'letting go'
"And did you see the look on their faces?" Kero hooted. "You'd think they'd never seen a magical beast before! I made that one guy scream like a little girl!"
Meilin cleared her throat, and he shrugged guiltily.
"Well, you know what I mean."
"I do. You were really wonderful, Kero-chan. I couldn't have done it without you."
Sakura's head jerked up, startled. She'd never heard Meilin call Kero that before. But there was something in her tone that just made it natural, and she was smiling indulgently at Kero as he waxed triumphant about his attacks. Kero noticed the change too, and twitched his tail a little as he floated closer to Meilin.
"Yeah, well. I couldn't exactly let 'em get to you. Nobody picks on the brat but me."
Meilin only laughed softly, and leaned in close to the little creature to drop a kiss on his nose.
"Arigatou."
Sakura smiled at the scene, then returned her attention to the symbol on Eric's back. They had regrouped on the back porch of Syaoran's home to have a little space while she tried to work her magic, and for a little privacy. Though it was wonderful to have Meilin there, safe at last, Syaoran had still not spoken a word to her. He was perched on the porch rail a little ways away from the others, sulking silently. Meilin had sensed his mood right away and obliged him by not attempting to address him, and so far they had exchanged nothing more than furtive glances.
It was awkward, but Sakura had to concentrate on other things just then. Change, Power, Light… And Meilin did say his blood was glowing.
"So if he's been infused with a magical light, for the Dragons to feed off," she mused out loud, "then we just have to counteract that light. Right?"
Kero shrugged again.
"Sounds good to me."
"Please be careful, Sakura."
"I will," she assured Meilin, and selected the Change and Dark Cards. "Hold still now," she directed Eric, who gulped. This world of magic was new to him, still, and he wasn't exactly wild about participating in yet another magical ritual. Meilin noticed his expression and took his hand in hers.
"It'll be all right; she's the best. She won't let anything hurt you."
"Oh, I'm not scared. Why would I be? Just because I was almost sliced open tonight because there's a bunch of magic running around in my blood, that's no reason to be nervous that someone else is mucking with my body. Not at all. In fact -"
Meilin leaned forward and brought her lips to his, effectively silencing him with a surprise kiss. Eric was so taken aback that he momentarily forgot his apprehension, and responded warmly. Syaoran choked and gasped simultaneously, then glared determinedly away, out over the city. Kero snickered.
Fortunately, Eric and Meilin were too occupied to notice anything else, and it was only after several long moments that Meilin pulled away.
"Done," Sakura announced cheerfully.
"What? Already?" Sakura nodded with satisfaction.
"It was easy. The light in your blood was unnatural, not normal to you. It was easy to negate it with Dark. Erase has taken away the symbol on your back."
"So… I'm back to normal?"
"No more magic," Sakura affirmed, and Eric exhaled in relief as he began to button his shirt on again.
"Best news I've heard all day."
She and Meilin exchanged unreadable looks when he said that, but before anybody could speak again the door opened. An older woman glided through with a tray and five teacups, arranged neatly around the pot. She said nothing when she set the tray down, and Eric wondered if she was the maid. But then she leaned over and kissed Meilin on the top of her head, and he saw how Meilin's eyes grew misty. Before he could ask, the woman turned to him.
"You are most welcome in this house."
Syaoran uttered a kind of rebellious noise in his throat, but elected to remain quiet when she glanced in his direction.
"Thanks," Eric said lamely, wishing he knew a better way to respond. It didn't seem to bother her any. She bowed elegantly and swept back inside, leaving the others speechless for a moment.
"She said that to me too, first." Sakura dropped into the wicker chair opposite his and beamed. "She must like you."
"Great." Eric eyed her curiously. Now that the worry of his glowing blood had been removed, this girl's eyes were almost sparkling with excitement. It seemed that she was thrilled to finally be speaking with him. "Um…"
"Oh, gomen nesai! How rude of me." She giggled, and made a slight bow from her sitting position. "Kinomoto Sakura-san."
It was too fast, too much to take in. Eric shook his head and leaned in closer. Sensing his need for simplicity, and remembering western tradition with names, she scaled it back.
