li was struck with understanding.
"Oh, MeiMei." He said while grabbing one of her hands. She looked at him both in surprise and in question. "I didn't know. I'm so sorry."
She began to shake her head while tears rose in her eyes. "Not your fault. I'm just a silly girl." She gave a haunted smile. "Silly, silly Meilin, thinking that you could somehow love her."
The young man held her hand tighter. "I do love you, just...just..."
"Not like you love Sakura." She finished for him.
He nodded slowly, but something, deep in his heart, felt a small twinge of...doubt? He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts.
"You're special to me, Meilin, and I don't want to see you hurt yourself. Please, don't do this again, promise me you won't."
The raven-haired girl took a deep breath, but didn't answer.
"Please, promise me." His stare bored deep into her eyes and she found herself promising even without believing it.
"We can be the best of friends, Mei, even brother and sister. I hope you'll see that that is enough."
The young girl gave him a small smile. "It just might be."
He smiled at her and bent over giving her a peak on the cheek. "I have to call home to let them now what happened." Li smiled again and left the raven-haired girl.
The small smiled she had quickly left and she let the few tears in her eyes fall down her cheek. ~I'm sorry, Li, but that won't be enough~ She thought as she stared at the door he had just left.
~*~
Li had just hung up the phone when he caught sight of Mr. Foley with another female. They were standing by Meilin's room looking in.
"Um...hello?" The young man came up behind the two angels.
They both turned and the woman spoke. "Hello. I was wondering if I would be able to visit Meilin. I'm a teacher at your school and was concerned when I heard what happened." Finding no reason why she couldn't, Li let the redhead enter while he stood with Andrew.
"Quite a scare she gave you, I assume."
Li looked in at the raven-haired girl and nodded his head.
"Ever wonder what you'd do without her?"
So taken aback by the question, Li just stared at Andrew.
The blond man looked down at the younger man. "You know, sometimes people don't see what they have until it's too late."
Li looked back into Meilin's room and watched the young girl talk with Monica. She barely smiled at the teacher and, for the first time, the young man saw how...lifeless her eyes were. The ruby color use to sparkle with mischief, confidence, and humor. Now they were a dull red color.
"You know, sometimes I wonder why, we think somethings will be there forever and why we take such advantage of that. I guess the old saying 'you never know what you have until it gone' is fairly accurate. Well," he out his hand on Li's shoulder, "I better be going. Could you please tell Miss MacIvory I left?"
Li nodded, but never removed his eyes from the raven-haired girl just inside the room.
Andrew turned around and saw a friendly nurse give him a raised eyebrow. He smiled at Tess in the nurse's outfit and gave a small okay sign with his fingers.
Now that he planted the idea it was up to Li to let the idea grow.
~*~
Monica moved next to Meilin's bed and smiled at the young girl.
"If you didn't want to go to math class, you didn't have to do this." The raven-haired girl gave a short smile at the humor of her substitute.
"Sorry, guess I just didn't feel like learning about area formulas."
The redhead shrugged. "Well, me either." Another quick smiled gazed Meilin's face.
"Why did you come here?" She quickly back peddled to fix that statement. "I mean, not that I don't appreciate it, but I was just wondering.
Monica just smiled. "I heard that you had a bit of an...accident and wanted to make sure you were okay. What happened?"
The raven-haired girl's face reddened a bit. "I...um...passed out."
"Oh dear." The older woman placed a hand to her chest. "How did that happen?"
Meilin looked down at her hands. "I wasn't eating enough." She mumbled.
Monica sighed. "Oh, sweetie, why did you do that?"
The girl shrugged, but inside knew the answer.
Li.
It was because of Li.
The door opening stopped all conversation and Monica smiled at the nurse who just entered. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over." Tess gave the redhead a smile. "You can come back tomorrow about eleven."
The woman stood and said her good-byes to Meilin who countered them in her own kind way. The nurse turned back to the young girl in the bed. "There's a young man outside that wants to said goodnight. Shall I let him in?"
The young girl was tempted to say no, but thought better of it and allowed Li in. The young man said his goodnights, promising that he would visit her tomorrow and telling her to get a goodnight's sleep. He left and Tess turned back to her patient.
"Would you like something to drink?" A shake of the head answered the question. "Okay, then. I'll leave you for the night. Someone might be in later to check up on you." She moved to the door and turned off the light. "Sweet dream, honey."
"Thank you."
The door closed leaving Meilin alone in the room.
~*~
The next day, she was released after being told to watch what she ate and after Li promised he'd make certain Meilin would get everything she needed to bring back what weight she lost. The two Chinese students made it back to their home, when the raven-haired girl promptly went to her room.
Li didn't know what to do. The doctor's told him consoling might be a good idea for the semi-depressed girl, but he knew he couldn't make her go and wagered she wouldn't want to go. He thought about calling home and seeing what they could do to help, but figured they would want Meilin shipped back and that was *not* a good idea.
The young man moved into the kitchen and slowly began to prepare a meal for them, determined to keep up the doctor's order of getting her to eat everyday. He was waiting for his water to boil when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
It was Sakura asking him to meet her in the park.
