DISCLAIMER: I don't own ccs so don't sue me.
a/n: another one-shot. Don't forget to leave a review at the end! :)
The telephone was ringing. Meiling wondered whether or not she should bother picking it up. Seven years had passed since Syaoran had went to Japan again. From all the evidence Tomoyo sent her, Meiling had concluded that Syaoran's relationship with Sakura was going wonderfully.
In those seven years, she had found Tangliou a boyfriend. Tangliou had once had a crush on Syaoran. When he left, she had been severely disappointed and heart sore, but she hid it well. She seemed to love her boyfriend. Which was a good thing. Meiling herself had gone through several boyfriends. She had just broken up with her last one and was sick of getting his calls. Besides, she was in the middle of a good book.
Unfortunately, the phone kept ringing. Finally, Meiling, completely fed up, picked up the phone and yelled into it, "Listen you, I don't want to get your phone calls any more so stop fricking calling me!"
"Umm...wha-?" was the baffled voice on the other end.
"You aren't Bao-Wei are you?" Meiling asked apologetically.
"Puh-leze, Meiling. How can you not recognize your own cousin's voice?"
"Syaoran?"
"Who else would it be?" They both laughed. "Hey, Meiling, I'd ask you who Bao-Wei is, but I'm feeling rather self-centered right now. I'll go beat him up for you when I get home."
"You're coming home?" Meiling asked.
"Yeah." There was a pause. "With Sakura."
Meiling nearly fell over. "You're getting married right? The correct answer is yes," she said breathlessly.
Syaoran laughed. "Yeah. I am. Actually, I'm already married." They chatted for a while. He told her what had happened, what him mother wanted, when they were coming home, and who from Japan was going. What Tomoyo had already made and was having shipped to Hong Kong. Just what was happening in general in Hong Kong.
Then Meiling remembered. "What about Tangliou?"
Syaoran stopped. "Sakura wants to meet her."
"But will she want to meet Sakura?"
"Exactally," he responded solemnly.
There was a long silence on both their parts. "Maybe I could just surprise her the day you come back," Meiling suggested.
"Or you could talk to her about it, Meiling."
"But, Syaoran, if I do, she'll never consent to meeting you again. Even though she does have a boyfriend. I think they're pretty serious."
"See? Then it doesn't matter. You should ask her if she wants to see me or Sakura."
"You just said it doesn't matter. I'll do it my way."
"Then Tangliou should be afraid," Syaoran joked.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tangliou had managed to forget Li Syaoran. For the most part. Meiling had set Tangliou up with an old boyfriend of hers, Wu Kahn, and he and Tangliou had taken to each other immediately. Tangliou didn't want to fall in love, but she did. Kahn was an absolute sweetheart. In the beginning, he once told her, he could sense that she didn't want to get involved with anyone, so he stayed a friend for a long, long time. But then she felt herself more and more drawn to him, which was how their friendship turned into love.
So when Meiling called, inviting her to dinner, Tangliou didn't even think about Li Syaoran. Meiling showed up in a cab. "Hop in!" she yelled, watching as Tangliou kissed Kahn good-bye.
"So, where're we going?" she asked Meiling.
"Back to my home."
"You mean this is a family dinner?" Tangliou felt awful. She had not wanted to impose on a family affair.
"Don't worry. There's going to be a few other people there, if I understand correctly."
"What's the occasion?"
"Erm..." Meiling was not sure whether or not to tell her friend the truth still.
"Never mind then. Tell me, has Bao-wei stopped bothering you?" Tangliou asked changing the subject.
Thrity minutes later, they two women stepped out of the taxi. Meiling held Tangliou back for a moment. "I think everyone there will be able to speak Cantonese. I think. I'm not sure. Don't be surprised if they can't though," she warned.
Tangliou raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell me who I'm going to meet in there?"
"Just go in."
Meiling rang the doorbell and heard high pitched voices yelling and the sound of people racing to get the door. "Meiling, Tangliou!" one of Syaoran's sisters cried. "You two are late."