"Sakura."
"Sa-ku-ra," Eric repeated clumsily. "Sa-kura." She giggled again. The American had an odd way of pronouncing her name, so that the middle syllable was emphasized. She could hardly recognize it as her own name, but it was obvious that he was trying. He tapped his chest. "Eric."
"Eh-ric." She was extremely pretty, he couldn't help but notice, and making such an effort to be kind. It was hard to believe that she was Meilin's best friend; he couldn't imagine anyone more different. But it was clear from the way Meilin was looking at her that she was pretty special, and therefore Sakura was special to Eric too. Unthinkingly he extended his hand.
"Pleased to meet you." She looked surprised, then smiled and put her hand in his. Her grip was a lot stronger than she looked, and he sensed some real power behind her pretty smile. Maybe she and Meilin weren't so different after all.
"And this is Kero-chan."
The little flying bear flashed a grin in Eric's direction.
"Kon-ana-chiwa," he said brightly. It sounded like a friendly-enough greeting to Eric, who leaned forward in fascination.
"Keh-ro-chan. Hi. Did I see you make fire back there?"
Kero sniffed proudly, and held up a paw. A tiny flame sparked into existence and held, further proof, as if any were needed, of this magic that everyone else was so accustomed to.
"You mean like this?"
"Exactly like that." By some kind of miracle, throughout all the night's pandemonium, he hadn't lost the spare cigarette in his shirt pocket. He fished it out, and held it up to Kero's small fire. A deep breath, and then he contentedly exhaled a puff of smoke. "Thank you."
Kero looked startled, but Sakura just laughed again, and so did Meilin. Syaoran grunted and slid off the railing with a loud thump, making them all look up.
"He smokes," Syaoran muttered disdainfully. "Perfect."
Eric inhaled again, feeling more relaxed with each breath.
"Silent Bob speaks." He blew some smoke in Syaoran's direction, never breaking the brunette's scornful stare. "Yeah. I smoke."
"Drink?"
"Only when I need it," Eric answered glibly, and Syaoran's eyes smoldered. Sakura and Meilin exchanged anxious looks.
"How about drugs, do any drugs?"
"Nah, not anymore."
"Not anymore," Syaoran repeated carefully. "And you're how old?"
"Twenty one…"
"Twenty one!" Syaoran yelped, his voice a little higher-pitched than he'd intended. Kero smothered a snort. Sakura cleared her throat.
"I know, why don't we calm down and have a cup of Yelan-san's tea? It will be nice and relaxing -"
"You go around picking up teenage girls in foreign cities often?" Li inquired icily. Sakura's hand trembled a little as she poured a cup for Eric, who winced.
"Actually, about that. See, I didn't know -"
"And not content with that, you get mixed up with a lot of dark magic -"
"Hey, I didn't want -"
"- and become the reason my cousin nearly got killed tonight."
Eric cringed at the blunt words as he tried a sip of the tea Sakura handed him, then promptly spat it out.
"Cousin? Cousin?"
Sakura shot a surprised look at Meilin.
"Didn't you tell him anything?" The Chinese girl ducked her head.
"I may have skipped a few details."
"Cousin?" Eric repeated in disbelief. They were getting off topic, and Syaoran snarled.
"Ah, hello? Am I the only one that is concerned at all about the danger he put Meilin in?"
"Yeah," Eric agreed casually, deciding to file away that cousin thing for later. "Remember how I held that gun to your head, forced you to come along?"
He winked slyly in her direction, and Meilin couldn't stop the quick giggle. It was so like something Eric would say. Syaoran glowered.
"She's only sixteen!" he barked. "She can't make that kind of decision, she's not old enough!"
"Actually -" Sakura tried to say, but this time it was Eric that cut her off.
"Well, I say she could, and she did. Maybe your problem is that you don't know what she's capable of."
Syaoran crossed the distance between them in about one second, causing everyone to jump to their feet. Trapped between the chair behind him and Syaoran in front of him, Eric leaned back slightly as the younger man stabbed an emphatic finger at his chest.
"Don't you try and tell me anything about Meilin, don't you dare. You don't know anything about her."
