Chapter 2: Birthday of Fwan Hung Na
"Are the preparations complete?" Clow Reed asked Tomoyo who was busy getting ready the dinner table. Tomoyo nodded, "I think Sakura's going to be extremely happy how we set up this dining room." Tomoyo looked around to see the decorations, the large windows had boughs of ribbons hanging from them, the table was decorated with a flower for each seat and in bushes for the centerpiece, and finally, she waxed the floor so that you could practically see your own reflection.
Clow Reed looked satisfied, "Well, I'm glad Sakura will have her birthday today, especially her 16th," Clow Reed smiled with squinted eyes and pulled out the 'Flower' card. "One small thing Tomoyo, there aren't enough flowers, so allow me to do the honors." Clow pulled out his staff and hit the card with his staff, making the card disperse a room full of flower petals on the ground.
"That's better!" Clow said, "Now it's time for the guests to come in." Clow was nearly a mile away from the door; no way was he going to walk there. He magically held his hand out in the direction of the door and strings of magical visages were being sucked into his hand and formed into a card, "Thank you, 'Lock'." As soon as Clow took away 'lock', people came pouring in, "Ahhhhh….I forgot, I need to get the guests some water." Tomoyo rushed into the back kitchen where she went to get 120 cups for the 120 guests. Clow smiled, but when he thought of Sakura, he could only wonder, "Where could she be?"
Sakura looked at herself in the mirror as she brushed her hair. The brush passed her hair ever so gently, and as it kept on stroking down, Sakura's hair got shinier in the light. Sakura was wearing a pink and white Chinese dress with a very loose skirt and no sleeves. The dress was tied next to her collar. She looked at the mirror and put on her hairpiece with a flower and then pinned it in.
Sakura Narration
Today is my birthday; I'm the daughter of the General so I get the royal treatment. It's almost like this every year. My father always asks permission from the emperor to use his banquet hall and every year, nearly 100 guests are invited. (Someone knocks on the door) "Who is it?" "It's Syaoran!" What could he want in here? "Come in!" (Syaoran enters) Li-hing, what is he doing here this year, ever since we were children, he's never been to my birthday's, at least I never invited him because I know he would call me a brat. Why is he so different today, he looks beet red, what's wrong with him? "Li-hing what is it?"
Li-hing is looking funny today, is he blushing? "Fw-fwa-fwan, I err, I came to give your birthday present." (Syaoran sticks out his arms with an oddly shaped package wrapped in tissue) He got me a present this year? (blushes, but also confused) "For me?" I don't know what to say, he actually got me something this year, I wonder what it is. (Sakura unwraps the tissue paper being careful not to rip any of the tissue paper) Oh my, he shouldn't have. "Li-hing isn't this your lucky ring?" Li-hing's blushing again. "Well, err, yes but you see," Li-hing's sweating now, is it hot in here? "Um…Fwan, I didn't have enough money and I had to give you something. Mother told me that when it was her 16 birthday, father gave her his sword pendant, he gave away his precious item to wish her good luck, I want to do the same."
This ring, I've always liked it, whenever I saw Li-hing with it, I would get jealous because this ring looked so pretty. Well it really does, it's gold with a design of a rabbit inscribed around it. Rabbits are considered lucky and that's why he considers this his lucky ring. "Arigatou Li-kun!" Huh? What did I just say? "Sorry I meant thank you Li-hing."
End Sakura Narration
Syaoran looked at Sakura puzzled at what she said, but he shook it off and thought maybe it was nothing. "Well Sakura, I have to get going and claim my seat before it gets taken." Syaoran began to walk out the doorway. "Li-hing!" Sakura called his attention and Syaoran turned around, "Thank you for coming this year!" Syaoran smiled, "It's the least I could do, you're turning 16, I couldn't leave you to be the spoiled brat you are!" Sakura filled up with rage, "I'm not a BRAT!!!" she threw her cushion at the door which Syaoran quickly closed before it hit him.
Sakura looked at the ring she received one last time, put it on and blushed. "Li-hing got me something this year!" she sang to herself. Another knock on the door woke her up from the singing once more. "Who is it?" she asked. "Sakura, may I speak to you for a second?" a mean voice came from the other side. "Papa, please come in!" Sakura looked into the mirror; she didn't want to see her father face to face. Min looked at his daughter and lightened up with a soft smile.
"My daughter," he approached Sakura and felt her soft hair, "Every year ever since you were her, I have raised you without the aide of your mother. But regardless to that, every year you grow more beautiful." Sakura began to blush as she looked at her father through the mirror. "Truth is Sakura; I must tell you something about your birthday." Sakura looked at her father's eyes now; she wanted to know what he had to say. "When you were born, you were born a few days off before this day," Sakura shot her eyes open, "As a matter of fact, this can be blamed when your mother had you while I was in the battlefield, she died right after your birth and didn't tell me your birthday."
