MysticalDreamer: here it is, chapter three! it explains some stuff..but
doesn't give away too much of the lot..which i might add I just finished
the whole idea and pieced it all together... this chapter is also a little
less...violent...o^_^o..just a little bit..anyway, enough of my rambling..
Disclaimer: If I owned CCS, I wouldn't have let the stupid dubbers do what they did to it!! Bad dubbers, bad!
chapter three~ A Key to the Past(part 2)
Meiling clutched Saiya in her arms and closed her eyes. Falling wasn't so bad..until she hit the water. "Soon.." she said, knowing that the water was close as the sound of it was getting louder and louder as they went further down.
Meiling tried her best to cover Saiya completely. When they hit the water, she had to make sure Saiya was ok and could breathe-somewhat.
Then they hit it. The two hit the water with a very loud smack and went under. Holding Saiya with one arm, Meiling swam as fast as she could upwards. In a matter of seconds, her head broke through to the surface and took a deep breath.
The rushing water began to push them along with the current. Meiling could barely hear anything above the water and its rushing. She frantically looked to see which side of the river would be closer and easier for her to swim too. The left bank, although at least ten-fifteen feet away from her, was closer than the right bank. Not to mention the right bank was the cliff.
Meiling fought hard against the current. She swam will all her strength towards the shore. On her back too, because she didn't want Saiya to go under.
"Ten feet.." said Meiling.
She kicked her feet harder and harder and reached her body's limit. She couldn't paddle any faster or any stronger. Then she broke beyond her physical capabilities and swam towards the shore. Nothing would stop her now.
"Five..feet.."
The current picked up speed and pushed her further from the bank. Meiling ignored what had just happened and continued heading towards the shore.
"Not much further..."
Meiling gave one final huge strong kick and paddle and her hand touched the ground. The current continued pushing her. She took Saiya out of the water and layed her on the ground. Now she could use two hands and pull herself up. But she was too weak and the current was too strong.
Meiling looked up at Saiya. "Saiya..I did my best to save you.." she said. "I'm so sorry..I hope..someone will find you.." she said.
And she let go. She expected to be pushed down the river but she did not move. She opened her eyes and saw Saiya laying there, staring at Meiling with bright, green eyes.
Saiya would not let Meiling die.
Meiling saw what the little child was doing and mustered every last bit of her strength. She put her hands on the bank and pulled. She got herself out of the water as far as her waist and layed down.
"Saiya..you trully are powerful.." said Meiling. She gave herself a final pull, got up to her knees and passed out.
~*~*~*~
Xingyo was getting impatient. Surely his men had managed to kill that girl and the infant? How hard could it be?
"Sir!" cried a man.
Xingyo looked up. "Well?" he demanded. "What happened?"
"As we were pursuing them, they ran along the cliff." said the man. "The woman jumped off with the infant in her grasp." he said. "There is no way they could have survived a fall that big and then get out of the rushing current of the waters down below."
"Excellent." said Xingyo.
"No.." said Syaoran. "Meiling..Saiya.." he said, he closed his eyes.
"You bastard!" screamed Sakura. "You filthy, disgusting, horrible bastard!" she cried, tears pouring down her face.
Xingyo grinned. "Thank you." he said.
Syaoran spat in his face. "You treacherous beast." he said.
Xingyo grinned again. "I have succeeded." he said. He snapped and Sakura and Syaoran fell to the ground and his men tied them up instantly.
"I have the Clow." he said. "I have the Leader of the Li Clan and his lovely wife." he grinned a pure evil evil. "And there is no heir." he began to laugh maniacally again.
His men walked/forced Sakura and Syaoran to stand up and walk out of the room. Xingyo halted them as Sakura passed him.
"Come to think of it..you are a very beautiful person." he said. "Syaoran is very lucky to have you..but I can easily change that."
Syaoran was fuming.
Sakura spit at him. "Go to hell." she said. Syaoran had never seen Sakura like this before. But then again..he couldn't blame her.
Xingyo glared. "Take them to the main prison we have made." he said. "Top security. The Clow will go there as well. Show the Li Clan their leader and his wife in chains."
Sakura and Syaoran walked out. They walked down the hall and saw all the damage done. They had lost. The Shen Clan won...they had the Clow, they even had the entire Li Clan under their control..and Saiya was dead.
They walked out of the house and saw all of the Li Clan. All were in chains and being guarded by men with swords and spears, even magic. When they saw the two walk out, all hope was gone. The Li Clan had been defeated and now evil, or the Shens, would rule.
~*~*~*~
Meiling woke up to a crying sound. She looked around and saw Saiya still in the same spot, crying her heart out. Her feet her numb and still in the water. She pulled them out and took off her shoes. They wouldn't dry quickly and it wouldn't help to warm her feet.
She crawled over to Saiya and picked her up. "Shh..." she said softly. "Its ok Saiya. We're fine." she said.
But they weren't. They had no where to go, they were drenched and neither had shoes. She didn't dare head back to the battle..she had no idea what was going on.
Meiling took off the large kimono she had wrapped around Saiya and found that underneath, she was sorta dry. Apparently, the kimono was a thick one.
She looked at what was wrapped around Saiya and nearly cried. It was Sakura's sleeve. Meiling didn't even know if Saiya would ever see her mother again. This sleeve was the only thing of her mother's that she owned.
Saiya had now stopped crying and was looking at Meiling with those bright green eyes. Meiling hugged her. "Poor Saiya..you poor thing.." she said.
She put Saiya in one arm and stood up, balancing herself on a tree. She needed to find someone who could help. She knew there was a town nearby. Maybe someone there could help..unless the Shen Clan took them over already.
Meiling walked through the woods. The sun was up now and she could vaguely hear the sounds of a lot of people.
"That has to be the village.." she said and walked a little faster.
After about a half an hour of slow walking, she reached the edge of the forrest and saw the village. It was full of life and happiness, which meant that the Shens hadn't taken it over yet.
Meiling broke out of the forrest and into the town. She walked around with no destination, looking. She didn't know what she was looking for but she still walked around.
"Poor thing.." she heard a man say.
Meiling looked at herself. She was soaked from head to toe, not to mention she had cuts and bruises from running and the jump and the river and, well, everything else. She had no shoes on her feet and she had a baby in her hands, who was also wet.
