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Fatherly Advice
The final Chapter
#13
By Shirono

For reader referance, Xiao Lang is the Chinese version of the name Syaoran.

"I don't think, " said Sakura, stepping into back seat of Eriol's van "That she planned on coming at all."
"I suspected as much, Sakura-san," he replied.
"But...why?" asked Syaoran, sitting next to his wife.
Yukito and Touya climbed in the back. "Yeah, they were girlfriends, right?"
Tomoyo got in the front seat next to Eriol. "I'll bet she wasn't ready."
"Yeah." said Sakura.
"Ready?" asked Syaoran.
Eriol started the car.
Sakura smiled at Syaoran. "Yeah. She new her girlfriend died, but, she didn't see the point in going to mourn some more."

Yukito agreed. "And I have a feeling she's getting over it right now with someone elses help."
"Who?" asked Sakura, in the dark once again.
"Who was that last person you saw her with?"
"Li-kun." Sakura replied distantly.
"The park, right Yukito?" asked Eriol, at a stoplight.
"Yeah," he said.
Eriol turned into the park parking lot.
They all hurried out of the car.

~
Ihyou had run away from Nadeshiko and Li. She sat at the base of a tree, holding her head, holding back tears.
Yue never got what she wanted....
She put her face in her hands and sobbed. She never imagined that Li would be taken away from her.
Then there was a tap on her shoulder.
She looked up at a smiling, black-haired chinese boy.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice thickly accented.
"Uh...yeah..." she said, studying him.
His black hair was medium length, and very clean and trim. He was wearing a stich up moss green shirt and black pants to match the stitching.
"But you're crying."
He had to be Li-kun's age, she thought.
"NO, I'm fine, just a little, dissapointed."
He sat down next to her. "Mind if I sit with you?"
She smiled.
Li-kun used to ask her that when she was sad.
"Whats your name?" she asked.
"Xiao-lang. Xiao-lang Li the second."
She gasped. 'Syaoran?'
"Funny, " he said," I'm named after a guy who isn't even my dad."

~

"Excuse me?"
Nadeshiko looked up.
"Y...yes?" she stared up into the dark eyes of a young woman, about her mothers age, with long....loooong black hair in buns. She looked Chinese.
"Are you related to a Kinomoto?"
Li stood up, "Meling-san!?"
She grinned, "Keroberos?"
She then turned to Nadeshiko "I am an old friend of Sakura Kinomotos. You must be related, right?"
Nadeshiko nodded.

Talk about timing.
"NADESHIKO!!!" Sakura yelled, running up to her daughter.
She hugged her mother, and the rest of them came trailing behind.
Syaoran stopped short.
"MEILINNNGGGG!????"
Meiling stood up and smiled. "Syaoran. Long time no see. You're mother says "hi" and "whenthehellyougonnacomeback?" "
Syaoran laughed nervously.
Sakura looked up. "It's YOU, Meilin! WAI!" Sakura hugged Meiling.
Meiling looked at Nadeshiko.
"Is this you'r daughter, Sakura?"
"Yeah." she said, taking Syaoran's hand.
"Ooooo..." she said, "Li-kun is a daaaaaddy!"
Syaoran continued to laugh nervously.
"And what about you, Meiling?" asked Tomoyo, "Have you any young ones of your own?"
She sighed.
"Yeah, um..." she turned.
"....Xiao-kun*!?!?!? Where did you go?"
*pron: SHOW-kun*

~
Syaoran II looked up from the conversation he was having with Ihyou.
"Ne, I think my mother is calling me. Come with me. I'm lonly."
Ihyou nodded and let Syaoran II help her up. They ran tword the direction of the lady's voice.

They ran over to where there was quite the mass of people, along with his mother.
Ihyou went over to her father and tugged on his shirt. "Papa, meet Syaoran Li the second, " she cooed, pointing to her new companion.
He bowed."Ooooo, " cooed Meilin, "You've met my son already, have you?"
She blushed and nodded.
"He's named WHAT?" asked Syaoran Li the first.
"Well..." said Meilin, tittering, "yeah, he has your name. And, since, well, we have the SAME last name, I...uh...just marked him off as the second, cause, well, you're the first."
Syaoran II walked over to Syaoran I and bowed, then shook his hand.
"I'm so pleased ot meet such a great warrior, Mr. Xiao Lang Li. Mother told me lots of great stories about you."
Syaoran turned to MeiLing. "Great stories, heh?" he said.
She giggled."Yeahhhhh...."

Nadeshiko and Li had already left the rest of the group and was sitting on a pair of swings off in the distance as the others talked. Ihyou and Syaoran 2 were sitting up in the branches of a cherry tree, as he told her about China.

Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meiling were sitting on a blanket that they took from Eriol's car under a differant tree, giggling about thier husbands. Meiling didn't have one, actually, but never got married to Syaoran's father.

Eriol and Yukito had gone off to have tea somewhere.

Syaoran was sitting on a grassy hill with Touya. It overlooked the playground and a little lake, on which the sun was setting.
Syaoran sighed.
"Touya-kun?" he finally said.
"What is it?"

"I wanted to tell you...that...I..."
He stopped and looked down at the grass , rehearsing the lines in his head.
"I love you. And...I wanted to thank you...for...."
Touya looked intently at him.
"for being...the closest thing to a father....that I...ever had..."
He trailed off, and looked down at his feet.
Touya suddenly put his arm around Syaoran's shoulder.
"Hey, Syaoran..." tears were forming in his eyes, "Its....I....thanks..."
Syaoran smiled at Touya. "I'm glad."
Touya smiled back. "You know, you've been a great son."
Syaoran laughed, hugging Touya suddenly.
"The best fatherly advice, " he said through tears, "is the advice that you dont even have to tell. The advice that a father never gave me, but left me, to learn from someone like you."

Finally. All ends met. All conflicts resolved. All secrets revealed.
Fathers made.

Enjoy.
-Shirono