"It's not the end of the world. Besides, I'm sure you all were busy entertaining your guests," Meilng answered.
"Our guests? They're hardly our guests. They're Syaoran's."
Tangliou's heart skipped a beat. She frowned a little. Why? She was in love with Kahn. Before she could answer her own question though, she was swept into the living room where Syaoran, two women and and other man were sitting. The same living room she had first befriended Syaoran in.
"Meiling, Tangliou," Syaoran stood up to greet them. "I'm so glad you could come. Let me introduce you."
That's when Tangliou found out that the two girls were Sakura and Tomoyo and the guy was Eriol. Sakura and Tomoyo both knew Cantonese, but spoke with accents. Eriol could speak Cantonese fluently and flawlessly.
Meiling, Sakura, and Tomoyo apparantly couldn't restrain themselves any longer; they jumped up and all started talking to each other at once. In fast Japanese.
"Are they normally like this?" Tangliou asked no one in particular.
"No," answered Eriol.
Tangliou focused her attention on him to keep from watching Syaoran. "So where are you all staying?"
"A hotel. It's nice place on the water," he answered. "Syaoran's told us all so much about you. And Sakura has always wanted to meet you."
"Really?" she asked a little surprised. She had not expected Syaoran to talk about his former life to his Japanese friends. "So, umm...are you related to Sakura?"
Syaoran looked uncomfortable for a few seconds. "Tomoyo is Sakura's second cousin and best friend," Eriol answered, keeping the whole magic issue out of the picture, much to Syaoran's relief. "He thinks I have no tact," Eriol added, refering to Syaoran.
"I'm sure he's wrong," Tangliou agreed smiling sweetly at Syaoran.
"Hey, Tangliou," Syaoran tapped her shoulder. "So who's this Wu Kahn guy Meiling told me about?"
She blushed. "My boyfriend."
Syaoran grinned. "If he ever hurts you..."
"He'll go and beat him up," Eriol finished for him.
"That's my line."
"Too bad."
The room became eerily quiet as the three other girls stopped talking.
"Tangliou, I've wanted to meet you for a long time," Sakura walked over to Tangliou. "I really hope we can be good friends."
Tangliou looked at Sakura. She seemed to sweet and innocent. Just by looking at her, Tangliou understood why Syaoran loved her. "I'm sure we will," she replied smiling.
"So, Syaoran and I got married a month ago, but his family wasn't able to make it, so his mother suggested we have a traditional wedding. Here, in Hong Kong," Sakura went on.
"I've never been to a traditional wedding before," Tangliou said.
"I don't even know what's involved," she shrugged, "my dad and brother can't come either, but that's why Tomoyo and Eriol are here."
"Is Tomoyo going to tape everything? And make the clothes?"
"How did you know?" Tomoyo interjected.
"Syaoran told me about you all, I feel like I know you already."
"Syaoran talks about here a lot too," Sakura smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"My best friend came back from Japan today," Tangliou told Kahn that night over dinner.
"Is that what Meiling took you away for?" he teased.
"Yeah. To say hi. He got married." She picked at her food.
Wu Kahn put down his chopsticks. "Is there something else? You look kind of depressed."
Tangliou looked up. She thought she was keeping her feelings to herself rather admirably, but Kahn always saw through her masks. "Not really."
"Lair," he accused. "Tell me. What's the matter."
She sighed. "Really, I'm fine."
Kahn scrutinized his girlfriend carefully. She was definately keeping something from him, but what? "Let's elope," he suddenly suggested, in a ploy to surprise the secret out of her.
Tangliou looked at him like he was crazy. "You're wierd. I can't tell whether you're joking or serious."
"Do you want to to be serious?"
"You want to know what's going on in my head don't you? More specifically, what I'm thinking about my dear friend getting married."
Kahn was gracious enough to look guilty.
"They got married in Japan, but his mother couldn't make it, so they're having a traditional wedding here."
"Exciting. That's kind of confusing though."
"Their whole family is confusing. You might have noticed."
"I did."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura and Tangliou got to know each other better over the next few weeks. Kahn meet Sakura and Syaoran a few times when he picked her up. "Aren't they cute together?" he asked.
"That's what Sakura said about you and me the other day."
"We aren't married though."
"Is that what you want?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Syaoran," Sakura muttered in her sleep.
Syaoran was still awake, sitting up in bed. His thoughts refused to let him sleep. He put his hand on his wife's head. Sometimes, he still couldn't believe that he was actually married. It seemed like just yesterday he was trying to confess his feelings to her.
When he first got back to Hong Kong, he was nervous that Tangliou wouldn't be able to get along with Sakura, but they seemed to adore each other. Tangliou also seemed to really adore Wu Kahn. He needed to thank Wu Kahn one of these days. Syaoran chuckled to himself. Indeed, things were going just the way Sakura had insisted they would, "everything will turn out alright, Syaoran. For sure, for always, everything will be alright in the end."
While Syaoran was immersed in his thoughts, Sakura had woken up. She threw her pillow at him. "Why aren't you asleep yet?" she asked humorously.
"I couldn't sleep."
"Why not?" she propped herself up on an elbow.
"There's too many thoughts running around in my head."
Sakura looked at Syaoran and without warning, kissed him. "What were you thinking of just then?"
"Nothing," he said surprised.
"Hold onto that and go to sleep."
"I don't think that'll work."
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" she teased, "we're already married you know."
"I'm not worried about tomorrow." Syaoran slid under the covers and wrapped his arms around his wife.
"Then what are you thinking about?" Sakura persisted, forgetting how tired she was.
"What do you think of Tangliou?" he seemed to avoid her question.
"I like her. She's so nice. I'm glad you made friends with her."
"That's good. I was afraid she wouldn't be nice to you."
"What? Why?"
"Because she used to like me. I was afraid she might not have forgotten, but she's fine with Wu Kahn isn't she?"
"I think so," she replied, her sleepyness returning now that she had satiated her curiosity.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tangliou watched without watching and heard without hearing. Everything was so red. But red was a good, lucky color. Kahn sat next to her, holding her hand. "Bow to the sky," she heard the man presiding over the marraige said.
Sakura had looked positively adorable in the traditional dress Tomoyo had made for her. It was red and white and yellow. There were little phoenixes embroidered on the hem. Syaoran too, was looking astoundingly handsome. He didn't wear all red. In fact, he was wearing something of an earthy-green color, more brown than green. Most of the green was from the dragons sewn onto his outfit. The big red sash that went over a shoulder and around his waist and ended in a huge bow, made him seem like a christmas present. For Sakura.
"Bow to the earth."
They bowed again. One more and they would be husband and wife according to the ceremony. Tangliou wondered what it felt like to be Sakura then, her head and face covered from vew by a thich red cloth. She couldn't see through it, so Tomoyo guided her friend into position each time.
Sakura was lucky to have Syaoran, and Tomoyo, and Eriol. Just like Tangliou was lucky to have Kahn.
"Bow to eachother."
There wouldn't be firecrackers afterwards, just a large dinner. They'd all have plenty of fun. And then tomorrow Tomoyo and Eriol would fly back to Japan. Syaoran and Sakura would stay here in Hong Kong. Tangliou squeezed Wu Kahn's hand and smiled to herself.
Once upon a time, she would have wondered how everything would be in the end. Once upon a time, Chen Tangliou would have doubted the future. Once upon a time, she would have been so jealous of Sakura and Syaoran. But nevermore. Now, the end was good. Now the future was bright. Now she had someone, just like Sakura did.
A huge cheer burst foarth from the crowd. Syaoran had lifted the red cloth from Sakura's face. That, Tangliou saw. Her smile grew even wider. Like the way Sakura's face had been revealed, she felt like she could almost see what the future was going to bring. As Sakura had once said to her, "zettai daijoubu - everything will be alright."