"I know she doesn't burst into tears when she sees me out on the street," Eric shot back without missing a beat. Syaoran actually pulled back at that, and for a second there was a flash of hesitation in his eyes. Then it was gone, and only the righteous anger remained.
"She is my cousin! I have always looked after her!"
"And what a bang-up job you've been doing with that, too," Eric commented sarcastically.
For a second there Sakura was sure that Syaoran was going to hit Eric right in the face. She could see that Meilin thought so too, and both girls stiffened. But then, with timing that couldn't have been more perfect from Eric's point of view, Yelan opened the door and leaned out.
"Excuse me, Sakura, phone."
Syaoran contented himself with a low growl, pushing himself away from Eric to pace, and muttering "baka" under his breath.
"Oh yeah, what does that mean?" Eric asked appealingly of Kero, who couldn't seem to stop snickering.
"Things are falling apart out here," Sakura hissed in desperation, but Syaoran's mother only smiled and handed her the phone.
"These things must work out, Sakura. It will be all right." She was back in the house before Sakura could reply, and absentmindendly she raised the phone to her ear.
"Hai?"
A burst of frantic scolding made her wince, and she held the phone away from her ear.
"Onii-chan, gomen nesai, I meant to call earlier but I got distracted."
"You put her in danger of her life," Syaoran said again, his tone indicative of a barely-controlled fury.
"I asked her! She chose to stay with me; she chose to run away."
"I said I was sorry! We kind of had a big night tonight; turns out Meilin wasn't kidnapped -" Sakura broke off, confusion all over her face. "Yes, the American is still with her. How did you know- what's so funny?"
Meilin wished she could cover her ears, block out all the noise. Everyone seemed to be screaming about her, but no one was even looking at her. In front of her Syaoran and Eric were nose to nose and trading vicious glares.
"She's only sixteen, she can't just decide to up and leave! She didn't know what she was doing!"
"Syaoran -"
"She was old enough to handle herself against our attackers."
"Against your attackers! She put her life on the line for you, she almost got killed because of you!"
"Syaoran -"
"She wanted to do it; she agreed to do it! And she was good at it!
"That doesn't change anything!" Syaoran shouted hysterically, and impatiently jerked his arm away when Meilin tugged on it.
"Syaoran -"
"Shut up, I'm not talking to you!"
Meilin's eyes flashed and she snatched his collar. Eric winced in sympathy.
"You are now."
And before he could do anything to extricate himself, Meilin twisted and threw them both over the railing and into the garden. It was so fast that Eric flinched.
"Holy sh -"
"All right!" Kero cheered, and zipped closer to get a better view. Sakura winced.
"Ooh, I was afraid of this. I have to go, Onii-chan."
She hung up before he could protest and crossed the porch to stand by Eric's side. Shocked, he was watching Meilin put Syaoran in a headlock while Kero hooted encouragement to her.
"Shouldn't we try to stop them?" he asked worriedly. Sakura watched as Syaoran wriggled out of the hold and flipped Meilin over his shoulder, and the two Lis rolled across the flowerbeds.
"I'm certainly not getting in the middle of that," she said dryly. "Are you?" Eric hastily shook his head, and she smiled. "It'll be okay. This is something they've needed to do for a while now."
"Which one is better?"
"You know, I'm not really sure." Sakura shrugged and took his hand in hers, leading him back to the porch chairs. "Why don't we talk as long as they're busy?"
"Okay…"
There didn't really seem to be anything else to do. They were shouting at one another in Cantonese again, and he couldn't understand it anyway. The little teddy bear thing was flying in circles overhead and shouting for joy.
"I've been dreaming of this moment for years! Kid vs Brat! Wai!"
Eric retrieved his still-burning cigarette from the impromptu ash tray of a teacup saucer, and inhaled gratefully.
"What did she tell you?"
"Not much. Her parents hate her, and she loves him." He nodded his head towards the two combatants. "Has her whole life. And he doesn't love her back."
He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the girl afresh.
"Is he with you?"
She nodded, almost guiltily.
"A few years now."
"She called you her best friend."
Sakura blushed a little at that, and squeezed her hands together between her knees.