She heard more comments from the towns people but she ignored them. She knew what she looked like, she didn't need people to tell her.
She passed a man selling stuff on his cart and stopped. She didn't realize how hungry she was..and if she was hungrey, Saiya must be starving.
"How much for some milk?" asked Meiling, pulling out some coins.
"Milk?" asked the man. "Well I do got some of that stuff..its warm though.."
"Thats fine." said Meiling. "Its not for me, its for my cousin.." she said, looking down at Saiya. "She hasn't eaten in a while."
The man nodded. He reached below and pulled out a carton of milk. "Just take it." he said. "You look like you've been through hell." he handed it to her.
Meiling took the milk. "Thank you so much." she said.
"Oh yeah.. didya hear?" asked the man as Meiling gave the milk to Saiya.
"Hear what?" she asked.
"Rumor is there was a big battle over at the Li Mansion." he said. If Meiling had any of the milk in her mouth, it would have spit right back out. "Against some Clan from nothern China. And the Lis LOST." he said. "Can you believe it?"
Meiling continued feeding Saiya. "Wow.." was all she could think to say. "Thanks for the milk but I should get going..." she said and started to walk away.
"Take care!" shouted the man.
Meiling turned the corner and took a deep breath. It was getting around. There would be people who recognized Meiling or even Saiya and if the Shen Clan found out they were alive..she didn't even want to think about it.
She was thinking about where she could go when she ran into someone and nearly fell. The other person fell to the ground though.
"Ohmigod. I am so sorry." said the woman on the ground.
"My fault." said Meiling, helping her to her feet. She looked at her face. "Tomoyo?" she asked, eyes widening.
"Meiling!" said Tomoyo.
"Shh!" said Meiling. "Quiet." she said.
"You look so bad.." said Tomoyo.
"I know." said Meiling. "I need to get out of here." she said. "I'm sure you heard everything thats been going on." she said.
"Yeah." said Tomoyo. "Thats why Sakura told me to stay in the town until I went back home." she said. "Wait a minute.." she said, spotting the bundle in Meiling's hands. "Is that.."
Meiling nodded. Then she started to cry all over again. "Please Tomoyo..get me outta here." she said.
Tomoyo put her arm around Meiling and hugged her shoulders. "Where?" she asked.
"Anywhere." said Meiling. "Just out of Hong Kong.." she said.
Tomoyo nodded. "Follow me. We can go back to Japan. My mom's plane is still here. At her company's headquarter's in Hong Kong. It will leave whenever I wanted to go home." she explained and lead Meiling in that direction. "Tell me..is the battle over?"
Meiling nodded. "I fear that Saiya and I are the only ones for escaped with our lives." she said. "I'll explain everything..later." she said.
Tomoyo nodded and they headed for the plane.
~*~*~*~
Xingyo was quite compfortable on his new thrown. "Now, instead of the Lis being the main family of China and Hong Kong..it is the Shens.." he said. He took a sip of his wine.
"Sir!" said one of his men.
Xingyo turned and faced him. "Ahh." he grinned.
Sakura and the Clow were there.
"Now now Miss Li.." said Xingyo, jumping off his chair. "I have already tried to open this book but it appears that I cannot." he explained. "It must mean that only a descendant of Clow Reed can open it..either that or there's a spell on it that cannot be broken."
Sakura narrowed her eyes.
"Not talking, eh?" said Xingyo, pacing. "Well..I can always..force you to talk." he said. "After all, I have the Clow..your husband is in maximum security and, oh right! Your one and only daughter is dead." he grinned menicingly.
Sakura turned her head.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Sakura." he said. He walked over and grabbed her face. He forced her to look at him. "Tell me." he said.
Sakura closed her eyes.
"Bitch!" shouted Xingyo. "You will tell me now the secret to opening the Clow Book!" he yelled in her face.
Sakura opened her eyes and spit in his face. He jumped away and Sakura laughed at him. He glared at her.
"Fool." said Xingyo. "You will be tortured." he said. "I will open this book and you will tell me how."
Sakura just looked at him with a look of disgust and boredom.
Xingyo's eyebrow twitched. "Take this filthy woman away." he said.
His men pushed Sakura, who's hands were tied, and headed for the door. Xingyo went back to his seat.
Sakura then stopped and looked at him.
"You speak?" he asked. "Are you going to tell me how to open the Clow?"
"Go to hell and burn."
Xingyo scowled as his men lead Sakura out, and she was hysterically laughing.
~*~*~*~
Tomoyo's plane arrived in Kyoto, Japan some hours later. She had to shake Meiling awake. She, Tomoyo, was holding her goddaughter in her hands to let Meiling get her strength back. "Meiling?" she said softly. "Wake up. We're here." she said.
Meiling yawned. "We are? So soon?" she asked. She rubbed her eyes.
"Yeah.." replied Tomoyo. "We're in Japan but..now what?" she asked. They started to get off the plane.
Meiling looked up at the sky on the stairs down off the plane. "Away." she said. "I think I have a good idea as to what is supposed to happen. Why Saiya and I lived this whole ordeal." she explained. Tomoyo cocked her head. Meiling laughed.
"Lets just stay in Kyoto for a while." she said. "We can lie low and I'll use a different name for now." said Meiling, reaching the ground.
"Oh Meiling." said Tomoyo.
"No Tomoyo." she replied. "You have no idea what hell I've been through. Lets just go find a quiet place to stay and relax for a while.
Tomoyo nodded. "My mom owns a shrine somewhere. She doesn't go live there. She owns it for tax reasons or something." she said.
"Perfect." said Meiling. "How far is it?"
"Well we can't walk yet." said Tomoyo. "We take a train from here and then a cab and then walk." she said.
"Fine." said Meiling, taking Saiya from her friend. "Saiya.." she whispered.
"Meiling." said Tomoyo. "I know you went through hell to escape but trust me." she said. "I want to help and do everything I can. You did your best and saved two lives. Your own and Saiya's." she said soothingly. "Lets just get to the shrine now, ok?"
Meiling nodded. "Ok."
They took a train, then the cab and walked. The stairs were very long and it took a lot of time to reach the top. When they did, Meiling gasped.
"This..place?" she asked.