Another door knocked. "Come in!" Min said. "Sakura, all the guests are awaiting the arrival of the birthday girl." Tomoyo notified them. "Shall we?" Min held out his arm, Sakura reluctantly took it. Tomoyo walked ahead of both father and daughter and led them to the main dining room. The moment Sakura entered, the dining room shot a big bright spot light at her. Everyone in the room clapped for the arrival of the birthday girl.
Tomoyo grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her to her seat, the center seat at the end. "Would everyone please turn your attention here," Clow Reed spoke above all the chit chat that started to occur, "As a birthday present from me to Fwan Hung Na, I give you all, ladies and gentlemen, a display of magical proportions." Clow Reed snapped his fingers, nearly 65 cooks with silver trays and platters came out. "Let the show begin!"
Every cook popped off the cap which covered the platters. In a brilliant display of lights, different colored spectrums shot to the ceiling and displayed a light show. "It's so pretty!" Sakura said with surprise. The lights on the ceiling began to 'glow' and the lights suddenly dropped down into little bubbles of glowing rainbow fireflies. "Too pretty!" Sakura exclaimed with delight. Her eyes were set on the floating bubbles, her emerald eyes reflecting the rainbow colors. Sakura felt eternal bliss in her mental state; the mind's eye showed her rainbows with glimmering rain on a peaceful hill. Suddenly, her image cracked and her eyes shot open.
"CRASH!!!" The sound of breaking window glass echoed in the room and everyone scurried about. Every guest scrambled from their seats and tried to open the door out of the dining room. But as soon as the guests went to the door, they were held off by men with white headbands and poles to block their exit. From the broken windows, many of the bandits with white headbands came crashing in. The one bandit that stood out though entered the scene much later and screamed to his audience. His black short hair and small piercing eyes struck fear into the flurrying audience. "It seems there's been a party, and we haven't been invited, so as our way of being invited, your goods would be nice to give to the refugees."
The man held his two machetes in the air and crossed them. "Listen everyone, we are going to take your possessions and give them to the refugees so there is no need to panic." Too late, everyone panicked some more and tried to make desperate jumps out the windows. "Listen fellas, hold off the Imperial Army, take the riches, but don't harm women and children, got it!?" "YES SIR!" the men replied to their leader, "Then move out, AWOOOOOO!" The piercing cry of the man struck terror into the people who backed away into a corner. "Those damn rebels!" Min cursed, "All Imperial bodyguards, attack those damn rebels!"
Sakura Narration
What is this? Who are these people? Why are they crashing my 16th birthday? I need to go hide, away from these barbarians. I'll just turn around and, "Ahh!" "Hello! Girly, my you sure are pretty, give me more than just your valuables." I slapped him, what a pig. "Hey Hirotaki, I said leave the women and children alone! I'm sorry m-"
Huh? Why is he staring at me? (the man stares at Sakura's necklace) "Please what do you want!?" "Where did you get that necklace?" (The man points the machete at Sakura's neck) "Get away from her!" Li-hing, thank you! "Fwan, are you alright?" "Hai!" "Listen up don't you touch her." Li-hing kicks the man away. Li-hing is very heroic; he has a sense of protecting people, no matter who you are. "Everyone retreat, AWWOOOOOOO!" Huh, that man is retreating, oh well; I guess that's a good thing. "Fwan are you okay? Did that man touch you?" Li-hing is also very worrying at times. "I'm fine Li-hing, thanks to you!"
After the bandits had all left, father approached me, "Sakura are you alright?" Father thanks goodness he wasn't hurt. "I'm fine papa!" "That's good!"
End Sakura Narration
Sakura's party was gradually wrecked. But other than that, she didn't mind, she just wanted to know who that strange man was, and why did he stare at her. Why did she feel so strange when she met him?
Elsewhere:
"AWWOOOOOOOO!!!" the cry could be heard in the ears of a man, "AWWOOOOO!" The man, wearing spectacles, had brown hair and a wise look, when hearing the cry, he looked outside his tent. "Touya has returned." Across the horizon, the man saw people with white headbands riding to his site. The main leader held up his hand and made a few signs in it. The man, reading the hand signals was trying to comprehend what he was saying, when he looked harder, he understood. "Sakura…alive?"
Character Bio
Li Syaoran
Birthday: July 13
Zodiac sign Associated with: Ox
Favorite Hobby: Practicing kung fu and swordsmanship
Least favorite Hobby: Learning a foreign language
Special Talents: Excellent fighter
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Flower: Chinese Peony
Favorite food: Dimsum
Least favorite food: sweet potato jelly
Something he can cook: A little bit of everything
Wish List: Brand new sword, book written by Clow
Comments: When I was changing Syaoran, I didn't want to change him. But due to the fact how this story went by Sakura not growing up with her true brother, Touya, and not having her common love interest, Yukito, they are both not present, so I decided to combine their traits. In this story, Syaoran is the one Sakura desires, while Syaoran desires Sakura, and in the process, Syaoran calls Sakura a brat instead of monster. Other than these traits, Syaoran has been kept to his most original form. Oh yeah and in this story, Syaoran does know magic, but only the basic elements.