Chapter 7

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The produce truck rolled to a stop at an intersection and Eric spotted a hotel.  A little more upscale than what he'd been using lately, but just what the doctor ordered for tonight.  Meilin hadn't said one coherent thing yet, still sobbing frantically and babbling in Chinese.  He really wasn't sure which was worse: seeing how that stranger had affected her so dramatically, or seeing her cry at all. 

"Come on, Meilin, time to jump down.  Can you do that?"  She continued to sob.  "Okay then, let's go."  With some difficulty he managed to pry her off, and inched off the flatbed to drop to the ground.  "Meilin, the light's going to turn green in a minute.  Let's go, sweetheart."  He dragged his backpack down and took her arm firmly.  She was limp and unresisting as he pulled her down as gently as he could, but she collapsed the second her feet hit the pavement.

"Whoops, hold on there.  Try to stand up, can you stand up?"

"I – I l-left him-m," she cried.  "I l-left him!"

"Yes, I know.  It's okay.  You're going to be all right, but I need you to walk.  Tell me you can at least walk out of the street?"

She buried her face in her hands and let loose with a fresh onslaught of tears, and he swallowed a groan before scooping her up in his arms.  In spite of all the power she'd exhibited when fighting, she really didn't weigh that much, and he mentally blessed the hours spent training for his lifeguard duties. 

"Okay," he gritted, once she was curled up and crying in his arms.  "We're going in.  You're going to be fine, just hang on."

He staggered through the door and approached the front desk, attracting a few raised eyebrows. 

"Room?" he inquired casually.  The attendant was a petite Chinese woman who could only stare, and he had to repeat himself before she examined her bookings. 

"Only one," she offered.  "One room, second floor.  Private bath."

"That'll be perfect.  Would you mind just sliding the key across the counter, thank you so much."  He smiled brightly at her astonished expression.  "Don't mind her," he offered by way of explanation.  "It's just been a rough day."

*****

His ragged breathing finally began to slow, after how long he didn't know.  Denial and shock were shifting into anger now.  White-hot righteous rage, more like.  Slowly and painfully Li crawled to his feet.

Something red by the curb attracted his attention, and he knelt to investigate.  One of Meilin's attackers must have lost his emblem after being thrown, and the sodden strip of cloth had been left strewn across the pavement.  There was an unusual symbol in the middle, one that he'd never seen.  It looked rather like a bird.

After squeezing the excess moisture out, he stuffed it in his pocket and began walking.  There was somewhere he needed to be.

*****

"Here we go, Meilin, we're almost there.  Are you going to make it?"  Her cries had quieted somewhat, though tears were still running down her cheeks.  Trying to support her on one shoulder, he managed to unlock their door and hobble through.  It was shrouded in darkness, and only after swiping at the light switch did he realize that there was only one bed.

Oh, damn.  But it was too late to complain, and besides, this was all they'd had left.  It would have to do.  He dumped his backpack on the floor and set Meilin next to it before digging for some clean dry clothes.  Good thing he'd invested in the waterproof brand.

"Okay, Meilin, listen to me.  You're soaked, and you're shivering, and you're a mess.  I need you to go in there and take a nice hot shower, and then change into these dry clothes.  Okay?"

No reply.

"Meilin, please, you're scaring me.  Look at me, baby, look at me."  He took her chin in one hand and forced her to look up into his eyes.  He almost lost his nerve at what he saw.  Always so cool and collected, Meilin's pretty face had been absolutely ravaged with pain and torment.  Her previously unreadable eyes now advertised clear and unmistakable grief. 

"What happened?" he asked without thinking.

"I l-left him…"

"I know.  I was there.  Who was that?"

She clutched at his shirt with sudden vengeance, expression pleading.

"I left him!  I d-didn't mean to leave him like that I swear it… oh, how could I leave him?  I love him!"  She let go and began wailing again.  Eric inhaled sharply.

"You what?" he asked after a pause, his voice carefully controlled. 

"I love him," she cried.  "Al-always hav-ve.  I love him s-so much…"

Eric watched for a moment as she continued to cry, then placed his hands gently over hers and pulled them away from her face. 

"But you left him behind."  She hiccuped and nodded.  "Why?"

*****

"Hey, there y'are!" Kero folded his wings and dove to intercept Li as he marched across the courtyard of the Li estate.  "Where have you been?  Sakura sent me to look for you, what are you doing here?"

Li fixed a rather glazed stare on Kero's fuzzy face.