"Oh. Yes, I guess I am. And that should tell you all you need to know about her life."
"Huh." Eric sat back in his chair and glanced at Meilin again. Here was a girl who was so alone that the girl who had stolen her love was her best friend in the whole world. He'd known a while now, but Sakura's statement suddenly put everything in perspective. Meilin was a scarred survivor of emotional trauma that he probably couldn't even begin to understand.
"Am I in over my head?"
Sakura didn't answer right away, taking a sip of tea and considering the question.
"I've often wondered what kind of man Meilin would find," she said thoughtfully. "Or rather, what kind of man would find Meilin. I assumed he would be a warrior like Syaoran, someone strong who was a fighter. But then I saw you at the restaurant tonight, and I knew that she'd done well. She's so strong, stronger than any of us ever suspected. She doesn't need someone for that. She needs someone who can make her smile. Do you do that for her, Eric-san?"
The way she cocked her head and smiled at him, he could tell she already knew the answer. He chuckled and stubbed out his cigarette.
"I can see why she likes you," he said instead. "You care about her a lot, huh?"
Sakura nodded and drew her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on one as she gazed absentmindendly into the garden. In the ambiguous light of the porch lamps, Meilin and Syaoran were still locked in combat.
**
It was not a far distance, and the soft earth of the flowerbeds was comparatively forgiving. Even so, Syaoran grunted in pain when he crashed to the ground. Before he could recover, Meilin was rolling across the surface to pin him with a chokehold.
"You want to yell at someone, you yell at me," she snapped. "He's not the one you're angry with!"
"That is where you are seriously mistaken," Syaoran assured her, and dropped his weight to pull her over his shoulder. She slammed down heavily atop his mother's carefully tended violets. "Your precious gwei lo is a degenerate, Meilin! Twenty-one! He picked up a teenager and took you away from your family!"
"There was no 'taking' of any kind." She scrabbled out of his attempted arm lock, and managed to twist his wrist into a vulnerable position. "I left, Syaoran, I chose to go. And you know it!"
"He used you, Meilin, you just don't understand it! I know he took advantage of you, I know how guys think! Just tell me what he did to you!"
Meilin groaned impatiently and tipped Syaoran back against the flowers, pressing his wrist toward his elbow and making him squirm.
"You sure you want to know, Syaoran? You want to hear how he took me to dinner, held my hand? How he gave me such wonderful massages when I was tired? And tickled me to the ground? And do you want to hear about his kisses?"
"Stop! Stop!" Syaoran begged, kicking fruitlessly against the ground.
"We spent last night in the same bed!"
"Aaah!" In a spurt of desperation Syaoran braced his foot against her shoulder and pushed her well away, then jumped to his feet with murderous designs on the blonde foreigner. He didn't even reach the railing before she'd tackled him again, though, laying him flat out on the dirt.
"I said," she gritted, "that we're talking. Be angry at me! He didn't make me do anything; I left ! I ran away!"
At last Syaoran could hold back no longer and exploded.
"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?"
He twisted and pushed with his hips, throwing her to the side and immediately trapping her shoulder into an armlock. "HOW could you just leave me behind like that? I was out of my mind with worry!"
"You left me behind once!"
"That was different!" Meilin rolled away from the pressure he was exerting on her joints and tried pull him into her own armlock, but he slithered clear just in time.
"How so? You had something you needed to do, you had your destiny. Why can't I have mine?"
"Ooh, good one," Kero chimed in, and Syaoran snarled as he threw himself at Meilin again.
"You're a teenage girl with no magic! Do you have any idea how much danger you were in? Think how you could have gotten hurt!"
"Of course I knew the danger! What, do you think I'm stupid? That I had no idea what I was getting into?"
At last Syaoran managed to roll Meilin onto her stomach and pinned her there with one arm behind her back.
"You had no idea what those men were about, don't you try to tell me anything different!"
"Fine," she admitted grudgingly. "I didn't know what they were after or who they were. But I still understood the danger, I knew I could be hurt. It was a choice that I made!"
