The woman watched silently as the young boy dragged his heavy bag to the front of the steps before knocking on the door. She had been anticipating his arrival since a few days ago when she had first received his letter, and there he was now!
"I'm back," he mumbled, brushing some loose strands of dark brown hair back from his eyes behind his ear. His tone didn't sound very pleasant, she noted with a frown as she motioned the servant to take away his luggage. His amber eyes lacked the spirit that she had seen in him when he had came back for the holidays earlier.
Raising an eyebrow, she watched as he slumped down on the armchair, staring straight forward as he bit his lip. Something was not right, she could tell. Something was amiss, making him different from he used to be.
"Did you have a good flight, Syaoran-kun?" she questioned with a tinge of anxiety and authority in her voice. Her eyes gazed at him sharply as he squirmed uncomfortably, trying to escape her piercing brown eyes. "And how was Tomoeda?"
"Haihai, kaasan. My flight was all right. About Tomoeda"
His voice trailed off, leaving him staring mutely at his hands as he tried to avoid her eyes. She smiled slightly. Sot his restlessness was caused by his departure from Tomoeda. She had already warned him, however. When he didn't return after the Clow cards had been sealed and the final judgment, she could already tell that something was keeping him in Tomoeda.
"Yes? I asked you a question, Syaoran. How was Tomoeda?" she spoke the slightest tinge of annoyance in her cool, calm voice. "Answer me, Syaoran. And look up. Looking at your hands won't help you any."
He bit his lip, as if asking why she was forcing him to do such a thing. "It wasenjoyable, kaasan. I managed to meet the reincarnated version of Clow Reed, Eriol-kun and Fujitaka-san."
He was hiding something, that was for sure. She had never seen him so nervous before over the subject of Tomoeda until lately. She had recently noticed that he would always try to avoid the subject of discussing Japan in his letters as much as possible. Now that he was here, she could ask him all she wanted.
"What about the others? What about your friends?" she inquired in a dangerously low and calm voice. "I'm sure that you don't always see Eriol-kun there. What about Tomoyo-chan and Sakura-chan?"
The boy inhaled sharply, as if he had been shot as he looked away. "Tomoyo-chan still likes to take her video camera around to tape Sakura-chan. Where as Sakura-chan"
His words broke off and he shook his head, unable to speak any more. She smiled satisfactorily, knowing the cause of his unrest. It had something to do with that new owner of the Clow cards, Sakura Kinomoto. She should have known.
"What about Sakura-chan, Li-kun? How is she faring in Japan?"
Biting his lip harder, he laughed nervously, knowing that he could never escape his mother especially when she was persistent about something. "Eriol-kun helped her change all the Clow cards into Sakura cards already," he croaked, looking away. "She has converted all the original 42 Clow cards into Sakura cards."
She nodded, forcing him to meet her eyes once more. This time, her voice was angry as she spoke, questioning him about the item that she heard from Meilin, his cousin. "According to Meilin, you've broken off your engagement. Why wasn't I informed about this?"
Perspiration had already began to bead his forehead as he fiddled with some invisible piece of lint on his jacket. He should have known that she would ask him about this, she reflected angrily. Why didn't he tell her about this?
"KaasanI don't think Meilin-chan is compatible with me. It's not good for me to trouble for her, so" he looked down, picking at his jacket.
She sighed, knowing that she would never get anything out of him. Her son, the only heir of the entire Li clan, was a very quiet boy that would seldom express his own feelings unless he felt a need to. Besides, he wasn't the type that was easily persuaded.
"You must be tired after you journey, Syaoran-kun," she spoke, her voice reverting to its normal tone. "Go upstairs and rest. There's going to be a meeting among the elders of the clan later, and I want you to be present. Understand?"
"Hai, kaasan," he mumbled, standing up before trudging lifelessly up the stairs. He had changed a lot since the last time she had seen him, she thought with a wry smile.
Besides, she had suspected from his last visit, that he did harbour some secret feelings for the new Sakura cards mistress. He had been extremely friendly to her- a value that he seldom showed to anyone except Meilin.
She smiled to herself as she closed her eyes. She didn't mind having that Sakura being her daughter-in-law; it could help breed a new influx of power that was slowly diminishing in the family. Besides, she was the daughter of Clow Reed's reincarnation, making her one of the most powerful people ever.
Shaking her head, she watched as he disappeared up the stairs before she stood up. Syaoran would never admit his feelings towards Sakura, but she knew that her thoughts were true. They belonged together.
As fate would have it, they were destined to be together.