"Meilin… wasn't kidnapped."

That was all, and Kero hovered a moment before finally shrugging.  "Uh, good?"

"No," Li answered throatily.  "Not good."  Without another word he pushed Kero out of his path and climbed the few steps that led to the porch.  He didn't bother to knock.  Instead he kicked in the door and strode in.  After a few seconds Kero heard a scream ring out, and he gulped.  Something told him it was time to call Sakura.

*****

Jing Kun raised his eyebrows in disbelief.  "Cousin?" he repeated. 

Peng nodded and shrugged.  "That's what he said.  It was crazy, man.  He just came out of nowhere and joined in the fight; had her same style."  Gingerly he felt at the bruise on his ribs.  "And a fucking cool sword, too."

"Sword."

"No lies, man."  All of the group nodded their assent.  "One of the old ones, some serious magic." 

Jing Kun pondered this.

"She's had family artillery behind her this whole time?  Why the lone samurai act?"

"I don't think so," Hu spoke up.  "She started screaming bloody murder at him for interfering, and he screamed back that he'd only been looking for her.  I don't think she does have a family anymore.  I think she ran away."

"Hmm.  Interesting."

"Interesting?" spat Deng.  "Is that all you can say?  What about us?  We just failed to get him, again, and we're running out of time."

"You need to relax," Jing Kun replied airily. 

"Like hell I need to relax.  This has just been one big game for you ever since that first night.  You're so busy getting a boner for his bodyguard that you don't even care about the rest of the group!"

Jing Kun looked up, his stare suddenly icy.

"How's your wrist, Deng?" he inquired smoothly, and snatched the injured hand in an iron grip.  Deng gritted his teeth and glared venomously at their leader, but did not speak. 

"I could be angry," he continued calmly, directing his gaze to the others.  "I stayed back this time to give you men a better feed, I trusted the four of you could take her.  You proved me wrong, and I could be angry."  His hold tightened, and Deng bit his lip to keep silent.  "But I'm not.  There's still one more night of full moon.  Tomorrow, the five of you will stay back and scry so we can get a precise location this time."

"But -"

"I'll take care of this on my own.  It's what I should have done from the start."

Hu was shaking his head.  "She's too good.  You don't know that you can beat her on your own."

Jing Kun released his grip, and Deng backed away with relief.

"I said I'll take care of it.  I'll take care of her.  She'll never see me coming."

*****

She looked so helpless, so vulnerable.  Even though it pained him to touch her, Eric stroked her wet hair back from her face.  Her tears had trickled off now, still dripping intermittently onto her skin but quieter and more controlled. 

"I don't know," she said at last, in a miserable tone.  "I just… saw him there, telling me to go back home with him.  And it would all be the same as it was before, everything would be the same.  I couldn't take it; I had to get away.  I couldn't go back to that again.  Even though he wanted it, I just couldn't do that for him.  I – I've never refused him anything before."

She still had not explained who he was, but Eric chose not to follow up on that just then. 

"What do you mean, 'the same as it was before'?  What were you afraid of?"

"My family," she said dully.  "He wanted to make me go back to them; I couldn't do it.  I couldn't live in that house one more minute… they h-hated me so much…"  She was starting to cry faster now, and something unpleasant brushed Eric's mind.  He leaned in closer.

"What do you mean, go back to them?  No one can make you go back to your family once you're grown and out of the house."  He knew Asian families were generally close-knit, but still… "Right?"

She was shaking her head, not looking up from the floor to meet his eyes.

"No, no…  I ran away.  I d-didn't mean to.  I wasn't going to leave until this summer, but then you came along and you were so kind and then you asked me to protect you and it was all so sudden and…"  She had to stop to draw a shuddering breath, and Eric's heart started thudding a little louder. 

"Three days ago, you mean?  That's when you ran away?  With me?"

She gave a silent nod.

Oh, sweet Jesus.  Eric paled, and he forced a question between stiff lips.

"Meilin?  How… old are you?"

He couldn't believe he'd never asked until now.  But she was just so strong, so mature, so fearless.  It seemed impossible that she was anything less than –

"I'm sixteen."

He closed his eyes briefly, as the terrible truth settled itself in his mind.

"Sixteen," he whispered.  No less than five years younger than he was, a teenager, a child.  "Sixteen."  He covered his mouth with one hand.  "I am so going to jail."

As if she was suddenly dangerous, he scooted away and stood up.