"Why?" he begged. "Why would you put yourself into a situation like that, what- were you trying to prove something?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." There was a sharp pain on his ear, and Syaoran lost his grip long enough for her to roll clear.
"Ouch!" He rubbed it and glaring at the wickedly grinning Kero. "You stay out of this, you stupid stuffed animal!"
"Come on, I'm having too much for the fight to be over already!"
"Arigatou," Meilin panted, grappling Syaoran to the ground. "But I can handle things from now on."
"Like you handled falling off a skyscraper?" Syaoran growled into the dirt. Meilin tightened her hold.
"Like I said, I understood the danger. I knew that I might get killed! Do you know what I was doing, the night when I met Eric? Every day I would go out on a walk just to get away from my parents. And when it was dark I would stop walking and just stand there in the street, and force myself to go back. It got harder and harder every night. And then I saved Eric, and he thanked me! He bought me dinner, taught me how to play pool, and he smiled at me."
"So what's your point? You left me to go crazy with worry for a smile and a pair of blue eyes?"
"No. I would have left no matter what. But I fought for him because he was the first person to ever look at me like I was worth something without you! That's why I promised to protect him. It was worth the danger!"
She pushed herself off him with a groan of frustration, and knelt by the edge of the garden pond. Syaoran rubbed his aching arm and watched her peer at her shadowy reflection in the starlit water. Kero's shoulders slumped in disappointment; the fight was over far too soon for his taste.
"So, you hid - and you ran - from me, because it was so important that you risk your life for that?"
"It was special for me." She raked her hair back from her face and let out a weary sigh. "He is special to me."
Syaoran crawled on his hands and knees to Meilin's side, close enough to touch.
"I was afraid of that."
"What?"
"Meilin," he began delicately, "please try to understand. He's twenty-one. He's… from another world. And maybe he needed you to protect him, but that's over now and he is going to go back to that world."
She stared at him, uncomprehendingly at first, then recognition of his words filtered through. Even in the half-light from the porch lamps he could see the change in her eyes; the shift from stubborn pride to acute vulnerability.
"Oh…"
"Shh, I know." Tenderly he reached up to stroke a lock of her glossy hair. "It's going to be all right. You only knew him for a few days. It's better this way, before he can do anything to hurt you. You know that's all I care about. I just don't want to see you hurt."
Meilin raised her hand to cover his. Those hands that had always been there to protect her, shield her, train with her, do everything for her except love her the way she had wanted.
Hardly even stopping to think about it, she grasped Syaoran's hand firmly and twisted his wrist, yanking him right off his knees and spilling him with a splash into the lily pond. He didn't even have time to yelp before he went right under, and Kero erupted in cheers and whistles. As far as he was concerned, Meilin had ended the fight perfectly, and he didn't bother to look up when she jumped to her feet and dashed away. Instead he hovered upside down to smirk at the shocked and spluttering Syaoran.
"I guess that answers that question, huh?"
A handful of water splashed in his face was his only reply.
**
Sipping tea and introducing himself to some girl on the phone called Tomoyo, Eric heard the splash as well as Sakura. Both looked up in time to see Meilin sprint past the porch, ignoring them, and both heard her stifled sob as she began to scramble up the rainpipe.
"I think that's my cue," he ventured, and pushed the phone back in Sakura's hand before hastily vacating the porch. He was obviously more agile than he looked, and Sakura listened to the scuffing sounds of his shoes fade away as he climbed. He'd hardly left when Syaoran came stomping back to the porch steps, soaked through and not looking happy about it.
"Where'd she go?" he demanded.
"Roof."
He cast a suspicious eye over the porch, not liking Sakura's solitude.
"Where's the gwei lo?"
"Roof."
"Alone?" Syaoran wailed. "Together?"
He bolted toward the rainpipe, but before he could lay a hand on it Sakura spoke again.
"Syaoran. You are dripping wet. Soaked to the bone."
"What about it?"
"If, say, a sudden freeze was to come up, you would be iced solid."
Syaoran was suddenly rigidly still.
"You wouldn't." Still holding a hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, his sorceress girlfriend cocked her head and raised her eyebrows.
"You don't think so? Now go change into something dry while I catch Tomoyo up. And Kero-chan, stay with him."