The shrine itself was gorgeous. The roof was a dark blue with gold trimmings and the walls were a lighter, but still dark, shade of blue with gold trimmings. Parts of the statues were golden and the area around it was huge.
"Its called the..umm hang on," said Tomoyo, thinking. "Oh yeah! Its called the Yuramoki Shrine and it has everything every other shrine does. Even indoor plumbing." she explained.
Meiling was in awe. "This is so..beautiful." she said.
"Well, how long do you think we'll be staying here?" asked Tomoyo, heading for the main shrine.
"A while." said Meiling. "Until the Shen Clan is positive that we did not survive." she said. "And never call me Meiling in public again. Only when we're alone or inside the shrine. Call me.. Ai Cho. Simple and ordinary." she said.
"Ok..Ai Cho." replied Tomoyo, opening the door to the shrine. They went inside.
It was a cute little hallway, small, that had one door leading deeper inside. Tomoyo opened it and they went into the main room. It had furniture but it was old style from around the Feudal Era of Japan. They explored the rest and Meiling found a room to claim as her own. She fell asleep, her little cousin at her side.
~*~*~*~
Sakura was thrown into the jail cell and landed on the ground, skimming her chin on the floor and scraping it.
"Sakura!" said Syaroan, jumping off the cot and kneeling by her side.
"I'm fine." said Sakura, sitting up. "Can you untie my hands?" she asked.
Syaoran nodded and began to undo the not. "You'd think that in this modern age they would just give you normal handcuffs." grinned Syaoran.
Sakura couldn't bring herself to smile, as much as she wanted to. "The Clow won't open." she said. "It seems the spell I put on it wasn't broken."
"You mean.." asked Syaoran.
Sakura nodded. "Only the heir will be able to open the book." she said.
"So.."
"It will never be opened again." replied Sakura. "The Clow and its magic are locked away forever." she said. Her hands now freed, she stood up and walked over to a cot. She sat on it. "Xingyo said he would find out how to open it no matter what." she said. "By any means necessary."
"He said that?" asked Syaoran, sitting next to her.
Sakura nodded. "No matter what he does to us, we can't tell him how it can be opened." she said. "Otherwise he will send out every last person to look for Saiya, if there is the slimmest chance that she is alive."
Syaoran looked hesitant. "What if.." he started.
"Let them kill me." said Sakura. "We've lost so much, I do not want to lose the Book of Clow to that crazy, arrogant, ruthless, horrible bastard." she said.
"I feel the same way." said Syaoran. "Better us die and the secret to opening the Book die than to have him own the Clow Book." he said. He put his arm around Sakura's shoulders.
Sakura sighed. "I still can't believe.." she started, tears coming to her eyes.
"You know something, Sakura?" asked Syaoran, squeezing her shoulders. "I don't think Saiya is trully dead." he explained.
Sakura looked at him. "What?" she asked. "They fell off a cliff and-"
"A cliff, I might add, that Meiling knew about and jumped off willingly." said Syaoran. "Meiling knows the area well. She is strong and an excellant swimmer. I would trust her with my life, as well as my own daughter's." he said soothingly.
"You think they survived?"
"If anyone could, it would be Meiling." said Syaoran. "I don't think Saiya could have been in safer hands, except perhaps our own." he said.
Sakura looked at him and grinned a small smile. "I hope you're right." she said. "If they did live.. then what?"
"I'm sure Meiling knows what she must do." said Syaoran. "I don't think the Shen Clan will be in power forever."
Sakura leaned closer to her husband. "Neither do I." she whispered.
~*~*~*~
Lets skip ahead a couple of years, shall we? About, hmm... six?
A young brunette girl ran along the edge of the forrest, wearing a kimono of sorts, but a fighter one, not the fancy kind. Around her waist was a small dagger, which to her standards, the size of a sword. She chased after a butterfly and giggled.
"Saiya!" called Tomoyo, standing on the deck/porch of the shrine. She was wearing normal blue jeans and a dark blue tee shirt.
"Auntie Tomoyo!" squealed the little girl and she ran towards her.
Tomoyo grinned. "Time for lunch." she said, giving Saiya a sandwich which she grabbed. "You know I'm not your aunt." she said, sitting down on the steps.
"I know!" grinned the six year old. "But its sounds better than just Tomoyo!" she said, taking a bite of it. "Where is Auntie Meiling?"
"She's not your aunt either but she's around." replied Tomoyo, grinning. "Probably training." she said.
"I learned how to do a perfect cartwheel!" squealed Saiya, shoving her food into Tomoyo's hands. She ran barefoot onto the stone walkway and did the perfect cartwheel. "See?" she asked.
Tomoyo smiled. "That was abosolutely fantastic!" she said.
Saiya ran back over and took the sandwich again. "Now I gotta work on my flips and stuff." she said. "I can almost do a good flip. Its still kinda lopsided though." she said.
Tomoyo smiled as Saiya finished her sandwich and ran off into the woods again.
"Here she is, six years old and can already do half the stuff Sakura could when she was ten." she said aloud. "By the time she's twelve, she'll be able to take down Meiling."
"Talking about me?"
Tomoyo looked up and saw Meiling hanging upside down from the roof, her long hair tied in a ponytail and flopped over her head.
"Hello." said Tomoyo as Meiling flipped down and sat next to her.
"Saiya's...amazing, isn't she?" asked Meiling.
Tomoyo nodded. "Exactly what I was thinking." she said.
Then Saiya came running out of the woods with her little dagger and was spinning it around. She ran unusually fast for a little girl.
Lets skip another, four years? o^_^o
Saiya, now ten and with long brown hair and those bright green eyes, had a sword of her own. Meiling had snuck back to the Li Mansion a year ago and brought back the Sword of the Li Clan, the sword that had onced belonged to Clow Reed himself. And now it belonged to Saiya Li.
She sparred with Meiling, who had taught herself to swordfight for the purpose of Saiya's training, and was winnning.
"Ha!" said Saiya, knocking Meiling's sword out of her hand.
Meiling grinned and flipped in the air and grabbed her sword. "Never laugh in a battle." she said, and jumped back towards her cousin. Saiya blocked it.
"I think not, Auntie Meiling." she grinned and swung her sword around and flipped clear over Meiling's head. She put her sword near her cousin's back and grinned. "Drop the sword, my cousin." she said.