"You're serious, aren't you?  You're just sixteen years old, and you ran away from home?  Oh my – oh my god, Meilin, why didn't you tell me?  You know I could be charged with kidnapping?  What were you thinking?"  He paced a little and raked his wet blonde hair away from his face.  "You're just a kid!"

Her angst momentarily forgotten, Meilin looked up and frowned in confusion.  Why was he looking at her like that?  Then his words filtered through.

"What do you mean, just a kid!"  She jumped to her feet, surprising them both.  "What are you saying?  That I am incapable?  That I am helpless?  Stupid?  A bother to you?"

Eric realized too late what he'd said and tried to correct himself.

"No, I just meant -"

"How dare you!  How dare you look at me like he did?  Look at what I have done for you these past few days, Eric, look at how I've saved you!  I risked my life to fight for you because you asked me to!  You think I am just some worthless girl?  A silly child?  Think about where you would be right now if I had decided to leave you alone!"

She spun and stormed for the door.

*****

The screaming waxed to a violent pitch, clearly audible in the courtyard.  Sakura cringed and tried not to look at the curious audience of Lis that had gathered in their windows.  No one emerged to help Meilin's parents.  It seemed this family, tightly knit though it was, preferred to leave conflicts settled in private.  Either that, or they were too scared stiff of their future leader to consider it. 

Not that she was inclined to offer any aid herself.  She waited by the steps with Kero instead, wincing every time she heard the crash of furniture being thrown against the wall.  Occasionally a voice would quaver the beginnings of a plea, but it would quickly become drowned out.  Syaoran would brook no argument. 

At last the yelling died away, and the young man wearily made his way out of the mangled doorway.

"They – were not sorry enough," he announced in a strained voice. 

"Syaoran," Sakura ventured delicately.  "What happened?"

"She wasn't kidnapped."  She nodded.  "She ran away."  He took in her expression, the sad but unsurprised green eyes, and his gaze hardened.  "Did you know?  Did you know about this?"

He took a step closer, suddenly looking dangerous, and Sakura had to nerve herself to not back up.

"Syaoran, listen to me.  I didn't know, okay?  I did not know."  She swallowed as his stare bore into her.  "But I did guess.  I didn't have any proof, and I didn't want to make you angry, so I didn't say anything -"

She flinched as he raised his hand, but he made no move to strike her.  Instead he was dangling a wet strip of cloth by her face, of a deep crimson color.

"They're trying to kill my cousin.  Find out who they are."

He waited until she'd hesitantly taken it between her fingertips, then strode across the courtyard for the idling car.

"Think he's done screaming yet?" Kero wondered aloud.  Sakura could only shake her head.

"I don't know."

*****

Eric was too taken aback to say anything at first, but when she laid her hand on the doorknob – with every apparent intention of walking out and leaving him – he recovered and threw himself across the room. 

"Wait!  Meilin, wait, I'm sorry!  I'm sorry, okay?"  He laid a hand on her elbow and she threw him a dangerous look.  Hastily he took a step back.  "I didn't mean to say it like that."

"Everyone's sorry," she scoffed.  "He didn't 'mean' to say it like that either.  But he did.  I could see it in his eyes.  He saw fit to order me home because he sees me as incapable.  He doesn't think I can do anything on my own."

"Well, he's wrong," Eric stated flatly.  "I'm sorry.  I honestly didn't mean to say those things.  You just – you took me by surprise." 

Lingering doubts about his possible legal liability made him nervous, but this was hardly the time to worry about that.  He depended on this girl.

"It's only because you seem so much older than you are," he offered, and was rewarded by a slight relaxation in her glare.  "I – I've met a lot of women when I traveled, and they've always been college age, like me.  When you said you went to school here, that's just what I assumed.  I was the stupid one, okay?  Not you."

Her hand slid off the doorknob, and he felt renewed hope.

"You are not incapable," he promised.  "Not by a long shot.  Haven't I said so a hundred times these past few days?  I think you're amazing, in every way possible.  I can't believe how strong you are, how well you fight.  You're right, you're the reason that I'm still safe and walking free today.  I owe you everything."

Unerring though they were, the words went straight for that neglected and abused part of her soul, and Meilin dropped the last of her wary guard.  Eric saw her knees begin to buckle and hastily moved to support her. 

"Whoa, are you all right?"

"Fine," she murmured, so softly he almost couldn't hear.  "Fine, I just… I'm sorry.  Everything became so strange tonight."

"Tell me about it."  He lowered her gently to the floor and held his hand over her brow.  "You've been through a lot, and you're soaked through, still.  Take a nice hot shower.  It will make you feel better."

