Chapter 9-Spinel
They didn't really die, if that's what you thought. Nor did they run away. Whatever happened happened because of Syaoran, and it wasn't his fault. Somehow the witches and wizards disappeared, whether to the other dimension or to some other weird world I can't even imagine. No doubt Syaoran's dragon knew all about it, but none of us knew dragon language and it wasn't interested in speaking to us.
This, as can be imagined, was greatly discouraging.
" Just when we need them most." Eriol muttered.
True. We did need them. Mimi and George often visited with several other witches and wizards to check up on Syaoran. When they stopped, it felt like losing a friend. If Syaoran was worried though, he certainly didn't show it. Perhaps he didn't care. Indeed, it didn't matter to him anymore whether the wizards visited or not. He couldn't see them, couldn't talk to them, couldn't listen to them. Yue sometomes helped him, but Syaoran usually didn't pay attention. He was content with doing math and reading literature with the help of Yue's tired eyes.
So the wizards and witches were gone. Period. They dropped to say goodbye to Syaoran and then left, saying they will never come back, yet the strange thing was they also said they'll see Syaoran again.
What the heck could that mean?
" Beats me." Was what Syaoran said, or actually, he shrugged, which pretty much translates into that. Yue said the same thing.
It was getting tiresome. Kero and I will never get use to Syaoran not responding to us. We would fall over and we wouldn't get a word of sympathy from him because he never knew. We would shout his name and he wouldn't hear us if his father didn't. Kami-sama, he's totally separated from the world. It's like having everyone together, but he was separated by a huge clear wall where no sound and no light could pass through.
He was apart from us.
And Kami, do I hate that.
One day Syaoran faced a tragedy.
Sure, it might not be so important to us. But dogs are like friends and to Syaoran his dearest companion. Lele had been his ears and eyes for a long while, and also his voice. So when Lele was killed in a car accident, Syaoran was devastated.
That dog was barely half a year old. Sure, Lele was big, but he's still a baby. He still has around nine to thirteen years ahead of him.
We buried Lele in the backyard. After that Syaoran would not keep another dog.
" Since when did I become a telephone?" Eriol sat down. " Every day, some kid
asks me to tell Sakura this, send this to her, gave me a note, give her this message.
Or Tomoyo, tell her this, tell her that."
" Mr. Mailman." I answered humorlessly. Eriol glared.
" When will they give up?" He sighed.
" You forget." Nakuru answered. " You're in junior high school. People are starting
to get worked up about the opposite gender, and quite frankly, boys are more
stubborn than girls at this age."
" Not true." I answered. " It's just that Sakura and Tomoyo are very pretty."
" That too." Nakuru blinked. " I forgot how it was when I tried to act thirteen."
" Enough." Eriol was rubbing his temples. " I had enough of this. I don't care if they
get their hearts broken. But this...this is just plain annoying!"
" Since when did Eriol-sama get annoyed?" I asked. Eriol blinked. Kaho glared at
me. I shrugged. I'm a cat. What do I care.
" Everything would have been just great if we didn't go to Hong Kong." Eriol
began, and he sighed. " Sakura would still be in love with Syaoran but she wouldn't
know that this happened to him. Sure, Syaoran would never know Yue's his father,
but still everyone's happy! I wouldn't have had to go around trying to comfort
people. Touya and Syaoran would still be sharing glaring contests. Kero would still
be biting Syaoran. Or maybe, Syaoran would go and never come back, and we'll all
be pretty much ignorant and happy."
" We were meant to know, Eriol." Kaho pointed out. " After all, none of you knew
why you followed Syaoran to Hong Kong in the first place."
There was a harsh silence.
Eriol held his head in his hands. " You're right." He said softly. " I guess it's better this way. Syaoran got his one wish. But he lost his family...but then again, he'll lose them anyway. And he'll have nowhere to go. And right now, if he's at Hong Kong he'll be all alone, with his own blindness, muteness, deafness. No one to comfort him. No one to love him. And maybe being the person he is he would not call us for help. And the wizards and witches will never befriend him."
Silence.
" Perhaps if we weren't here he'll be long gone." Eriol went on. " After all, the only reason he's fighting death is for us. He found life worth living because of us. I guess some good came out of this." He smiled, it was a sad smile.
" We had two happy years." Nakuru agreed. " Sure, those two years were also
spotted with misunderstanding, especially in the beginning. Remember when Sakura
died?"
" Hai." I nodded. " But most of the time it was happy, compared to how it could
have been. Remember how we use to play Chinese poker?"
" Hai!" Eriol smiled. " And Syaoran use to always win. Either he, or Yue. Those
two were unbeatable."
" And that Chinese New Year party." Kaho tilted her head. " I never saw anything
more joyous."
" And the memories we all shared." Nakuru peeped. " How Syaoran popped his D
string and when he threw Chinese noodles into the garbage can."
" All the ice cream we ate." Eriol laughed. " Kami."
" And when Yue took him out flying."
" The monks and the chopsticks."
We were laughing now. Not because we were happy. It seemed we realized that there were things to be fond of. Even if they were in the past.
" Remember how you use to hate your piano?" I remarked. " You complained all
the time, how the keys don't work, the pedal always creaks, and you were so happy
when you finally got a new Steinway from Germany."
" I remember how Xuyan and Syaoran always argued about the pieces." Kaho said
thoughtfully. " They were always saying that someone should slow down, some
quicken, all that nonsense, and in the end you always had to push them apart since
they argue over your head. You were the one that had the score, after all."
" Remember that time when Syaoran use to drink that medicine?" I grimaced. "
Eww."
" He played with the Shanghai Orchestra too." Nakuru laughed. " Our little Jingxi."
" Jingxi. Good surprise. Hai, he brought many surprises." Eriol nodded.
Gradually our talk came to the times before we knew Syaoran was ill. That
time when Syaoran disguised his disease so well.
" He was always glaring at you whenever you came near Sakura." I laughed. " And
calling Kero a stuffed animal."
" Remember the time when you used the strings?" Nakuru blinked. " He had to
freeze himself. Naughty Eriol!"
" And the ski trip."
" The time when he fell out of the tree."
" Remember how you put the spell on the piano and it went chasing everyone?"
Kaho laughed.
Outside a dog barked. For a minute we all thought it was Lele. It sounded
just like his bark. There was a boy there, a brown haired boy that none of us knew,
throwing a frisbee.
" Lele." I said. " I thought it was him. He even looks like Lele."
There was a brief silence.
" Did you finish that book: " The Journey to the West" with him?" Eriol asked.
" Iie. Xuyan and Yue took up that job."
" What happened to Sergei?"
" He was gone. With the wizards."
" Oh." Eriol sighed. " He claimed there was nothing that could be done."
" Nothing he could do, at any rate. Syaoran didn't really enjoy his company." Kaho
laughed.
More barking sounded. Outside the boy was laughing, rushing to the dog and rubbing its ears.
" Good girl!" He said. " Good girl!"