Meiling smiled and her sword clattered on the ground. "You're too good." she said, feeling the sword give some distance between itself and her back. She heard Saiya put it back in her sheath.
"I know." she replied.
Meiling stretched. "Before you know it, you'll be ready." she said.
Saiya's grin vanished and her eyes were now full of hate. "I will be ready." she said. "Xingyo Shen..for what you did." she said angrily.
"Saiya..." said Meiling warningly.
"I will kill you." said Saiya. "I will bring down your empire. I will get back the Clow. I will get back my parents. I will get back it all." she said, eyes narrowing.
And these words, were coming from a little ten year old girl. Meiling hated to see what words would be uttered when she was older.
Meiling sighed. "Saiya..You're anger will get the better of you one day." she said, walking back towards the shrine where Tomoyo had dinner getting ready.
"My anger will help me defeat the Shens and their pathetic leader." said Saiya as she crossed her arms and followed her cousin.
Meiling shook her head. "I'll race you." she grinned and took off.
"Cheater!" screamed Saiya. "You got a headstart!" she said, running after her.
Saiya picked up speed and caught up with Meiling. She turned and her eyes got wide. Saiya flashed a grin that reminded her of Syaoran.
"You.." she said.
"What?" asked Saiya. "Embarassed that a ten year old girl is faster than you?" she said and passed her.
Meiling stopped and stood there, dumbfounded as Saiya kept running and disappeared from sight. She was so young...and so strong.
Now she knew why Xingyo wanted her dead. She trully was the most powerful person in the Li Clan.
Meiling started running again and reached the shrine within minutes. Saiya was sitting on the ground, staring at the clouds in the sky looking bored.
"Its about time!" said Saiya, jumping up and walking over to Meiling. "I thought you woulda been faster than that!" she said.
"I am." replied Meiling, heading for the shrine. "Its just I stopped for a moment." she said. She continued walking, Saiya followed.
Then Meiling turned around and bent over a little to become eye level with Saiya, who stopped in her tracks and stared at her.
"Remember I told you how Xingyo wanted you dead?" said Meiling, putting her hands on Saiya's shoulders. She nodded.
"He came to the Li Mansion and tried to kill me." replied Saiya. "I know the story, as much as I hate to hear it."
"Well he said he wanted you dead because you were the most powerful person in the Li Clan." said Meiling.
"I KNOW!" said Saiya, perhaps a little too angrily. "You've told me the story so many times, I know!" she said.
"I know for a fact now," said Meiling, looking deep into Saiya's emerald eyes. "That you ARE the most powerful person in the Li Clan. You are more powerful than both Sakura and Syaoran were at your age." she said. "You're faster than me, and I'm over twenty years old!" she stood up straight. "Xingyo forsaw your power and wanted to stop it before it became too great. We all knew you were strong, and now we see it with out own eyes."
Saiya stared at Meiling. She listened to everything she said and it hit the mark. "So everything is my fault, is that what you're saying?" she asked.
"No!" said Meiling. She looked at Saiya and saw her eyes tearing. She went up and hugged her tightly. "Its not your fault! Don't ever say that!" she said.
Saiya pushed away. "But, my-my power. Its what caused him to search for-for me and try and k-kill me." she said. She sniffed.
"Wait a minute.." grinned Meiling. "Is this the powerful warrior, Saiya Li?" she asked, looking at her. "Crying?"
Saiya grinned. "Sorry.." she said. "Its just that, I never knew my parents and when the subject of them comes up, I just lose all emotions except for hate and sorrow." she said, staring at Meiling with those bright green eyes.
"And thats understandble." said Meiling. "Just remember, ok?"
Saiya nodded. "Ok." she said.
Tomoyo opened the door to the shrine. "Come on guys! Dinner's been ready for a few minutes now! Come on!" she called and beckoned them inside.
"Yeah! Food!" shouted Saiya and she ran inside.
"Be right in." replied Meiling. Saiya and Tomoyo disappeared inside and Meiling stared at the sky.
"Not only does she have imense power, but she is wise beyond her years." she said. She took one last look at the moon that was starting to show, and went inside.
And we skip ahead another three years...
Saiya, now thirteen, sent the rock flying into the side of the cliff near the waterfall. Meiling, who was standing nearby, clapped approvingly.
"Excellant!" said Meiling. "You know how to use your magic." she said.
"That felt great!" said Saiya, flexing her shoulders. "I can't wait until I start to use more powerful techniques! Then I can really do stuff!" she said.
"Saiya!" laughed Meiling. "You treat this as if it was for fun!"
"Thats how I like to think of it." said Saiya, sending another rock into the cliff and shattering it. "Sometimes anyway. It makes me feel happy and carefree as if I was just training to prove a classmate I was stronger than him or her." she said, grinning.
"Think of it as you want to, Saiya," said Meiling. "But you know that its not going to be fun and games forever." she said.
"I know, I know." replied Saiya, looking at the waterfall and causing the water to split in two different directions.
"You know, I wish I had magic like you do." said Meiling. "Watching your parents capture all the cards, then transform them, then fight off all the evils that came their way. Watching them grow closer." she grinned.
"Oh Meiling." said Saiya, losing concentration as the waterfall went back into one stream of water.
"I knew from when I first saw them together that they were meant to be." said Meiling, grinning. "Although I was just a little younger than you, I was jealous. But I've grown out of it!" she said cheerfully. "After a while, it got fun to watch those awkward moments between your parents! Tomoyo and I had so much fun taping them."
"You taped them?" asked Saiya.
"Yeah." replied Meiling. "I think Tomoyo still has them at her old house."
"I'd like to watch them one day." said Saiya.
"Me too." said Meiling. "Me too."
Last skip~ now, its the present..eh, sort of. Three years later..
"Saiya?" asked Meiling, dressed in black sitting in the tree. "Are you ready?" she asked.
Saiya, now sixteen and wearing the dark blue kimono and anssemble(A/N: the stuff that she has on in chapter one) stood up on the branch and clutched the handle on her sword. "I am ready." she said. "I have waited for this moment my entire life." she said.
Meiling nodded. "It now begins."
Saiya also nodded, then jumped out of the tree.
MD: you kind of get the point of the end of this, right? This is what happened right before chapter one, before Saiya went in the castle place. let me know what you think, ok? please? I need just one review to continue!!