Meilin felt thorougly limp after everything that had happened, and she nodded. 

"That's good.  Take these clothes," he pushed one of his T-shirts and pair of clean boxers into her hand, "and go wash off.  Everything will seem better once you're clean."

He had to root through a few things to find his cigarettes while she was in the shower.  The pack was a little crushed, but dry, and gratefully he pushed the window open to light up.

So much had happened, and yet so few questions had been answered.  Who was that guy? 

Over and over again he saw them screaming at each other in the driving rain, ranting in a language he only wished he knew.  She'd hit him.  Funny way of showing love.  But then, she'd been more angry that he interfered in the fight, he suspected.  Proving her strength really was important to her.

Then he recalled the dark glare in his direction, and almost shivered.  Whoever he was, he had been most displeased to see Eric in her company. 

"I guess Jing Kun isn't my only competition," he murmured aloud, right before the door opened and Meilin emerged from the bathroom.  She was silent and pale, but considerably more collected now, and crawled onto the bed wordlessly.  No conversation passed between them as Eric found something dry and retreated into the bathroom.  When he was done showering and returned to the bedroom, the lights were off and she was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared out into the Hong Kong night.  He was about to suggest that he sleep on the floor when he heard a tiny sigh.

"What is it?"

"I could see the worry in his eyes," she said softly.  "He was only angry from his anxiety.  I cannot fault him."

She turned to face him, and even in the mediocre light Eric could see the guilty pleading in her eyes.

"I love him and I have never refused him anything in my whole life.  I can still give him what he wants."  Eric didn't like the way this was going and crawled onto the bed to face her directly.  "But I just can't make myself return to him.  Not now.  Not when I have a mission of my own."

Eric exhaled in relief, and relaxed.  But then she placed her hand over his and leaned in close, looking troubled. 

"Am I a terrible person for leaving him?  How can I put him and my friends through this?"

"What?  No, Meilin, you're not a terrible person.  How could you think that, after everything you've done for me?"

"But I ran away… I left him…"

"No.  Shh, listen to me.  You are not a bad person for the choice that you made.  I'm a libertarian, I know what I'm talking about."

She gave him an inquisitive look.

"You said that before.  What does it mean?"

"Ah, well…"  Eric shifted his position to behind her and began to massage her shoulders, kneading them absentmindedly while he tried to collect his thoughts.  It seemed a funny time to be lecturing on politics, but he sensed that this was something Meilin needed to hear.   

"Well, it means a lot of things.  It means we are in control of our own lives, we are responsible for the choices we make.  It means you have the right to do anything you want, so long as you don't hurt anyone else.  Libertarianism doesn't think you're too stupid to figure out anything on your own, that you can do it if you just work hard at it.  It doesn't think you need to be guided or coddled."

His gentle hands pressed a sensitive spot between her shoulder blades, and she 'mmm'ed out loud.  There was a fluttery feeling inside her that had to do with more than his touch, however.  Even though she wasn't facing him, she could hear the enthusiasim in his voice and knew this was something he truly believed in.  It meant something to him.  And it meant something to her too.

"Libertarianism believes in you," he finished, for lack of any better way to say it.  She gave a tiny sigh.

"It sounds like heaven."

"Well, sometimes you make the wrong decision, and it's not.  But sometimes…" he leaned back against the pillows with a sigh.  "Sometimes you make the right choice, and you succeed.  All on your own.  And there's no feeling like it in the world."

It had been a long, emotionally intense day.  Meilin's guilt was consumed by her exhaustion, and she rolled to the side to lay down beside him.  She was so close that he could feel her body warmth, but she was on her side, facing away from him.

"So I've made a choice, then," she murmured.

"Yep.  It was your right."

"But was it the correct one?"

"Well, for what it's worth," he couldn't resist, but reached up to run his fingers through the silky black hair on her pillow, "I think it's working out pretty well so far."

"Mmm."  She spoke no more, but he had the feeling that she probably smiled at that.  There was a slow lift of her lungs, then another as her breathing became steady and even.  She must have really been tired.  After all, she was just a girl.

Eric closed his eyes, wincing again at the thought of it.  All those times, all his hints that she'd ignored or brushed off.  They had not been the actions of indifference after all, but of naivete.  He had been blind not to realize it.  That kiss… it must have been her first kiss after all. 

And as worrisome as the age difference was, he couldn't keep himself from smiling.  Maybe it had been wrong, but he couldn't forget the feel of it.  She had been absolutely wonderful.

***** 

"Mmm."

As usual, the kiss was fantastic and left him wanting more.  Yuki moaned in delight and pushed up to meet his boyfriend force for force, fumbling to shed the last of his own clothing at the same time.  Touya uttered his own moan before his tongue withdrew and he started planting a row of kisses down Yuki's neck.

"Mmm," he said again, and arched his back, up into his lover's wonderful ministrations, eyes already closed in expectation.  All the way down his chest Touya went, and he was almost there when the phone erupted in a shrill ring.

Touya's head jerked up.

"No," Yuki pleaded, and tried to hold on, keep him from moving away.  "No, don't…"

"Gomen," Touya murmured, and licked his lips before wriggling across the bed and reaching for the phone.  Yuki just whimpered and fell back against the pillows.  Touya groped for the receiver and pushed the button, resettling himself on the sheets.  "Hello?  Hello, Sakura?"

There was a brief look of surprise, then his features hardened into a familiar scowl.  Yuki could barely keep from laughing out loud.  Touya had many scowls for the various people in his life, but there was a special glower that he reserved for just one boy.  It was unmistakable.  And sure enough –

"Gaki?  Where's Sakura, is she okay?"

"She's fine."

Touya relaxed, but there was still a frown of annoyance on his face as he propped himself up on his elbows.  Yuki was watching him curiously.

"Then what do you want?"

"I – I need to ask you a question."  There was an unfamiliar hesitant quality to Li's tone, and Touya fidgeted when he paused.

"Well, spit it out already.  What is it?"

Li slumped against the railing of the rear garden and looked at the glittering city below.  He couldn't believe he was doing this, talking to this one person that he hated more than anyone, but he was desperate.  Touya was the only one that could help him.

"I need to know how -" he took a deep breath, "- how it is you haven't killed me these past two years."

For a long moment, neither said anything.  Then Touya covered the mouthpiece with his hand and sent Yuki a regretful look.

"This might take a while."

Yuki managed a resigned smile, then reached for his chemistry notes.  Touya stretched out on the sheets beside him and listened as the entire garbled story spilled out, not easy to follow since the gaki kept lapsing into his native tongue in his angry distraction. 

"So who was he?"

"I don't know," Li growled.  "Some gwei lo.  I think he might have been an American."

"Uh-huh.  And she just ran off with him."

"Hai," Li answered bitterly.  "It was – I can't describe it.  How she looked at me.  It was like… she didn't want anything to do with me.  I could see the decision in her eyes.  She wanted him instead of me."

"Mm.  Sucks to come in second, doesn't it?"

"I hate him!  I want to -"

"Break his neck?  Throw the body into the harbor?"

"Yes!  He could be doing anything to her right now, it -"

"Kills you that he sees her in that way?  Makes you want to vomit at the thought that he might be using her or exploiting her?"

"Exactly!  It's disgusting!  I knew you'd understand, Touya-kun."  He was loud enough for Yuki to hear, who snorted at the wry look that crossed Touya's face.  "I want to break every finger he lays on her.  I could do it too.  He's no fighter, I'm sure of it."

"Except that you can't," Touya reminded him.  "Because you don't know where they are."

"How could she, Touya-kun?  How could she run away from me, choose him over me?  How could she leave me like that?"

"Well, offhand, I'd say she probably likes him."

Li slammed his fist into the railing.  "Likes him?  She's only sixteen years old!  She doesn't know anything about what she's getting into; she could get hurt!"

"And I suppose you told her that."

Li sniffed.  "I might have."

"Smart move, gaki.  That was probably what decided her.  Kami-sama, I'm gay and even I know that you don't ever tell a woman what not to do!"

"But – but, she's never refused me anything that I asked before," Li said plaintively.  "My whole life she's always been there in my shadow, begging for my attention.  She would never – I mean, other guys just didn't come close…"

Touya had to choke back laughter as he sat up in bed.  "You should hear yourself.  I don't believe it.  You're jealous!"

"What?  No, I'm not."

"You are.  Meilin was your personal fan club, and now she's got an eye for someone else.  It's driving you nuts just thinking about it."

Li spluttered a little on the other end of the line, and Touya smirked. 

"I – I am not jealous!  I'm in love with Sakura, I've got my girlfriend!"

"I remember," Touya answered grimly.  "But that doesn't change the fact that you're a selfish prick.  Meilin's always been yours, and you wanted to keep her that way.  Now she's off with this stranger, and there isn't thing one that you can do about it."