"But -" Sakura shot him one of her rare don't-argue-with-me looks, and he found himself subsiding again. There didn't seem to be any other option but to retreat into the house, tailed by a snickering stuffed animal. And so he stormed through the back door, muttering under his breath all the while. "Everybody in this whole house is fawning all over that stupid American…"
Sakura waited until he was gone before resuming her conversation with Tomoyo.
"He's jealous."
"Oh yeah."
**
It was all going to end. Of course, she should have known it, she should have been smarter than this. Heaven knew she'd learned her lesson the last time. But no, she had been weak, and she'd given in to the feelings, and now it was all going to end. Everybody always left eventually. Meilin hugged her knees to her chest as she looked out over the panorama with glazed eyes. Some scuffling and a masculine grunt told her that she had been followed, and dully she waited for Syaoran to finish the argument.
But it wasn't Syaoran, it was Eric. Her heart gave a little lift at the sight of him, then wrenched again when she remembered. Hastily she returned her gaze to the city.
Balancing carefully on the roof tiles, he climbed up to join her and sat without speaking. It would be just like her, he thought wryly, to seek refuge in a place like this. High up, against the stars, on top of the world. She was at home like this. Below them, Hong Kong nestled against the reflective waters of the harbor like a swarm of fireflies.
"What do you know," he finally said, breaking the silence. "The view is really something from up here. But I guess you already knew that, huh?"
She said nothing, but nodded. She was still not looking at him, and he wondered what that cousin of hers had said to her. And more importantly, what he was supposed to say that would fix it. She was so unreadable. A guy like him would never be able to fully understand her; could never hope to guess her problems and offer just the right comforting words.
So Eric decided to skip all that and just say what was on his mind.
"Do you know what I was thinking, when they had me chained up in that building, and I thought I was about to die?"
Meilin tensed slightly, but didn't turn to face him. Eric rested his arms on his knees and continued.
"I was thinking that I hope this doesn't hurt too much. I hope that Meilin catches these guys, and kicks their asses from here to Hawaii."
That got a slight smile out of her, and Eric felt encouraged.
"I hope that she does all right, once I'm gone. I hope that she finds her way to whatever it was she wanted to do, and that she doesn't force herself to go back to her family, back to being the worthless girl that they mistakenly think she is. I hope she understands how strong she is, how much she has to offer the world. And I hope she realizes that… that I love her."
It would have been impossible to miss her quick intake of breath, and the way she closed her eyes and lifted her chin slightly, like she was savoring the moment.
"I'll never in a million years," he went on, "forget that moment that you landed on the beam. With those white wings flapping in the breeze and everything. When I saw you standing there and looking at us, I knew you were going to win. I could see how unstoppable you are. How invincible."
"I can't- do that on my own," she reminded him, speaking at last. "That was Sakura's magic."
"Doesn't matter," he insisted. He couldn't help himself, his fingers found her hair and combed through her long tresses. Lightly he tickled them down the length of her back. "I can still see them; I know you've got them on the inside. You can do anything that you want now. If you wanted to, you could fly away to a whole new country."
"What?" she whispered. Eric swallowed, then summoned his courage. It was now or never.
"Sakura briefed me downstairs. All your friends are in Japan, and you're not going back to your parents, that's for sure. So, if you wanted to, you could come to California. With me. And have a new beginning."
Finally, Meilin turned her head to face him. Shock and surprise was all over her face, but beyond that Eric couldn't tell what she was thinking.
"You want me to go to America with you?" she repeated slowly. "Leave Hong Kong?"
"Well, yeah. I know this is huge, what I'm asking, but I love you and I'm not big on long distance relationships. I want you to be with me. I want to take you to concerts and play hackey sack on the beach with you, I want to teach you to surf and introduce you to all my friends back home. And I really think this could be good for you, I think -"
"Don't think," Meilin said roughly, interrupting his stream of babble. "Just shut up and let me say that I love you."
Identical tears squeezed out of the corners of her eyes. Stunned, Eric watched them trickle down her cheeks.
"I was scared to say it before but I do and I will go anywhere on this planet to stay with you. I love you."