And thanks to the reviewers for the last chapter, Blayde and EcuaGirl, who both supplied me with Syaoran's sisters' names! Arigato!
Disclaimer: If I owned CCS, I wouldn't have let the stupid dubbers do what they did to it!! Bad dubbers, bad!
chapter three~ A Key to the Past(part 2)
Meiling clutched Saiya in her arms and closed her eyes. Falling wasn't so bad..until she hit the water. "Soon.." she said, knowing that the water was close as the sound of it was getting louder and louder as they went further down.
Meiling tried her best to cover Saiya completely. When they hit the water, she had to make sure Saiya was ok and could breathe-somewhat.
Then they hit it. The two hit the water with a very loud smack and went under. Holding Saiya with one arm, Meiling swam as fast as she could upwards. In a matter of seconds, her head broke through to the surface and took a deep breath.
The rushing water began to push them along with the current. Meiling could barely hear anything above the water and its rushing. She frantically looked to see which side of the river would be closer and easier for her to swim too. The left bank, although at least ten-fifteen feet away from her, was closer than the right bank. Not to mention the right bank was the cliff.
Meiling fought hard against the current. She swam will all her strength towards the shore. On her back too, because she didn't want Saiya to go under.
"Ten feet.." said Meiling.
She kicked her feet harder and harder and reached her body's limit. She couldn't paddle any faster or any stronger. Then she broke beyond her physical capabilities and swam towards the shore. Nothing would stop her now.
"Five..feet.."
The current picked up speed and pushed her further from the bank. Meiling ignored what had just happened and continued heading towards the shore.
"Not much further..."
Meiling gave one final huge strong kick and paddle and her hand touched the ground. The current continued pushing her. She took Saiya out of the water and layed her on the ground. Now she could use two hands and pull herself up. But she was too weak and the current was too strong.
Meiling looked up at Saiya. "Saiya..I did my best to save you.." she said. "I'm so sorry..I hope..someone will find you.." she said.
And she let go. She expected to be pushed down the river but she did not move. She opened her eyes and saw Saiya laying there, staring at Meiling with bright, green eyes.
Saiya would not let Meiling die.
Meiling saw what the little child was doing and mustered every last bit of her strength. She put her hands on the bank and pulled. She got herself out of the water as far as her waist and layed down.
"Saiya..you trully are powerful.." said Meiling. She gave herself a final pull, got up to her knees and passed out.
~*~*~*~
Xingyo was getting impatient. Surely his men had managed to kill that girl and the infant? How hard could it be?
"Sir!" cried a man.
Xingyo looked up. "Well?" he demanded. "What happened?"
"As we were pursuing them, they ran along the cliff." said the man. "The woman jumped off with the infant in her grasp." he said. "There is no way they could have survived a fall that big and then get out of the rushing current of the waters down below."
"Excellent." said Xingyo.
"No.." said Syaoran. "Meiling..Saiya.." he said, he closed his eyes.
"You bastard!" screamed Sakura. "You filthy, disgusting, horrible bastard!" she cried, tears pouring down her face.
Xingyo grinned. "Thank you." he said.
Syaoran spat in his face. "You treacherous beast." he said.
Xingyo grinned again. "I have succeeded." he said. He snapped and Sakura and Syaoran fell to the ground and his men tied them up instantly.
"I have the Clow." he said. "I have the Leader of the Li Clan and his lovely wife." he grinned a pure evil evil. "And there is no heir." he began to laugh maniacally again.
His men walked/forced Sakura and Syaoran to stand up and walk out of the room. Xingyo halted them as Sakura passed him.
"Come to think of it..you are a very beautiful person." he said. "Syaoran is very lucky to have you..but I can easily change that."
Syaoran was fuming.
Sakura spit at him. "Go to hell." she said. Syaoran had never seen Sakura like this before. But then again..he couldn't blame her.
Xingyo glared. "Take them to the main prison we have made." he said. "Top security. The Clow will go there as well. Show the Li Clan their leader and his wife in chains."
Sakura and Syaoran walked out. They walked down the hall and saw all the damage done. They had lost. The Shen Clan won...they had the Clow, they even had the entire Li Clan under their control..and Saiya was dead.
They walked out of the house and saw all of the Li Clan. All were in chains and being guarded by men with swords and spears, even magic. When they saw the two walk out, all hope was gone. The Li Clan had been defeated and now evil, or the Shens, would rule.
~*~*~*~
Meiling woke up to a crying sound. She looked around and saw Saiya still in the same spot, crying her heart out. Her feet her numb and still in the water. She pulled them out and took off her shoes. They wouldn't dry quickly and it wouldn't help to warm her feet.
She crawled over to Saiya and picked her up. "Shh..." she said softly. "Its ok Saiya. We're fine." she said.
But they weren't. They had no where to go, they were drenched and neither had shoes. She didn't dare head back to the battle..she had no idea what was going on.
Meiling took off the large kimono she had wrapped around Saiya and found that underneath, she was sorta dry. Apparently, the kimono was a thick one.
She looked at what was wrapped around Saiya and nearly cried. It was Sakura's sleeve. Meiling didn't even know if Saiya would ever see her mother again. This sleeve was the only thing of her mother's that she owned.
Saiya had now stopped crying and was looking at Meiling with those bright green eyes. Meiling hugged her. "Poor Saiya..you poor thing.." she said.
She put Saiya in one arm and stood up, balancing herself on a tree. She needed to find someone who could help. She knew there was a town nearby. Maybe someone there could help..unless the Shen Clan took them over already.
Meiling walked through the woods. The sun was up now and she could vaguely hear the sounds of a lot of people.
"That has to be the village.." she said and walked a little faster.
After about a half an hour of slow walking, she reached the edge of the forrest and saw the village. It was full of life and happiness, which meant that the Shens hadn't taken it over yet.
Meiling broke out of the forrest and into the town. She walked around with no destination, looking. She didn't know what she was looking for but she still walked around.
"Poor thing.." she heard a man say.
Meiling looked at herself. She was soaked from head to toe, not to mention she had cuts and bruises from running and the jump and the river and, well, everything else. She had no shoes on her feet and she had a baby in her hands, who was also wet.
She heard more comments from the towns people but she ignored them. She knew what she looked like, she didn't need people to tell her.