Li looked at the water, but could hear the seriousness in his girlfriend's tone and agreed. He opened Meilin's door, and found the girl asleep on her bed. He left a quick note and explaining where he had gone.
~*~
Meilin heard the front door slam shut and opened her eyes. She knew where Li was going and who he was meeting. The raven-haired girl closed her eyes as an overwhelming sense of loneliness hit her.
This was going to be her life, she suddenly realized. Forever she would sit by herself as Li ran off with Sakura.
She also realized she didn't want this to be her life.
~*~
Li found Sakura sitting on a swing gently moving. He smiled as he approached her, but something inside him...changed. For almost four years every time he looked at the ex-Clow Mistress his heart moved a little faster and his face flushed. After he had asked her out, a little over a year ago, the same reaction still happened. Yet, suddenly, he looked at her and felt...nothing.
No beating heart, no blush creeping up his cheeks.
Nothing.
And it left him strangely unconcerned.
Sakura looked up at Li and smiled, but there was something missing in her smile he noticed.
"Um...Sakura...hello?"
The brown-haired girl returned the greeting, but still spoke. "I think we need to talk."
~*~
Meilin rose out of her bed and slowly made her way into the bathroom. Sobs were being pulled from her small body viscously, but she still moved a shaky hand to open the glass cabinet.
She didn't want this to be her life.
Ever.
~*~
"I think that...we're...well...I think we're too serious for being so young."
Li looked at Sakura. "What?" He asked gently.
"I...I like you Li...but I don't love you." She looked at him, her green eyes asking for understanding. "Please, don't be mad."
The young man took her hand. "I'm not mad."
She smiled. "I think Meilin will be happy to hear this."
~Meilin~ A feeling of cold dread crept up Li's spine. "I...I...have to go. I'll call you later?"
Sakura nodded in answer as Li turned and headed for home fearing the worst had happened. The young girl watched him go with a wistful smile on her face. She would always care for him, but something had told her this was what had to be done and, though slightly saddened to see him go, she knew things would work out for her and she would find the person that was perfect for her in time.
The ex-Clow Mistress suddenly wondered what Julian was doing today.
~*~
The raven-haired girl grabbed the pill bottle and began to struggle to get it open when a voice caught her attention.
"This isn't the answer, Meilin."
The young girl looked up and see Monica standing in front of her. Or at least she *thought* it was the substitute teacher she had.
This person stood with a soft white light surrounding her, illuminating the light pink outfit she wore. It was almost as if she was an...angel?
"Miss MacIvory?" The girl asked with a scratchy voice.
"My name is Monica and I am an angel."
~Okay, you've lost it~ Was all that the raven-haired girl was thinking.
The redhead moved a bit closer and continued to speak in her soft accented voice. "This isn't the way to end this, Meilin. He cares too much for you to see you kill yourself."
"He?" The young girl's voice rose in a hysterical tone. "Li doesn't love me like that."
Monica gently shook her head. "No him. Him." She accentuated the last bit and Meilin cocked her head to the side in question. "God, Meilin. He doesn't want to see any of His children suffer like you are. That's why I'm here. He wants you to be happy- He wants you to live again."
The young girl sniffed. "I...I...can't." She finally admitted.
The angel moved closer and put her hand under the young girl's chin making her eyes met hers. "Yes, you can. He has faith in you and I have faith in you. You don't want to end your life- you're too young."
"Meilin!!" The loud cry belonging to Li echoed in the house. Slowly Monica began to fad away.
"I think someone has something he wants to say to you." The angel smiled gently at Meilin before faded completely away.
The raven-haired girl stood motionless even when the young man flung open the door. He moved to her and touched her shoulder. The young girl jumped and turned to look at him. He took one look at her and pulled Meilin into a hug.
"I'm sorry. So, *so* sorry. I'm such a dope." The young girl's sobs broke through again as he gently stroked her back. "Please, can you forgive me?"
Meilin viscously nodded her head into his shoulder.
Li felt the raven-haired girl's knees buckle and lowered them both to the floor. He sat his back against the wall and held Meilin in his arms.
"I'm such an idiot, you know that." The girl shook her hand, but Li cut her off before she could disagree. "Yes, I am. I missed the best thing in my life because is was so obvious."
Meilin rolled slightly so she could look into the amber eyes she knew so well. "I missed you, MeiMei, because I was too dense to see you sitting right in front of me."
She wasn't sure what happened, but suddenly Li's mouth captured hers in a gentle kiss that ended with him looked down into her ruby eyes. More tears ran down her cheeks and she moved a hand to her mouth to cease the sobs.
He shifted her again so head her was right under his chin. "I'm a fool, but, if you want, I'd like to be your fool."
With a jerk, Meilin pushed away from him and sat on her bottom facing him, disbelief utterly evident on her face. "What?"
He leaned in closer. "I love you, Meilin, but was too caught up with a infatuation with Sakura to realize it. I liked her, but my heart's with you and somehow I always knew that, but never admitted it. I'm an idiot, and I hope it's not too late."
The raven-haired girl searched Li's eyes for any falsehoods, anything that would show her he was lying.