She was crying, but she looked so happy. She'd said them, she'd said the words that she had been so afraid to admit before. After so long, this beautiful girl had found someone to love and love her back. Eric felt lucky that she'd found him.
And then neither of them were really thinking about anything at all, except embracing each other in the kiss.
**
"Absolutely not," were the first words out of Syaoran's mouth when they announced their intentions.
Meilin squeezed Eric's hand a little and gave her cousin a cool look.
"You realize that I am not asking your permission."
Syaoran ground his teeth a little and pointed threateningly in her direction.
"I can stop you," he promised.
"It would take everything you've got and then some."
"You are way too young to move to a completely different country!"
"You were ten when you moved to Japan!"
"That was different!"
"How so?"
"Well, for starters, I had a chaperone. Not to mention some kind of income! I mean," he appealed in a more reasonable tone, "come on. How do you expect to live?"
Eric cleared his throat.
"Actually, I have a ten million dollar trust fund."
Sakura accidentally squealed out loud, then clapped a hand over her mouth when Syaoran shot her a glare.
"You are not helping," he informed her coldly, then returned his attention to his cousin. He didn't see Sakura clasp her hands over her chest and mouth "wow" at Meilin.
"Syaoran," Meilin tried again, fighting a smile. "I have to go back with him. I want to go with him. It's time for me to start my own life, instead of sitting on the sidelines for you. I think I could be happy in America. Don't… you want me to be happy?"
And maybe, if you cared about her at all, you might even be happy for her.
Unbidden, Touya's words sprang into his mind, and Syaoran raked his fingers through his hair trying to will them away. It wasn't fair, it was too far, she was too young, she shouldn't be putting him through this already!
But in truth he knew that she would always be too young, that he would never be ready for this step. Because she was his little sister, was his only little sister, and had been ever since that day he found and returned her pet bird. He liked being her protector, he liked keeping her safe from harm. Yet now she wanted to be free of what little he could offer, live on her own and independent from him. She could be hurt badly. She could experience pain. How could he relinquish control in the face of risk like that?
But Touya had done the same for Sakura. Could he do no less than Touya?
He didn't know when, but he must have said yes, because then Meilin flew into his arms with a grateful hug. Laughing and crying at the same time, she squeezed him and pushed her head up underneath his chin, as she had done so often in their past. But this time she wasn't attacking him out of desperation, or begging for his attention. She was hugging him as an equal, a sister and partner who understood the sacrifice that he'd just made.
"Thank you," she whispered in Cantonese. "Love you."
"Love you too."
---------------------------------------------------
After such a grueling night, Eric slept long and late into the morning. When the eastern sun rose high enough to shine directly through the windows and onto his face, his eyes fluttered open to stare at an unfamiliar ceiling. It was unnaturally quiet; he could hear birds chirping instead of the usual car horns that roused him from his hostel beds.
He rolled over to look out the window and that was when he remembered everything from the night before. The panic of nearly being killed, then the rush of wonder when Meilin had arrived, and sprouted a pair of wings on top of that. Then meeting everybody, and kissing Meilin on the roof.
"That's right!" he said aloud, and sat straight up in bed. Meilin had agreed to go home with him, and they were doing it today. Not that Hong Kong hadn't been interesting, but the weary foreigner was ready to go home, back where things were safe and normal. He was ready to pick up his life and start anew, as long as Meilin was with him.
With a goofy grin all over his face, Eric splashed his face with water and tried to comb his messy blonde hair with his fingers. He was wearing some really soft and expensive looking Chinese silk pajamas, which he could barely remember changing into. They had all been pretty exhausted when they retired to bed. He could only recall that Meilin was sleeping with Sakura in her guest room, and that Syaoran had insisted he (Eric) sleep in the room next to his (Syaoran's) which was all the way down the hall. It didn't matter; they were leaving today, and then he and Meilin would be sharing his apartment. And that was one other piece of pleasant news he'd learned the night before, from Sakura. It was Meilin's birthday, and she was now seventeen. And seventeen was of legal age in California.