She passed a man selling stuff on his cart and stopped. She didn't realize how hungry she was..and if she was hungrey, Saiya must be starving.
"How much for some milk?" asked Meiling, pulling out some coins.
"Milk?" asked the man. "Well I do got some of that stuff..its warm though.."
"Thats fine." said Meiling. "Its not for me, its for my cousin.." she said, looking down at Saiya. "She hasn't eaten in a while."
The man nodded. He reached below and pulled out a carton of milk. "Just take it." he said. "You look like you've been through hell." he handed it to her.
Meiling took the milk. "Thank you so much." she said.
"Oh yeah.. didya hear?" asked the man as Meiling gave the milk to Saiya.
"Hear what?" she asked.
"Rumor is there was a big battle over at the Li Mansion." he said. If Meiling had any of the milk in her mouth, it would have spit right back out. "Against some Clan from nothern China. And the Lis LOST." he said. "Can you believe it?"
Meiling continued feeding Saiya. "Wow.." was all she could think to say. "Thanks for the milk but I should get going..." she said and started to walk away.
"Take care!" shouted the man.
Meiling turned the corner and took a deep breath. It was getting around. There would be people who recognized Meiling or even Saiya and if the Shen Clan found out they were alive..she didn't even want to think about it.
She was thinking about where she could go when she ran into someone and nearly fell. The other person fell to the ground though.
"Ohmigod. I am so sorry." said the woman on the ground.
"My fault." said Meiling, helping her to her feet. She looked at her face. "Tomoyo?" she asked, eyes widening.
"Meiling!" said Tomoyo.
"Shh!" said Meiling. "Quiet." she said.
"You look so bad.." said Tomoyo.
"I know." said Meiling. "I need to get out of here." she said. "I'm sure you heard everything thats been going on." she said.
"Yeah." said Tomoyo. "Thats why Sakura told me to stay in the town until I went back home." she said. "Wait a minute.." she said, spotting the bundle in Meiling's hands. "Is that.."
Meiling nodded. Then she started to cry all over again. "Please Tomoyo..get me outta here." she said.
Tomoyo put her arm around Meiling and hugged her shoulders. "Where?" she asked.
"Anywhere." said Meiling. "Just out of Hong Kong.." she said.
Tomoyo nodded. "Follow me. We can go back to Japan. My mom's plane is still here. At her company's headquarter's in Hong Kong. It will leave whenever I wanted to go home." she explained and lead Meiling in that direction. "Tell me..is the battle over?"
Meiling nodded. "I fear that Saiya and I are the only ones for escaped with our lives." she said. "I'll explain everything..later." she said.
Tomoyo nodded and they headed for the plane.
~*~*~*~
Xingyo was quite compfortable on his new thrown. "Now, instead of the Lis being the main family of China and Hong Kong..it is the Shens.." he said. He took a sip of his wine.
"Sir!" said one of his men.
Xingyo turned and faced him. "Ahh." he grinned.
Sakura and the Clow were there.
"Now now Miss Li.." said Xingyo, jumping off his chair. "I have already tried to open this book but it appears that I cannot." he explained. "It must mean that only a descendant of Clow Reed can open it..either that or there's a spell on it that cannot be broken."
Sakura narrowed her eyes.
"Not talking, eh?" said Xingyo, pacing. "Well..I can always..force you to talk." he said. "After all, I have the Clow..your husband is in maximum security and, oh right! Your one and only daughter is dead." he grinned menicingly.
Sakura turned her head.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Sakura." he said. He walked over and grabbed her face. He forced her to look at him. "Tell me." he said.
Sakura closed her eyes.
"Bitch!" shouted Xingyo. "You will tell me now the secret to opening the Clow Book!" he yelled in her face.
Sakura opened her eyes and spit in his face. He jumped away and Sakura laughed at him. He glared at her.
"Fool." said Xingyo. "You will be tortured." he said. "I will open this book and you will tell me how."
Sakura just looked at him with a look of disgust and boredom.
Xingyo's eyebrow twitched. "Take this filthy woman away." he said.
His men pushed Sakura, who's hands were tied, and headed for the door. Xingyo went back to his seat.
Sakura then stopped and looked at him.
"You speak?" he asked. "Are you going to tell me how to open the Clow?"
"Go to hell and burn."
Xingyo scowled as his men lead Sakura out, and she was hysterically laughing.
~*~*~*~
Tomoyo's plane arrived in Kyoto, Japan some hours later. She had to shake Meiling awake. She, Tomoyo, was holding her goddaughter in her hands to let Meiling get her strength back. "Meiling?" she said softly. "Wake up. We're here." she said.
Meiling yawned. "We are? So soon?" she asked. She rubbed her eyes.
"Yeah.." replied Tomoyo. "We're in Japan but..now what?" she asked. They started to get off the plane.
Meiling looked up at the sky on the stairs down off the plane. "Away." she said. "I think I have a good idea as to what is supposed to happen. Why Saiya and I lived this whole ordeal." she explained. Tomoyo cocked her head. Meiling laughed.
"Lets just stay in Kyoto for a while." she said. "We can lie low and I'll use a different name for now." said Meiling, reaching the ground.
"Oh Meiling." said Tomoyo.
"No Tomoyo." she replied. "You have no idea what hell I've been through. Lets just go find a quiet place to stay and relax for a while.
Tomoyo nodded. "My mom owns a shrine somewhere. She doesn't go live there. She owns it for tax reasons or something." she said.
"Perfect." said Meiling. "How far is it?"
"Well we can't walk yet." said Tomoyo. "We take a train from here and then a cab and then walk." she said.
"Fine." said Meiling, taking Saiya from her friend. "Saiya.." she whispered.
"Meiling." said Tomoyo. "I know you went through hell to escape but trust me." she said. "I want to help and do everything I can. You did your best and saved two lives. Your own and Saiya's." she said soothingly. "Lets just get to the shrine now, ok?"
Meiling nodded. "Ok."
They took a train, then the cab and walked. The stairs were very long and it took a lot of time to reach the top. When they did, Meiling gasped.
"This..place?" she asked.
The shrine itself was gorgeous. The roof was a dark blue with gold trimmings and the walls were a lighter, but still dark, shade of blue with gold trimmings. Parts of the statues were golden and the area around it was huge.
"Its called the..umm hang on," said Tomoyo, thinking. "Oh yeah! Its called the Yuramoki Shrine and it has everything every other shrine does. Even indoor plumbing." she explained.
Meiling was in awe. "This is so..beautiful." she said.
"Well, how long do you think we'll be staying here?" asked Tomoyo, heading for the main shrine.
"A while." said Meiling. "Until the Shen Clan is positive that we did not survive." she said. "And never call me Meiling in public again. Only when we're alone or inside the shrine. Call me.. Ai Cho. Simple and ordinary." she said.
"Ok..Ai Cho." replied Tomoyo, opening the door to the shrine. They went inside.
It was a cute little hallway, small, that had one door leading deeper inside. Tomoyo opened it and they went into the main room. It had furniture but it was old style from around the Feudal Era of Japan. They explored the rest and Meiling found a room to claim as her own. She fell asleep, her little cousin at her side.
~*~*~*~
Sakura was thrown into the jail cell and landed on the ground, skimming her chin on the floor and scraping it.
"Sakura!" said Syaroan, jumping off the cot and kneeling by her side.
"I'm fine." said Sakura, sitting up. "Can you untie my hands?" she asked.
Syaoran nodded and began to undo the not. "You'd think that in this modern age they would just give you normal handcuffs." grinned Syaoran.
Sakura couldn't bring herself to smile, as much as she wanted to. "The Clow won't open." she said. "It seems the spell I put on it wasn't broken."
"You mean.." asked Syaoran.
Sakura nodded. "Only the heir will be able to open the book." she said.
"So.."
"It will never be opened again." replied Sakura. "The Clow and its magic are locked away forever." she said. Her hands now freed, she stood up and walked over to a cot. She sat on it. "Xingyo said he would find out how to open it no matter what." she said. "By any means necessary."
"He said that?" asked Syaoran, sitting next to her.
Sakura nodded. "No matter what he does to us, we can't tell him how it can be opened." she said. "Otherwise he will send out every last person to look for Saiya, if there is the slimmest chance that she is alive."
Syaoran looked hesitant. "What if.." he started.
"Let them kill me." said Sakura. "We've lost so much, I do not want to lose the Book of Clow to that crazy, arrogant, ruthless, horrible bastard." she said.
"I feel the same way." said Syaoran. "Better us die and the secret to opening the Book die than to have him own the Clow Book." he said. He put his arm around Sakura's shoulders.
Sakura sighed. "I still can't believe.." she started, tears coming to her eyes.
"You know something, Sakura?" asked Syaoran, squeezing her shoulders. "I don't think Saiya is trully dead." he explained.
Sakura looked at him. "What?" she asked. "They fell off a cliff and-"
"A cliff, I might add, that Meiling knew about and jumped off willingly." said Syaoran. "Meiling knows the area well. She is strong and an excellant swimmer. I would trust her with my life, as well as my own daughter's." he said soothingly.
"You think they survived?"
"If anyone could, it would be Meiling." said Syaoran. "I don't think Saiya could have been in safer hands, except perhaps our own." he said.
Sakura looked at him and grinned a small smile. "I hope you're right." she said. "If they did live.. then what?"
"I'm sure Meiling knows what she must do." said Syaoran. "I don't think the Shen Clan will be in power forever."
Sakura leaned closer to her husband. "Neither do I." she whispered.
~*~*~*~
Lets skip ahead a couple of years, shall we? About, hmm... six?
A young brunette girl ran along the edge of the forrest, wearing a kimono of sorts, but a fighter one, not the fancy kind. Around her waist was a small dagger, which to her standards, the size of a sword. She chased after a butterfly and giggled.
"Saiya!" called Tomoyo, standing on the deck/porch of the shrine. She was wearing normal blue jeans and a dark blue tee shirt.
"Auntie Tomoyo!" squealed the little girl and she ran towards her.
Tomoyo grinned. "Time for lunch." she said, giving Saiya a sandwich which she grabbed. "You know I'm not your aunt." she said, sitting down on the steps.
"I know!" grinned the six year old. "But its sounds better than just Tomoyo!" she said, taking a bite of it. "Where is Auntie Meiling?"
"She's not your aunt either but she's around." replied Tomoyo, grinning. "Probably training." she said.
"I learned how to do a perfect cartwheel!" squealed Saiya, shoving her food into Tomoyo's hands. She ran barefoot onto the stone walkway and did the perfect cartwheel. "See?" she asked.
Tomoyo smiled. "That was abosolutely fantastic!" she said.
Saiya ran back over and took the sandwich again. "Now I gotta work on my flips and stuff." she said. "I can almost do a good flip. Its still kinda lopsided though." she said.
Tomoyo smiled as Saiya finished her sandwich and ran off into the woods again.
"Here she is, six years old and can already do half the stuff Sakura could when she was ten." she said aloud. "By the time she's twelve, she'll be able to take down Meiling."
"Talking about me?"
Tomoyo looked up and saw Meiling hanging upside down from the roof, her long hair tied in a ponytail and flopped over her head.
"Hello." said Tomoyo as Meiling flipped down and sat next to her.
"Saiya's...amazing, isn't she?" asked Meiling.
Tomoyo nodded. "Exactly what I was thinking." she said.
Then Saiya came running out of the woods with her little dagger and was spinning it around. She ran unusually fast for a little girl.
Lets skip another, four years? o^_^o
Saiya, now ten and with long brown hair and those bright green eyes, had a sword of her own. Meiling had snuck back to the Li Mansion a year ago and brought back the Sword of the Li Clan, the sword that had onced belonged to Clow Reed himself. And now it belonged to Saiya Li.
She sparred with Meiling, who had taught herself to swordfight for the purpose of Saiya's training, and was winnning.
"Ha!" said Saiya, knocking Meiling's sword out of her hand.
Meiling grinned and flipped in the air and grabbed her sword. "Never laugh in a battle." she said, and jumped back towards her cousin. Saiya blocked it.
"I think not, Auntie Meiling." she grinned and swung her sword around and flipped clear over Meiling's head. She put her sword near her cousin's back and grinned. "Drop the sword, my cousin." she said.
Meiling smiled and her sword clattered on the ground. "You're too good." she said, feeling the sword give some distance between itself and her back. She heard Saiya put it back in her sheath.
"I know." she replied.
Meiling stretched. "Before you know it, you'll be ready." she said.
Saiya's grin vanished and her eyes were now full of hate. "I will be ready." she said. "Xingyo Shen..for what you did." she said angrily.
"Saiya..." said Meiling warningly.
"I will kill you." said Saiya. "I will bring down your empire. I will get back the Clow. I will get back my parents. I will get back it all." she said, eyes narrowing.
And these words, were coming from a little ten year old girl. Meiling hated to see what words would be uttered when she was older.
Meiling sighed. "Saiya..You're anger will get the better of you one day." she said, walking back towards the shrine where Tomoyo had dinner getting ready.
"My anger will help me defeat the Shens and their pathetic leader." said Saiya as she crossed her arms and followed her cousin.
Meiling shook her head. "I'll race you." she grinned and took off.
"Cheater!" screamed Saiya. "You got a headstart!" she said, running after her.
Saiya picked up speed and caught up with Meiling. She turned and her eyes got wide. Saiya flashed a grin that reminded her of Syaoran.
"You.." she said.
"What?" asked Saiya. "Embarassed that a ten year old girl is faster than you?" she said and passed her.
Meiling stopped and stood there, dumbfounded as Saiya kept running and disappeared from sight. She was so young...and so strong.
Now she knew why Xingyo wanted her dead. She trully was the most powerful person in the Li Clan.
Meiling started running again and reached the shrine within minutes. Saiya was sitting on the ground, staring at the clouds in the sky looking bored.
"Its about time!" said Saiya, jumping up and walking over to Meiling. "I thought you woulda been faster than that!" she said.
"I am." replied Meiling, heading for the shrine. "Its just I stopped for a moment." she said. She continued walking, Saiya followed.
Then Meiling turned around and bent over a little to become eye level with Saiya, who stopped in her tracks and stared at her.
"Remember I told you how Xingyo wanted you dead?" said Meiling, putting her hands on Saiya's shoulders. She nodded.
"He came to the Li Mansion and tried to kill me." replied Saiya. "I know the story, as much as I hate to hear it."
"Well he said he wanted you dead because you were the most powerful person in the Li Clan." said Meiling.
"I KNOW!" said Saiya, perhaps a little too angrily. "You've told me the story so many times, I know!" she said.
"I know for a fact now," said Meiling, looking deep into Saiya's emerald eyes. "That you ARE the most powerful person in the Li Clan. You are more powerful than both Sakura and Syaoran were at your age." she said. "You're faster than me, and I'm over twenty years old!" she stood up straight. "Xingyo forsaw your power and wanted to stop it before it became too great. We all knew you were strong, and now we see it with out own eyes."
Saiya stared at Meiling. She listened to everything she said and it hit the mark. "So everything is my fault, is that what you're saying?" she asked.
"No!" said Meiling. She looked at Saiya and saw her eyes tearing. She went up and hugged her tightly. "Its not your fault! Don't ever say that!" she said.
Saiya pushed away. "But, my-my power. Its what caused him to search for-for me and try and k-kill me." she said. She sniffed.
"Wait a minute.." grinned Meiling. "Is this the powerful warrior, Saiya Li?" she asked, looking at her. "Crying?"
Saiya grinned. "Sorry.." she said. "Its just that, I never knew my parents and when the subject of them comes up, I just lose all emotions except for hate and sorrow." she said, staring at Meiling with those bright green eyes.
"And thats understandble." said Meiling. "Just remember, ok?"
Saiya nodded. "Ok." she said.
Tomoyo opened the door to the shrine. "Come on guys! Dinner's been ready for a few minutes now! Come on!" she called and beckoned them inside.
"Yeah! Food!" shouted Saiya and she ran inside.
"Be right in." replied Meiling. Saiya and Tomoyo disappeared inside and Meiling stared at the sky.
"Not only does she have imense power, but she is wise beyond her years." she said. She took one last look at the moon that was starting to show, and went inside.
And we skip ahead another three years...
Saiya, now thirteen, sent the rock flying into the side of the cliff near the waterfall. Meiling, who was standing nearby, clapped approvingly.
"Excellant!" said Meiling. "You know how to use your magic." she said.
"That felt great!" said Saiya, flexing her shoulders. "I can't wait until I start to use more powerful techniques! Then I can really do stuff!" she said.
"Saiya!" laughed Meiling. "You treat this as if it was for fun!"
"Thats how I like to think of it." said Saiya, sending another rock into the cliff and shattering it. "Sometimes anyway. It makes me feel happy and carefree as if I was just training to prove a classmate I was stronger than him or her." she said, grinning.
"Think of it as you want to, Saiya," said Meiling. "But you know that its not going to be fun and games forever." she said.
"I know, I know." replied Saiya, looking at the waterfall and causing the water to split in two different directions.
"You know, I wish I had magic like you do." said Meiling. "Watching your parents capture all the cards, then transform them, then fight off all the evils that came their way. Watching them grow closer." she grinned.
"Oh Meiling." said Saiya, losing concentration as the waterfall went back into one stream of water.
"I knew from when I first saw them together that they were meant to be." said Meiling, grinning. "Although I was just a little younger than you, I was jealous. But I've grown out of it!" she said cheerfully. "After a while, it got fun to watch those awkward moments between your parents! Tomoyo and I had so much fun taping them."
"You taped them?" asked Saiya.
"Yeah." replied Meiling. "I think Tomoyo still has them at her old house."
"I'd like to watch them one day." said Saiya.
"Me too." said Meiling. "Me too."
Last skip~ now, its the present..eh, sort of. Three years later..
"Saiya?" asked Meiling, dressed in black sitting in the tree. "Are you ready?" she asked.
Saiya, now sixteen and wearing the dark blue kimono and anssemble(A/N: the stuff that she has on in chapter one) stood up on the branch and clutched the handle on her sword. "I am ready." she said. "I have waited for this moment my entire life." she said.
Meiling nodded. "It now begins."
Saiya also nodded, then jumped out of the tree.
MD: you kind of get the point of the end of this, right? This is what happened right before chapter one, before Saiya went in the castle place. let me know what you think, ok? please? I need just one review to continue!!
And thanks to the reviewers for the last chapter, Blayde and EcuaGirl, who both supplied me with Syaoran's sisters' names! Arigato!