Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Here it is! So you can all stop with the death threats! HA!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Li grabbed Melin's hand and began to run, dragging her behind him.

"Syaoran! Come back here!"

He could hear his mother yelling for him.

"Li, slow down!" Melin yelled.

"Why don't you just hurry up?"

She didn't answer him, but picked up the pace as they ran through the crowded airport.

When they finally emerged at the entrance in the pouring rain, Li skidded to a halt.

He looked both ways.

"Now what? What's your plan?!"

Li spotted someone finally.

"Hey!" he went running towards a man and woman pulling suitcases out of their forest green colored Mazda.

"What do you want kid?" the guy squinted at him through the heavy rain.

"We need to use your car, it's an emergency!"

"Oh no, no way!"

"Please!? It's a matter of life and death!"

"I seriously doubt that!"

A bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a ferocious crack of thunder, causing Melin to let out a yelp and jump.

"Look, would I be begging you if it weren't?" he grabbed the man's arm.

"Get lost kid. We're going to be late for our plane."

"Fine. Give me the keys."

"What?" the man looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Give me the keys. I'll bring it back, I promise!"

"George, maybe we should-"the woman commented for once.

"No Louise, I'm not giving my car up for some delinquent!"

"PLEASE SIR! It's very important!" Melin was almost in tears.

"George!" the woman yelled at her husband. "If they don't bring it back we can report it stolen! Just them have the keys!"

"But I-" she gave him the look. "Fine! But if you don't bring it back, just remember I'll find you wherever you are!" Li had jumped into the car, dragging Melin with him before he even finished yelling. He jammed the key into the ignition and floored the gas pedal.

"Li?" Melin said after a minute of driving.

"Yes?"

"Can you drop me off? It's on the way."

"MELIN!"

"PLEASE?! You're not the only person who matters around here you know!"

"Oh you sure are one to talk!" He looked over at his cousin, who looked back with tears forming in her eyes. He started to feel guilty.

"Fine. Where is it?"

"125 West street." She sneezed.

When he located 125 West Street, Li felt his jaw drop involuntarily.

"Him? You're in love with HIM?!"

"Just stop the car."

He did as she said, and Melin got out again into the freezing cold autumn rain.

"Go get Sakura back! Good luck!" she yelled, and waved as she ran towards the house.

Li shook his head and put the car into gear, then drove at an inhuman speed towards the most important person in his life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sakura, how do you even know he isn't gone yet? It's already past eight thirty," Madison said in a soft voice.

"He can't be gone. Besides, those flights are almost never on time anyways," she looked anxiously out the window, "Besides, they'd never get off the ground in this storm."

"I just don't think you should get your hopes up. Li loves you, and any idiot would see that, but he also loves his family, which also any idiot could see, or else he wouldn't choose them over you."

"What are you trying to say Madison?"

"I'm saying that it's not fair to him that he's being made to choose between you and the five women he's grown up with, loved, and been raised by his whole life."

"Are you trying to say that it's my fault? I'm not going there to try and take him away from them. I'm going because I love him and I want to say goodbye one last time before he walks out of my life forever."

"Oh Sakura-Chan," Madison sighed, "I'm not saying it's you're fault. I just don't want you to be disappointed. You're my best friend and I hate to see you upset."

"Thanks Madison," she hugged her friend tightly, "But he hasn't left yet."

Madison sighed. "Sakura, you're too hopeful."

"I know Madison, but if I don't have hope, what do I have?"

"Hmmmm."

The ride was silent for a minute, then Madison suddenly exploded, "Dudley, can't this thing go any faster?!"

"I apologize, Miss Daidoji, but this is a stretch limousine on a rain-slicked highway. If I go any faster we may end up in an accident."

"Oh can it Duddles! Do you realize that this is Kinomoto Sakura, the daughter of my mother's best friend, and my best friend? If she's not happy, neither of us are happy, and for you, that means a pay cut, so floor it!"

When they pulled up at the entrance of the airport five minutes later, they ran inside (getting re-soaked along the way) in search of the Li clan, or any trace of them.

A check of the video screens that list arrival and departure times showed that flight 927 to Hong Kong was indeed delayed, but it would only be that way for three more minutes.

"Madison, I have to find him!" Sakura yelled.

"Relax Sakura! We can do this!"

"I can't feel him! When he's near I can feel his aura, but I can't feel it!"

"It'll be okay! Look, we still have plenty of time, just get a hold of yourself! We know where he should be, so let's go!"

"O…Okay!" they took off running in the direction a sign sating 'Terminal three' in huge green letters pointed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm sorry miss, but I can't let you past this point."