Li snarled and held the phone away for a moment while he kicked at the railing.  Come hell or high water, he would not admit Touya was right about anything. 

"I am not jealous," he finally growled into the mouthpiece.  "I am scared for her.  She's my cousin; I'm the future leader of this family.  I have a responsibility to protect her, and I can't do that when I don't even know where she is."

"Yeah, well maybe that's what she had in mind."

"But why?  Why would she refuse my help, shut me out?"  It was the most galling thought of all.  Gratifying though it had been to scream at her parents, it hadn't soothed his guilty ache.  Still in his mind he could see her, refusing him.  "She wasn't just running away from her family.  She was running away from me."

Touya blew his bangs out of his eyes in frustration at the martyred tone.

"Look, Li-kun, how obvious do I have to make it?  Whatever it is that's going on with this guy, and that gang, she doesn't want your help.  She doesn't want your leadership.  She's trying to handle it on her own.  So give it a rest, already.  If she wants to, she'll come to you.  Trust me, I'm an expert on this subject."

Li's shoulders sagged a little.  "But what about the American?"

"Try not to picture it."

"That's it?"

"That's all I can give.  It's all I can do about you."  Yuki frowned and flicked Touya lightly on the ear.  "Ouch!  What?"

Yuki made an impatient motion and nodded toward the phone.  Touya rolled his eyes.

"Well, I guess there is one other thing."

"What, what?"

"You love her, and you've known her your whole life.  You trust her, right?"

"I guess."

"Then you should know that if she decided to leave her home and risk everything to be with this guy, then he probably isn't altogether bad.  And maybe, if you cared about her at all, you might even be happy for her."

He hung up and glared at Yuki, who was beaming.

"There, I said it.  Happy?"

"Very.  You're so kind, Toya."

"Hmph."  Touya slapped the phone back onto its cradle and curled up with his boyfriend.  "I just wanted the brat to feel a little better, that's all.  Must be rough on him."

"Indeed.  I wonder how this is going to be resolved."

*****

Sakura wrapped Fuutie's borrowed robe around her waist and stared out the window.  He'd been on the phone for an hour now, to whom she couldn't imagine.

"He is distraught," Yelan murmured at her side.

"That's putting it mildly.  I can't believe how this is turning him inside out.  I thought it was bad when she was supposedly kidnapped, but now…"  She shook her head.  "I was really scared of him, for a moment back there.  I thought he might hurt me."

"The burden he carries has been unleashed in a most aggressive manner these past few days.  I fear now it will only become worse."

"That's the second time you've mentioned something like that," Sakura reminded her.

"Yes.  My son carries guilt in his heart every day for that broken promise.  I'm sure it can never be healed fully."

Sakura bowed her head.  "But she's my friend.  She was fine with it, she really was."

"Maybe, maybe not.  It matters little.  Meilin's bravery cannot erase what was to be.  My son will be leader.  She was to be his wife, and share in that."

"Oh."  Not anymore. 

"My niece is a fine girl," Yelan continued, her voice becoming mellow.  "She deserved more than what she was given.  My son, and her friends in Japan, know this.  He agonized that he could not give her what she wanted, and so promised himself to at least be her protector if not her lover.  It was not the same, but it was the next best thing."

"And now he can't even do that."

"Exactly.  And his frustration boils to the surface."

"What will happen if he can't find her?  What if we never see her again?"

Yelan touched her fan to her chin lightly, pondering the possibilities.

"He is a fighter and protector to the core of his being.  You could no more alter it than you could alter your destiny as Card Mistress.  If no understanding can be reached between the two of them…"  She waved her fan lightly to the window, then turned to leave.  "He may never recover."

Sakura was left alone by the window, and distractedly she toyed with the key of the star hanging around her neck.  Outside, she could see Syaoran clearly in the bright moonlight as he hung up and sighed heavily.  She would give him a few moments, and then she would go out there.  But what could she say?  What could she do?

Yelan was right.  Syaoran was the way he was, and no one could change that.  And right now, there was no one at all who could reach out to him.  No one except Meilin, out there somewhere in Hong Kong and keeping her distance. 

Please, Meilin.  If only you could see how this is killing him.  Please come back to us… we need you.

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Disclaimer:  I do not own these characters

A/N: Perhaps you thought, just because this was a Meilin fic, that I would not have a naked Touya scene.  Perhaps you are a fool.