She found nothing.
"Oh, Li!" She fell into his arms. "I want you to be my idiot."
The young man laughed and hugged the small girl in his arms closer.
Just above them, but unknown to them, three figures smiled. "Well, that went well." Tess stated and Monica and Andrew nodded in agreement.
The three angels left the two Chinese teens together knowing things would be just fine between them and that they had accomplished their mission.
THE END
~*~
Please no FLAMES, but REVIEWS would be GREAT!!
Rating: I always hate trying to figure this out. I'm going to say PG.
Archive: Anyone who wants this (or any of my stories for that matter) just drop me a line and let me know you took it. I don't have a problem with anyone having my story, just like to know who has it so I can visit it. ^_^ (BTW- E-mail is PhoenixB_82@hotmail.com, but you probably could have figured that out)
Author's Notes: Well, this is the only crossover I've ever attempted (after you read this you'll probably know why...hehehe...hopefully not actually). This is a CC/Touched By an Angel crossover. Now, if you haven't seen TBA or don't know what it is, well you shouldn't be too lost and, if you are, you should be able to figure it out real quickly.
This is in the American CardCaptors era, since I've never seen Card Captor Sakura. So, what does that mean? Well, Meilin and Li aren't cousins mainly. Just keep that in mind, okay? Thanks!
No flames would be terrific because, well, who liked flames? I know S&S fans don't care for MeiLi and actually understand that...I mean who wants to see the couple they love not end up together? I don't mind S&S, just enjoy MeiLi more...hopefully you, that aren't MeiLi fans, can understand that.
Reviews would sure be terrific!
BTW- I realized I've never had a beta and if someone would like to beta for me, I'd love that. I have one more story that I'm going to finish for a fact, but another bunny might bite and, if it does, I'd loved to know someone I could bounce ideas off of. Thanks!!
ENJOY!!
~*~
BED OF LIES
By: PhoenixB
~*~
The young girl watched, with a heavy heart, as the two companions broke into simultaneous laughter. Their voices harmonized perfectly; hers a high octave, his a low, but crisp, baritone. She sighed as they moved further away from her, leaving together for an afternoon of fun no doubt.
Meilin moved away from the tree she had been standing by and headed towards the home she shared with Li. It had been a little over four years since they had returned to Reedington after the last of the Clow Cards had been captured. They had gone home to China for a while, but found it not to be the same it was when they first had lived there. There had been something missing. For Li it had been Sakura. For Meilin, it had been the fact that she was an outcast in China. The Rae's were notoriously known for their powerful magic that kept them tightly knitted. The young raven-haired girl had no magic and thus was alone even while at home.
Back in Japan, at least she knew others without magic. It had taken so serious commitment on her part, but finally the Chinese girl found herself being nice and even liking Sakura and Madison. She fully understood now that Sakura held Li's heart and she did not. It was not something she truly liked to think about, however.
Somewhere, deep in her soul, she held out hope that her love for Li would be reciprocated one day.
So far, though, she saw no sign of anything like that occurring. Even at the young age of sixteen, she could see the love he had for the one-time Clow Mistress. It was, unfortunately, painfully obvious. Unknown to anyone, Meilin's heart continued to break inside of her each time they grabbed hands, each time they smiled just for each other, and each time they kissed. She had become quite the actress since moving back to Japan.
Everyday she awoke with a smile that stayed on until she wept in her bed- alone. Each day it became harder and harder to wake up and Meilin knew she was beginning to make herself sick. She had already lost too much weight on her already small frame. Her skin had become paler, but nothing that she couldn't write off as not getting enough sun. She was wasting away, and no one noticed.
The young girl entered the home that was deathly silent. After much persuasion by Li and herself, they had convinced their families to let Wei go back home to China. Now, the two sixteen years old had their home all to themselves. Luckily, the Rae's and Showron's were wealthy enough that they paid for their children's home and other necessities. One day, though, when they were older, the two of them would gain control of the house, but for now, they were content.
Meilin threw her bag down and moved to her room. She laid on her bed and closed her eyes. Too tired and too depressed to do anything else. She was vaguely aware of the fact she had gone since yesterday morning without eating as she fell asleep.
~*~
The trio of angels watched the young girl as her breaths deepened. A large, but kind woman turned to the young two. "That poor dear's just killing herself."
A red-haired woman nodded and spoke with a accented voice. "Why is she doing it?"
Tess sadly sighed. "Love. Poor child is in love with someone that isn't in love with her." She shook her head. "Too young to have that kind of pain."
The other person, a young male, spoke up. "What does He want us to try and do?"
"Andrew, honey, you know as well as I do, that there is no try." The man smiled at Tess. "We're going to get her to see what this world has to offer."
The redhead spoke again. "And what about the young boy she's in love with?"
"Monica, I don't know much about males, but I think that boy's just not seeing what's in front of his face."
Andrew sighed. "I take it I'm supposed to bond with the kid."
Tess put a hand on his shoulder. "Of course."
The blond man rolled his eyes and Monica smiled. The older woman looked at the raven-haired girl and smiled slightly. "Well, children, let's get to work. He doesn't like to see such young ones suffer and it's time we fix this poor creature's heart."
The three figures faded leaving Meilin alone again.
~*~
Li smiled to himself as he walked down the streets towards his home. He had just dropped Sakura off at her house after spending the Sunday in the park with her. He must have lost his concentration because the next thing he knew he ran smack into someone. The two of them stumbled, but remained standing- Li turned and began to apologize.
"I'm terribly sorry, sir, I wasn't paying attention."
The blond haired man looked up and smiled. "It's quiet all right, son." He held out a hand. "Name's Andrew."
The young man took the offered hand, a bit curious as to why this man was being so friendly, but not questioning it. "Li." He offered and Andrew nodded.
"Hmm, you wouldn't happen to be a Showron, would you?"
Li nodded. "Yes, my family's back home in China."
Andrew nodded. "You looked just like a someone I knew there. I think his name was Talo or Tai or-"
"Tao?" The young man asked and the blond man nodded.
"That's it!" Andrew smiled. "Never very good with names." He confessed.
Li looked down at his watch. "I'm terribly sorry, but I've got to be going home." ~Meilin's probably worried~ he thought silently.
"Oh, sorry to keep you." Andrew held out his hand again and the young man shook it.
"Goodnight, Sir."
And with that, Li headed home.
~*~
Meilin woke with a start and nearly ran her head into Li's. "Geez! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
The young boy smiled at her. "Sorry, I was just checking on you."
She raised her eyebrows. "You do know that I can tuck my own self in, don't you?"
"Of course I do." He stood and left her room.
The young girl watched him go and felt the tears rise in her eyes. ~You're SO stupid! He comes in here, checking on you and you make an obnoxious remark~ She fell back against her pillow. ~Stupid, stupid girl~
Li went into the living room and quietly flipping on the TV. He wasn't certain why he went to check on Meilin- she was right- she was old enough to take care of herself, but something was bothering him. It was as if something was telling him to keep an eye on her- watch her- because something happened or was going to happen. He wasn't certain if he was just being paranoid, or if something really was going to take place.
Anyway that it went, Li knew better than to turn his back completely on a feeling. He had spent too much time honing his skills to let certain sensation go- he had been taught to trust himself and his feeling completely.
And he would continue to listen to the feelings until something sorted itself out.
~*~
The annoying beeping of the alarm, rolled Meilin over and she reached out with her arm until she felt contact with the 'off' button. She sighed, not looking forward to leaving the warmth of her bed, but knowing she had to. The young girl flipped off the covers and padded into the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, dressed and ready, she sat at the table with a very unappetizing piece of toast in front of her. Even the small morsel made her stomach churn so she pushed it aside and waited for Li. He came into the kitchen, also ready, and grabbed a glass of juice. The two Chinese students sat until they knew they had to leave and made their way out the door.
Though they were sixteen, the two still walked to school (as did many of their peers), but, now they always met up with Sakura and Madison. As if on cue, the two walked up and said their good mornings. Quickly, Sakura and Li grabbed hands as they did every day and Meilin and Madison got to talking about anything.
The walk ended at the entrance of their high school. The quartet entered and, after a trip to their lockers, went to their separate classes. Unlike they had through all of elementary school, the friends no longer had many classes together and only saw each other at lunch and fifth hour biology.
Meilin entered her math class and instantly noticed that lack of their regular teacher. A substitute, a young woman with red hair, stood at the front of the class writing her name on the board. The young girl took her normal seat and waited for the start of math.
The bell ran and the sub turned to her students. "Good day, class." Her voice had a slight accent to it, one that Meilin couldn't quite place, but it sounded almost...Scottish or Irish.
The calming, accented voice spoke again. "Your regular teacher is sick and won't be here for the next couple of days." A couple soft cheers went throughout the room. "I will be here until he comes back. My name is Miss Monica MacIvory. And yes," she answered the unasked. "I'm from Ireland."
Meilin instantly liked the teacher and class went by swifter than it ever had. The release bell rang and, as she packed up, Monica came up to the raven-haired girl.
"Meilin Rae, isn't it?"
The young girl nodded.
"I was wondering if you would mind coming after school to met with me. You see, I need on of the students to help me go over what you've already learn. I think that Mr. White might be gone for longer than a week."
The raven-haired girl thought over the offer and found no reason why not. "I'd be more than happy to help you, Miss MacIvory."
The redhead smiled a large and kind smile. "Thank you so much. I'll see you today then."
Meilin nodded again and left to her next class.
~*~
At the same time, in a class across campus, Li was meeting another sub. This substitute was quite a familiar face to the young boy. He sat in his class listening to Andrew, or rather Mr. Foley, as he talked about the history of the world. At the end of class, the substitute greeted Li.
"Well, what a coincidence. Li Showron, right?"
The young man nodded. He had a sudden flash back to the fifth grade and Miss Mackenzie. He wondered, idly, if Andrew was who he said to be. Deep down Li thought there was something...different about this man, but he couldn't place what. Dampening the feeling, but not forgetting about it, the young man talked briefly with Andrew before heading off to his next hour.
~*~
Lunch came and with it the quartet met up and sat together. Madison and Meilin faced Li and Sakura as they ate together. Although, she smiled at the appropriate times and laughed, to the observers they could see the emptiness and pain etched in her ruby eyes.
"Can't he see what this is doing to her?"
Andrew shrugged. "I'm not sure if he can't see or if he doesn't want to."
Monica sighed. "What about the other girl- Sakura Avalon. If she loves him how can we effect that?"
"Child," Monica and Andrew turned to see Tess standing behind them with a 'visitor' sticker attached to her shirt. "You know He would never want you to hurt one of His children. He knows that these young ones are not happy how they are and, in the end, everything will work itself out."
Monica put her hand on Tess's shoulder. "I never thought the He would want us to hurt Sakura, I was just curious about how she feels and what would happen to her."
She looked at the teenagers. "In time, things will become clearer." The older woman turned to the two angels. "How did today go?"
The redhead spoke first. "Meilin is coming after school today to help me with lesson plans." The younger woman sighed. "I never thought I'd have to do math again."
Andrew smiled. "At least you aren't teaching the history of the world. I swear some of these events were added just to confuse me."
Tess looked at the younger ones. "Now, now, it can't be that bad. Besides learning a little something is probably the easiest part."
~*~
Meilin knocked on the door and entered when told she could. She found Monica sitting at her desk with paper littered around her.
"Ah, hello, Meilin, thank you so much for offering to help me. I don't even know where to start!"
The young girl smiled at the substitute and put her bag in a desk. "Well, the last thing we learned was different triangle formulas."
A shuffle of different objects and Monica produced a stack of papers. "Ah, here's that lesson plan." She looked over it. "Do you know what he wanted to do next?"
Meilin thought for a moment and went to her bag getting out the math book. She began to shuffle through it, when Monica spoke again.
"I saw you at lunch today. Friendly group of friends you have there- they seem very nice." Meilin absently nodded. ~Well, Monica, it's now or never~ "And that young boy is quite cute."
With that the young girl's head jerked up and looked to the substitute. "Um...I...well...it's Li." Meilin finally settled for asking.
The redhead bit her lip. She always hated trying to bait people into talking, but obviously, this is what the raven-haired girl needed. "Is he with that little brown haired girl?" A nod answered. "Well, they make an okay couple."
Again, Meilin's head moved up from her math book, but not a fast this time. Always, she had heard of Li and Sakura as being the 'cutest couple', or being 'made for each other'- even from adults. Monica, however, didn't sound so assuring. "Yes, I guess they do make an okay couple."
~Now, we're getting somewhere~ The angel thought. "How do you know this Li?"
She answered while looking down into her math book. "We grew up together in China and moved here together. We're...friends." Meilin wondered if her voice dropped at the word 'friends' like it did in her head.
"I see." Monica flipped absently through some papers. "How come you two, if you're so close, aren't together?"
Meilin, if she thought a teacher asking such questions was odd, never let on, but answered. "He doesn't like me like that."
"Oh." Was the response. "Well, if you two don't like each other like that, I guess there's no point in getting together, is there?" Monica asked with a smile.
"Yeah...no point." Meilin mumbled into her math book hiding the tears that had formed in her eyes.
"Of course." The young teacher began. "I don't know much about young love, but sometimes I think that people care most for the ones they forget are there. Sometimes they don't see what's right in front of their eyes." Monica shrugged her shoulder as if she hadn't said anything of importance. "Well, why don't we get down to business." She smiled.
Meilin nodded her head, but couldn't shake Miss MacIvory's words. 'Sometimes they don't see what's right in front of their eyes' ~Could it be that Li, her one and only true love, would care for her and just not know it?~
~*~
The young raven-haired girl practically sprinted home after leaving school. Monica's words echoing in her head with each step. For the first time in, what felt like, forever, she had hope. If the substitute's words are true then...
And with that she threw open the door to her house and looked around for Li. She couldn't see him and slowly walked around the small home -finding nothing. In a last attempt she looked outside and saw him with Sakura sitting on the grass. They were leaning against each other while holding hands.
Meilin could see the door was open and held her breath to listen.
"...meant to be. I've never felt this way about anyone before." She listened as Li moved to look Sakura in the eyes. "I've wanted to say this for the longest time." Meilin watched him take a deep breath and could hear a soft whisper in her mind ~no, please, no~. She swallowed.
"I," He grabbed her hands, "love you, Sakura."
~NO~ Her mind now shouted. ~Nonono! This wasn't supposed to happen!~ The raven-haired girl watched Sakura's eyes fill with tears of joy and felt her soul shatter. The couple moved into a kiss and Meilin felt her heart stop.
This was what it was to be then. What Miss MacIvory said was wrong- what Meilin thought was wrong- Li didn't miss what was in front of his face.
He didn't want it.
The young girl moved away from the door and headed out the front door in a daze. ~This was it~ She pondered. ~This was the end~ She now knew, with the uttermost finality, that Li was Sakura's. The small glimmer of hope she use to hold on to faded and extinguished inside of her. With that small flame being killed, a piece of Meilin died as well.
~*~
It was well past dinner, by the time she returned, but she didn't care. Without a word to Li who sat on the couch, she moved to her room and locked the door. With movements, only possible because of the repetition she had done it with, the young girl got ready for bed and laid down to sleep.
"Are you okay?" She heard Li asked just outside her door.
~I'll never be okay~ the raven-haired girl thought, but answered, "Just tired." For a moment, he remained at her door, but then Meilin heard him shuffle away and she closed her eyes.
It was over. Everything she had hoped for, prayed for and wished for, was a joke. She was just a silly girl with hopeful dreams that were unrealistic. She was dreamer.
~Well~ She mused. ~I'm not a dreamer anymore~
Not now and not ever.
~*~
Li knocked on the door until it opened. Meilin stood on the other side looking, for all of the world, like crap. Her long hair was tasseled from sleep and dark circles stood out from under her eyes on her pale face.
"I'm not going to school." She informed before turning around and slipping back into her bed.
The young man entered her room. "What's wrong?"
"Don't feel good." She answered while pulling up covers.
"Oh." He watched he settle in. "Is there anything I can get you?"
The concern in his voice almost made her smile, but then she remembered. ~Stupid Meilin~ She shook her head. "No, I'm fine."
Li stood for a moment before nodding. "Okay. I'll stop by after school to see how you're doing."
The raven-haired girl opened her mouth to argue, but he'd already left. Closing her eyes, Meilin fell into a restless sleep.
~*~
Monica and Andrew watched from their same spot as they had done yesterday, only this time even more concern flooded their features. They, of course, noticed that lack of a certain raven-haired young girl at the lunch table where her friends sat. Not only that, but they saw Li and Sakura acting differently. Almost...closer. Both angels knew this wasn't a good sign- they had to move faster if they hoped to accomplish what He wanted.
~*~
Meilin woke up around one o'clock wondering what she could do. She was almost too tired to go back to sleep and wasn't hungry in the least. Sighing, she stood and took a quick shower. Once done, she donned a pair of white pants with a red shirt while throwing her hair into a ponytail. The young girl sighed again and headed out her door, unsure where she was going, but needing to get out.
The raven-haired girl had been walking for close to thirty minutes when she realized she hadn't the faintest idea where she was. Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time, Meilin turned around and began to walk back in the direction she came.
The young girl had made it a few steps when a wave of dizziness passed over her. She took a pause and took a deep breath to center herself before starting again. This time, when the vertigo hit, Meilin saw the earth come up to meet her as she passed out. With a defined crash, the raven-haired girl's head hit the pavement along with the rest of her.
Off to the side, a woman sadly shook her head and place a hand to her chest. "You poor thing- you're just killing yourself." Tess said to herself as she sat Meilin up and called the paramedics.
~*~
Li ran a hand over his face trying to get wake himself up some. When he had come home from school an officer was waiting for him with information about Meilin. Not two minutes later, he was inside a police car on his way to the hospital. Since getting into the sterile environment, the young man moved beside his raven-haired friend waiting for her to wake up. The doctors told him that she was dangerously malnutrition and dehydrated.
She would be fine, he was affirmed, now that they could get nutrients into her, but Li wasn't as worried about that. The young man was concerned with the idea that Meilin had, obviously, been starving herself. ~Why?~ He wondered. ~Would she do this?~ He leaned his neck against the back of the hospital chair- it was going to be a long night.
~*~
A blinding headache caused Meilin to shut her eyes quickly. She tried to reason why she felt so awful, but couldn't come up with any idea. She shifted in her bed, when she realized something. This wasn't her bed.
With a start, the young girl's consciousness came back to her like lightning. ~Where am I?~ Her eyes slowly focused and she saw white- lots and lots of white. ~A...hosiptal?!?~ She wondered how on earth, or why, she was inside a hosiptal.
And then she remembered.
She had been walking, and then she had been falling. With delicate movements, her hand reached up to a bandage on her forehead that accounted for the headache and confirmed the fact that she had passed out. The young girl relaxed a bit and laid back against the pillow behind her. The movement startled the person that she hadn't noticed next to her.
"Meilin?"
~Oh no!~ The raven-haired girl thought. "Li." She acknowledged.
The young man straightened himself in his chair and looked at his friend. He stared into her face, while she avoided his eyes. Meilin knew what was on his mind.
"What happened?"
The young girl shrugged. Well, she knew what happened, but couldn't tell Li. He wouldn't understand that she hadn't cared much about living for almost the last four years. She couldn't tell him that the reason she slowly was wasting away was because of him.
But somehow, whether because a supernatural power had it in for Meilin, or because they had been so close for so long, Li was struck with understanding.
"Oh, MeiMei." He said while grabbing one of her hands. She looked at him both in surprise and in question. "I didn't know. I'm so sorry."
She began to shake her head while tears rose in her eyes. "Not your fault. I'm just a silly girl." She gave a haunted smile. "Silly, silly Meilin, thinking that you could somehow love her."
The young man held her hand tighter. "I do love you, just...just..."
"Not like you love Sakura." She finished for him.
He nodded slowly, but something, deep in his heart, felt a small twinge of...doubt? He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts.
"You're special to me, Meilin, and I don't want to see you hurt yourself. Please, don't do this again, promise me you won't."
The raven-haired girl took a deep breath, but didn't answer.
"Please, promise me." His stare bored deep into her eyes and she found herself promising even without believing it.
"We can be the best of friends, Mei, even brother and sister. I hope you'll see that that is enough."
The young girl gave him a small smile. "It just might be."
He smiled at her and bent over giving her a peak on the cheek. "I have to call home to let them now what happened." Li smiled again and left the raven-haired girl.
The small smiled she had quickly left and she let the few tears in her eyes fall down her cheek. ~I'm sorry, Li, but that won't be enough~ She thought as she stared at the door he had just left.
~*~
Li had just hung up the phone when he caught sight of Mr. Foley with another female. They were standing by Meilin's room looking in.
"Um...hello?" The young man came up behind the two angels.
They both turned and the woman spoke. "Hello. I was wondering if I would be able to visit Meilin. I'm a teacher at your school and was concerned when I heard what happened." Finding no reason why she couldn't, Li let the redhead enter while he stood with Andrew.
"Quite a scare she gave you, I assume."
Li looked in at the raven-haired girl and nodded his head.
"Ever wonder what you'd do without her?"
So taken aback by the question, Li just stared at Andrew.
The blond man looked down at the younger man. "You know, sometimes people don't see what they have until it's too late."
Li looked back into Meilin's room and watched the young girl talk with Monica. She barely smiled at the teacher and, for the first time, the young man saw how...lifeless her eyes were. The ruby color use to sparkle with mischief, confidence, and humor. Now they were a dull red color.
"You know, sometimes I wonder why, we think somethings will be there forever and why we take such advantage of that. I guess the old saying 'you never know what you have until it gone' is fairly accurate. Well," he out his hand on Li's shoulder, "I better be going. Could you please tell Miss MacIvory I left?"
Li nodded, but never removed his eyes from the raven-haired girl just inside the room.
Andrew turned around and saw a friendly nurse give him a raised eyebrow. He smiled at Tess in the nurse's outfit and gave a small okay sign with his fingers.
Now that he planted the idea it was up to Li to let the idea grow.
~*~
Monica moved next to Meilin's bed and smiled at the young girl.
"If you didn't want to go to math class, you didn't have to do this." The raven-haired girl gave a short smile at the humor of her substitute.
"Sorry, guess I just didn't feel like learning about area formulas."
The redhead shrugged. "Well, me either." Another quick smiled gazed Meilin's face.
"Why did you come here?" She quickly back peddled to fix that statement. "I mean, not that I don't appreciate it, but I was just wondering.
Monica just smiled. "I heard that you had a bit of an...accident and wanted to make sure you were okay. What happened?"
The raven-haired girl's face reddened a bit. "I...um...passed out."
"Oh dear." The older woman placed a hand to her chest. "How did that happen?"
Meilin looked down at her hands. "I wasn't eating enough." She mumbled.
Monica sighed. "Oh, sweetie, why did you do that?"
The girl shrugged, but inside knew the answer.
Li.
It was because of Li.
The door opening stopped all conversation and Monica smiled at the nurse who just entered. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over." Tess gave the redhead a smile. "You can come back tomorrow about eleven."
The woman stood and said her good-byes to Meilin who countered them in her own kind way. The nurse turned back to the young girl in the bed. "There's a young man outside that wants to said goodnight. Shall I let him in?"
The young girl was tempted to say no, but thought better of it and allowed Li in. The young man said his goodnights, promising that he would visit her tomorrow and telling her to get a goodnight's sleep. He left and Tess turned back to her patient.
"Would you like something to drink?" A shake of the head answered the question. "Okay, then. I'll leave you for the night. Someone might be in later to check up on you." She moved to the door and turned off the light. "Sweet dream, honey."
"Thank you."
The door closed leaving Meilin alone in the room.
~*~
The next day, she was released after being told to watch what she ate and after Li promised he'd make certain Meilin would get everything she needed to bring back what weight she lost. The two Chinese students made it back to their home, when the raven-haired girl promptly went to her room.
Li didn't know what to do. The doctor's told him consoling might be a good idea for the semi-depressed girl, but he knew he couldn't make her go and wagered she wouldn't want to go. He thought about calling home and seeing what they could do to help, but figured they would want Meilin shipped back and that was *not* a good idea.
The young man moved into the kitchen and slowly began to prepare a meal for them, determined to keep up the doctor's order of getting her to eat everyday. He was waiting for his water to boil when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
It was Sakura asking him to meet her in the park.
Li looked at the water, but could hear the seriousness in his girlfriend's tone and agreed. He opened Meilin's door, and found the girl asleep on her bed. He left a quick note and explaining where he had gone.
~*~
Meilin heard the front door slam shut and opened her eyes. She knew where Li was going and who he was meeting. The raven-haired girl closed her eyes as an overwhelming sense of loneliness hit her.
This was going to be her life, she suddenly realized. Forever she would sit by herself as Li ran off with Sakura.
She also realized she didn't want this to be her life.
~*~
Li found Sakura sitting on a swing gently moving. He smiled as he approached her, but something inside him...changed. For almost four years every time he looked at the ex-Clow Mistress his heart moved a little faster and his face flushed. After he had asked her out, a little over a year ago, the same reaction still happened. Yet, suddenly, he looked at her and felt...nothing.
No beating heart, no blush creeping up his cheeks.
Nothing.
And it left him strangely unconcerned.
Sakura looked up at Li and smiled, but there was something missing in her smile he noticed.
"Um...Sakura...hello?"
The brown-haired girl returned the greeting, but still spoke. "I think we need to talk."
~*~
Meilin rose out of her bed and slowly made her way into the bathroom. Sobs were being pulled from her small body viscously, but she still moved a shaky hand to open the glass cabinet.
She didn't want this to be her life.
Ever.
~*~
"I think that...we're...well...I think we're too serious for being so young."
Li looked at Sakura. "What?" He asked gently.
"I...I like you Li...but I don't love you." She looked at him, her green eyes asking for understanding. "Please, don't be mad."
The young man took her hand. "I'm not mad."
She smiled. "I think Meilin will be happy to hear this."
~Meilin~ A feeling of cold dread crept up Li's spine. "I...I...have to go. I'll call you later?"
Sakura nodded in answer as Li turned and headed for home fearing the worst had happened. The young girl watched him go with a wistful smile on her face. She would always care for him, but something had told her this was what had to be done and, though slightly saddened to see him go, she knew things would work out for her and she would find the person that was perfect for her in time.
The ex-Clow Mistress suddenly wondered what Julian was doing today.
~*~
The raven-haired girl grabbed the pill bottle and began to struggle to get it open when a voice caught her attention.
"This isn't the answer, Meilin."
The young girl looked up and see Monica standing in front of her. Or at least she *thought* it was the substitute teacher she had.
This person stood with a soft white light surrounding her, illuminating the light pink outfit she wore. It was almost as if she was an...angel?
"Miss MacIvory?" The girl asked with a scratchy voice.
"My name is Monica and I am an angel."
~Okay, you've lost it~ Was all that the raven-haired girl was thinking.
The redhead moved a bit closer and continued to speak in her soft accented voice. "This isn't the way to end this, Meilin. He cares too much for you to see you kill yourself."
"He?" The young girl's voice rose in a hysterical tone. "Li doesn't love me like that."
Monica gently shook her head. "No him. Him." She accentuated the last bit and Meilin cocked her head to the side in question. "God, Meilin. He doesn't want to see any of His children suffer like you are. That's why I'm here. He wants you to be happy- He wants you to live again."
The young girl sniffed. "I...I...can't." She finally admitted.
The angel moved closer and put her hand under the young girl's chin making her eyes met hers. "Yes, you can. He has faith in you and I have faith in you. You don't want to end your life- you're too young."
"Meilin!!" The loud cry belonging to Li echoed in the house. Slowly Monica began to fad away.
"I think someone has something he wants to say to you." The angel smiled gently at Meilin before faded completely away.
The raven-haired girl stood motionless even when the young man flung open the door. He moved to her and touched her shoulder. The young girl jumped and turned to look at him. He took one look at her and pulled Meilin into a hug.
"I'm sorry. So, *so* sorry. I'm such a dope." The young girl's sobs broke through again as he gently stroked her back. "Please, can you forgive me?"
Meilin viscously nodded her head into his shoulder.
Li felt the raven-haired girl's knees buckle and lowered them both to the floor. He sat his back against the wall and held Meilin in his arms.
"I'm such an idiot, you know that." The girl shook her hand, but Li cut her off before she could disagree. "Yes, I am. I missed the best thing in my life because is was so obvious."
Meilin rolled slightly so she could look into the amber eyes she knew so well. "I missed you, MeiMei, because I was too dense to see you sitting right in front of me."
She wasn't sure what happened, but suddenly Li's mouth captured hers in a gentle kiss that ended with him looked down into her ruby eyes. More tears ran down her cheeks and she moved a hand to her mouth to cease the sobs.
He shifted her again so head her was right under his chin. "I'm a fool, but, if you want, I'd like to be your fool."
With a jerk, Meilin pushed away from him and sat on her bottom facing him, disbelief utterly evident on her face. "What?"
He leaned in closer. "I love you, Meilin, but was too caught up with a infatuation with Sakura to realize it. I liked her, but my heart's with you and somehow I always knew that, but never admitted it. I'm an idiot, and I hope it's not too late."
The raven-haired girl searched Li's eyes for any falsehoods, anything that would show her he was lying.
She found nothing.
"Oh, Li!" She fell into his arms. "I want you to be my idiot."
The young man laughed and hugged the small girl in his arms closer.
Just above them, but unknown to them, three figures smiled. "Well, that went well." Tess stated and Monica and Andrew nodded in agreement.
The three angels left the two Chinese teens together knowing things would be just fine between them and that they had accomplished their mission.
THE END
~*~
Please no FLAMES, but REVIEWS would be GREAT!!