"You have got to be joking!" Sakura yelled at the plump flight attendant at the entrance gate.

"No, this is no joke, now please step out of the way ladies. The plane is finished boarding"

"But you don't understand! I have to talk to someone, it's very important!"

"I'm sure it is, but that's why Bell invented the telephone, so don't make me call security!"

"Please!" Sakura pleaded one last time, her voice cracking.

"I'm sorry. Please step away from the boarding area." The woman clipped an ugly velvet barrier in place.

Sakura still stood there in disbelief.

"Sakura. It's too late. You have to give up. Come on." Madison took hold of her friend's arm and led her away slowly. She looked back once at the flight attendant, and someone listening very closely would have heard Madison telling the woman she'd be going to hell for what she just did.

"The last time I talked to him I was yelling."

The tears were starting to well up.

"I didn't even get to kiss him goodbye!"

"It's okay Sakura, it'll be alright." Madison put an arm around her childhood friend.

"You'd better sit down. You're shaking."

She led Sakura to a row of chairs and sat down with her. The only other people there were an old man, muttering dejectedly to his wife, and a janitor mopping up all the rainwater and mud people had tracked in.

"Madison, I'm so stupid!" she put her head in her hands.

"Sakura, you're not stupid, you're in love."

"Yes I am I'm the most stupid twit in Japan! I couldn't look past my feelings and listen to what he was saying and now it's too late! I never should have been mad at him because it wasn't his fault. Oh Madison I want to die." She ended in a whisper.

"NANI?!" Madison screamed, and then more quietly, "Sakura don't say that!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Li jogged up the front steps to Sakura's house and rang the doorbell, relieved that there was no possibility that Tory would answer the door.

After Li was left standing in the rain for a minute without anyone opening the door a little black eye peaked through the curtain, just barely visible. The door creaked open.

"Get to the airport brat! Sakura went after you! What are you doing here?!" Kero screamed.

"She went after me?! Oh no." slowly a grin spread across his face and he began to laugh.

"You know I really don't see what's so funny about this." Kero raised an eyebrow.

(Does he even have eyebrows??)

Li snatched the little critter out of the air.

"Come with me."

He didn't even give Kero a chance to protest before he was in the car again driving away.

~*~*~*~*~

"Sakura we should leave. There's no point in staying any longer."

"I know," her voice was weak, "I just don't feel like moving. Ever again. You can leave if you want. I'll call a cab." She stared blankly out the window.

"What kind of friend would I be if I did that? I'm staying with you, but we should really be leaving soon."

"Thanks Madison," She whispered.

~*~*~*~

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!!" Kero screamed for the fifteenth time, as Li pulled up to the curb at the airport, or, more or less, onto it. He pulled off before the owner turned around to see it.

"Getting back to Sakura as fast as I can."

He jumped out and tossed the keys to the guy.

"THANKS!!!!" He yelled, before running into the airport.

"See? I told you it would be ok." The man's wife boasted.

"Yeah sure, we let some boy we don't know take our car for a life or death situation, and he comes back with a stuffed animal."

Li ran as fast as he could, but didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

"GOD I hate airports...."

He pulled one of his newly made Li cards out of his pocket.

"Take me near her, but out of sight, Transport card!"

He was enveloped into a green ribbon like magic before he could think to make sure no one was looking. Honestly, he didn't care.

He appeared near the front desk to his furtherly-delayed flight, and caught a glimpse of Sakura's back, shaking from her sobs. His heart was torn in two at the sight, and he knew what he had to do.

"What the heck was that?" Kero whispered, slowly catching on to Li's idea.

"One of my new cards. Now quiet, I'm busy."

He got behind the stewardess, and held her neck, whispering into her ear. A second later he ran into the plane.

The stewardess ran up to Sakura.

"I believe there has been a...mistake. You can go into the plane, but you have to go before it takes off."

Sakura eyes widened, and she jumped up and hugged the stewardess.

"THANKYOU!" She screamed, and ran into the connecting tunnel, not even slowing down for Tomoyo.

She ran straight into first class, and skidded to a stop in front of Li's mother, who looked at her as if she was a disease.

"Where's Syaoran?!?!" Sakura asked franticly.

"That's Li to you, and I'm not sure...."

Sakura's mouth hung open, as her last bit of hope floated away, and she dropped to the floor, tears streaming down her face.

Where is he, then?

She brought her knees to her face, and sobbed, which if you think about it is a very uncomfortable position on an airplane.

She vaguely heard Tomoyo screaming desperately to Li-san.

She barely heard everyone else on the plane screaming things like 'What's going on', and, 'Who is that poor girl', and, 'Who was that crazy boy', but she could even process the meaning of that into her brain.

All she could hear now was her mind, screaming out, 'Syaoran, come back...please… come back...'

Even her thoughts were crying, and she felt like her entire being would die.Why...Why didn't I listen? Why did I let him go? WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!

"Attention Passengers,"

She heard a familiar voice, and though all the others had been blocked from her mind, she couldn't hold this one back...

"The Plane has again been delayed,"

Her mind screamed to not be ignored

I know that voice...

"Due to,"

It couldn't be.... could it?

"Love."

IT IS!

She looked up, and there in the aisle, with kero hovering proudly over his left shoulder, stood Li Syaoran, holding the intercom stretched from the control desk. He smiled warmly at Sakura.

Her eyes widened. Her body took control, and she jumped up, running as fast as she could to him. She jumped into his arms, knocking him down, and kissed him more passionately than she ever thought possible. Kero looked over at Tomoyo and made a gagging face right into her camera, which was professionally aimed at Sakura and Syaoran, making out in the middle of the isle.

Sakura pulled away, breathing hard.

"Don't EVER leave me again."

"I promise, there is NO way anyone can take me away."

Sakura looked at him, fear still in her eyes. Syaoran smiled, knowing that she was thinking of his past promise.

"They'd have to kill me first, my love." He whispered into her ear.

Sakura's eyes fluttered close at his breath on her face. She fell back into him, melting into his embrace.

Li-san finally rose from her seat after struggling with her seatbelt furiously, and her gaze softened.

"My son and niece have finally found their true places."

"Nani?!" All four of Li's sisters screamed.

"I thought-" his oldest sister began, but never finished because her jaw was hanging open too far.

Li and Sakura finally finished and turned to listen to the stately beauty that was his mother.

"Syaoran this was your final test as well as Melins. Any fool could see that you don't love her. We had to find a way to make her see that so she could get on with her own life. She wouldn't hear of it, so that's why we sent her after you. So she could learn herself."

"And what was my test? To see how much of her I could take before I went insane?!"

"No. The Li clan elders have conflicts of opinion. Some think you should still be married, and others…" she trailed off.

"Well? What is it?"

"We came to an agreement barely a year ago. If you could find the one you would do anything for, cherish, and love more than anything in this world or the next, more than honor, more than blood (Li cringed at the memory that he'd just pretty much disowned his entire family), you are no longer honor-bound to marry Melin."

"But, after all that you put me through…choosing between…and then…" He trailed off.

"I feel awful for all that you've been put through, but the elders felt that if you succeeded it would make you a stronger leader. I never had any doubt of what your final choice would be, and the two of you have my blessing."

Sakura gasped as she bowed to them.

"So…I don't…have to go?" He finally got all the words out.

"No. Stay as long as you wish." She beamed at the two of them.

Li and Sakura looked at each other. Sakura smiled encouragingly, and Li hugged his family goodbye before sweeping her off the ground and carrying her off the plane to the applause of the all the passengers in first class, who up till then had been silent and hanging on every word, and the happy cries of his sisters, and a man yelling from second class asking 'what the hell was the big hold up?!'

But neither Sakura nor Syaoran noticed.

Neither cared.

They were with each other again, now and forever.

And that was all that mattered.

~*Author's Note*~

Finally! Ok, I know I said it was coming out about three weeks ago, but I couldn't get the ending right. I still can't get it right so I'm posting this as the ending, and I'll write the epilogue later (Is that even what it's called? Oh well.) It's already half finished. Now I'd like to apologize because half way through this story I started calling Tomoyo Madison without even realizing it (silly me ^_^) Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and those who beg me constantly to continue. You guys rock!

In other news, Near and/or Far is coming to a close soon. I've pretty much given up on International Survivor. I think I've just lost interest, but I may start writing more again if anyone reviews it and asks me. And NOW for a big announcement;

Zachary and the Book of Rhan is my new fic that I'll be paying the most attention to now. It'll probably end up as long as this one, or longer. For those of you who haven't already read my first chapter, Zachary finds a new book of cards that are a lot more unusual than the Clow cards. A new guardian beast comes into the story (Don't worry, he doesn't replace Kero) as well as a new Second who helps Zachary like Li helps Sakura (coming in the next chapter) Hopefully it's as successful as this fic was^_~

If you have anime or Harry Potter fan fiction or art, or original poetry and stories, I'd love to post it on my site, which is also a major project at the moment.

http://thespatulatree.homestead.com/spatulatree.html

Check ya later!

~Lila

aka: The Author formerly known as Annie