Full of anticipation, Eric opened his bedroom door to find himself facing Syaoran. There was a grim look of determination in those brown eyes that made the blonde gulp, and he opened his mouth to call for help.
"Mei -"
Syaoran clapped a hand over his mouth and pushed him back inside the room, pinning him against the wall.
"Quiet," he ordered, "and I won't hurt you."
"Mmf."
"Though I am tempted," Syaoran admitted. Eric struggled harder at that, but the damn kid had him in another of those unbreakable holds. If he was never attacked again by expert martial artists, it would still be too soon for Eric.
"I know you'll be taking my cousin away from me today, and I won't get another chance to tell you this. So shut up and listen. Are you listening?"
"Mmf."
"Good. You saw my sword last night, and you saw that I am very, very good with it. If you ever, ever make her cry – as much as I did…"
Eric's eyebrows went up at that.
"Then I will kill you. You will not see me coming. Do you understand me?"
He relaxed his hold on Eric's mouth just enough for him to nod, and then he smiled in a humorless sort of way.
"Excellent."
At the far end of the hall, Sakura and Meilin were blissfully ignorant of the interaction between Syaoran and Eric. Instead Sakura was handing a small carryon bag to Meilin.
"Courtesy of the Move and Through Cards. When I snuck into your house the day after we arrived, I just sort of had a feeling that I should take these. I got all your photos, the letters, the money you were saving, and the passport. There are two first class tickets in there from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, too. Yelan-san gave them to me; don't ask me how she got them."
Meilin's eyes were brimming over with tears as she accepted the gift. It was so like Sakura to be this thoughtful.
"I'm going to miss you so much."
"Hey, you'll come back to visit. I know you will." Sakura was starting to get a little teary herself, and wiped her eyes. "But this is something you just have to do."
Meilin nodded. They both knew it, it felt right, but that didn't make it any easier. It was never easy to say goodbye to true friends.
"Arigatou. Thanks for coming to Hong Kong, thanks for being my friend, thank you so much for last night. It was the most wonderful moment of my life."
"Well, now you'll have the chance to make a lot more. You never have to go back to the birdcage again."
**
Time seemed to speed up after that. They all ate, and then Sakura and Eric returned to the hotel so he could pay the bill and collect his things. It wasn't long before they were all standing in the house driveway, next to the waiting family limo.
"Are you sure you don't want to come to the airport with us?"
Sakura shook her head, knowing Syaoran's feelings.
"It would be just as hard to say goodby there as here."
"I suppose you're right." Sniffling a little, Meilin clutched at Kero in a tight hug. He thanked her for the terrific action the night before, which almost made her giggle. Then her aunt, who embraced her silently and only kissed her on the top of her head. Then Sakura, who whispered "good luck" in her ear before she pulled away and turned to Syaoran.
"Thank you."
"I didn't do anything," he muttered noncommittally. Meilin squeezed him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder.
"You made a choice to accept him. I would have been miserable if you hadn't."
Syaoran hadn't exactly accepted Eric, and both men knew it. But the agreement between them was enough. At the very least, she was happy.
He tried to speak, then found that the words were sticking in his throat.
What's the matter?
Meilin hugged her old love goodbye one last time, and then Eric ushered her gently into the backseat before getting in himself. The car shifted gears and began rolling away toward the gates. Just as he had done three years previously, the window rolled down and Meilin leaned out to blow him one final kiss.
The bird. It flew away… it was a gift from my aunt, too. I loved it!
And then the limo turned out of the gates and disappeared, taking her with it. Sakura's arms were around his waist, and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
"You gonna be okay?"
Don't cry.
"She h-has to lead her own life," he choked. "It's not m-my job to protect her anymore; she doesn't n-need me."
I'll find it.
"Sh-she's strong enough on her own. I b-believe in her. She'll be all right."
He opened his hands to reveal a small, rain-soaked bird.
"You are a good man, Li Syaoran," Sakura whispered. "And I love you."
She gasped and threw herself into his arms, crying.
She hugged him close, and felt a few tears drop onto the top of her head.
"I love you too."
This feels kinda nice. I'll never let her go.
But he had. For better or for worse, Meilin was flying free.
THE END
-----------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters