Chapter 12: "What do you mean, 'What am I doing here?'"
Disclaimer/Author's notes/Assorted junk: Anyways, here's the next chapter, and this is where everything picks up a notch. Also, this will feature Syaoran's family, and a game of 'Guess where it is?' with Syaoran's belongings thanks to his sisters. Naw, I'm just kidding you with that last part. I'm hoping this chapter will be longer than the last one, but you never know. I may just give up halfway and leave it with a cliffhanger. Or do my Radicals homework. Given the size of my homework, I'll probably work on this chapter. Enough talking from me, read on, and review please! ^_^
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Hikari typed away at the laptop, as the plane flew smoothly, much to Meiling's relief, and Syaoran's eyes were attempting to close, begging for sleep. All he could think about was Chang Liu. How could he think of anything else? He sighed, wishing he could sleep, but his mind wouldn't shut down. Syaoran was snapped from his thoughts from Hikari tapping him on the shoulder. "Yeah?"
"You really should sleep," Hikari advised, smiling. "Your body needs the rest. Besides, you need your energy to put up with your family, the way you're complaining about them." Syaoran nodded, knowing she was right, and closed his eyes, and surprisingly, fell asleep. Hikari ran her hand through his messy brown hair, and smiled. (You're a strong person, Syaoran. Any other person would've collapsed from all the pressure, but you're handling yourself well. I shouldn't be surprised. I promise I'll protect you Syaoran. Forever.)
"Hikari," Meiling began, as Hikari turned to face her, "I just want to know one thing."
"Sure, what is it?" Hikari asked, shutting down her laptop, and turning her full attention to the blue haired girl sitting beside her.
"This entire thing with Chang Liu...will we all make it out alive?" Meiling questioned, biting her lower lip. (I don't want Syaoran to see how worried this is making me. I can talk to Hikari. She's like family, and she's the only way we can defeat Chang Liu...here goes. You can do this, Meiling. This isn't going to stop you!) "I mean, how strong is she?"
"Well," Hikari began, taking a deep breath, and closing her eyes for a moment, "she's very strong. Nothing like you've seen before. You've dealt with Clow Cards, and Eriol isn't a threat. This is something that involves past histories, magics from two different paths, and also a clan of very dangerous Sorceresses and Sorcerers. But, there is a way to defeat Chang Liu." Hikari sighed, remembering everything her grandfather had told her before he passed away. "But timing's everything. If we don't stop her by a certain time, we're all--"
"Dead," Meiling finished, a grim expression on her face. "I know." She swallowed, and tried to smile. "But you know, we'll make it out of this! After all, we can't just die when the going gets tough, right?"
Hikari couldn't help but smile at Meiling's determination. Even at her worst, Meiling wouldn't give up hope. She was stubborn, but sometimes, that was her best feature. "Right. Now, I think you should get some sleep. The flight's long, and I'm thinking of getting some rest too."
"Okay," Meiling nodded. She adjusted her position so that she was comfortable with the flimsy pillow that was provided on the flight. "Hikari?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
Hikari's heart just melted when she heard those words from Meiling. It had been so long since anyone had told her that. She watched as the blue haired girl drifted off into sleep, and ran a hand through her dark hair. The last person who told her that they loved her was her Grandfather. He had raised her since she was 6 years old, as her parents had died in a car accident in Hong Kong. It was then that Shang Reed decided that he would move to Osaka, Japan with Hikari, and raise her there. (I had waited so long to have that feeling of belonging in a family return again. I won't let Chang Liu destroy this. This peaceful world for her own gains. She doesn't even know if the power of the Tear of Destiny is controllable. . .)
* * *
Sakura frowned as Tomoyo put down another hand. "Rummy!" the purple haired girl declared happily. And it was true: Tomoyo's hand had 4 Kings, and a 3, 4, and 5. "I'm so glad you taught me how to play Rummy, Sakura! It's so much fun!"
"Yeah, fun," Sakura muttered, as she looked at the hand again. Kero-chan was on her shoulder, as her father, Touya and Yukito were in the row behind them, and the man that was sitting beside them was asleep. "I wonder why Syaoran wasn't home when I called? He's usually home at that hour."
"Keeping tabs on your man, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked innocently, as she re-shuffled the deck. Kero-chan smirked as Sakura turned the approximate colour of a cherry. "I'm just kidding. I don't know why he wasn't home. Maybe he was out or something."
"The gaki with a social life? Not likely," Kero-chan scoffed, as he split the deck that Tomoyo held out to him. Sakura gave him a glare, and he retracted his comments. "How much longer until we're in Hong Kong anyway?"
"A long time," Sakura replied, patting the dwindled form of the Guardian beast's head. She yawned, and covered her mouth, closing her eyes for a moment. "I'm so tired, but I haven't done a thing!"
"You're just lazy!" Touya commented from behind her.
"Touya!" Sakura admonished, as she turned around, glaring at her brother. "Weren't you asleep or something?"
"Nope," the older Kinomoto sibling shook his head. "Can't sleep with you two yapping all the time." Sakura blew a raspberry, and returned to her seat. Yukito raised an eyebrow to his best friend, and Touya looked at him. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You have to be so difficult all the time, Touya?" Yukito asked, resting his chin on his hand. "Pretty sad front you're putting up for your feelings."
"Yuki," Touya began, before Yukito put a finger to his best friend's lips. "???"
"Shut up, Touya," Yukito smiled. "At least get some rest. The flight's a long one, and besides, I think we can all do without you starting another disruption." Touya nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue Yukito's point, and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. The rest of the flight was a peaceful one, and a woman sitting just five rows behind Syaoran, Hikari and Meiling smirked. She would have him soon. Very soon.
* * *
"Here we are," Syaoran said, as he led Hikari up to his house. Meiling was beside him, and Hikari had stuck back for a bit to tip the cab driver. Hikari was a little surprised at the size of the house...it looked more like a mansion. Syaoran rang the doorbell, and waited. One of his sisters, Sheifa answered. "Hello Sheifa."
"Hello brat," Sheifa greeted 'warmly'. "Hey Meiling. And who are you?" That question, of course, was directed at Hikari, who waved pathetically at Syaoran's older sister. "Oh wait, you must be that Hikari girl Mother told us about. Come in." She stepped back and allowed the three to enter the large house. "I'll get mother."
Li Yelan came down the stairs a bit later, dressed in traditional Li robes, and a cherry blossom flower in her hair, with Sheifa right behind her. One of the servants in the house had taken the trio's luggage away, and Hikari was looking around the house in awe. "Hello Hikari," Yelan smiled, bringing Hikari out of her reviere. "I am Li Yelan. Syaoran's mother. It's nice to meet you." She bowed to Hikari, who bowed back.
"It's nice to meet you too, ma'am," Hikari nodded. "I have to talk to you privately about Chang Liu and the Gate. Is there somewhere where we could do that?" (Can't dance around this, and I'm sure Yelan would have asked if I didn't right away.)
"Of course," Yelan replied. "Miel, get Meiling and Syaoran something to drink while I talk to Hikari in the garden. Tell your sisters to come down as well." Sheifa nodded, and went to another part of the house. Miel, one of the servants in the house, nodded, and went to the kitchen to get some drinks. Syaoran and Meiling sat on one of the couches, and leaned back, the jet-lag beginning to set in.
Yelan led Hikari to the back of the house, to the garden, and Hikari was shocked at the beauty of the garden. It was far more beautiful than anything she had ever seen. There were many cherry and peach blossom trees, and bonzai ones as well. A soft breeze played with the young woman's hair, as a cherry blossom flower floated down from one of the branches, and landed in her hand. "Li-sama...I am sure you are well aware of the legend of the Gate...and Syaoran has surely told you that he is the Key to opening the Gate..."
"Yes," Yelan nodded, as she sat down on a stone bench in the middle of the garden. Hikari sat beside her, and the older woman continued. "If you don't mind, would you please transform? I would like to see for myself the Guardian of my Xiao."
"Of course," Hikari answered. "Dark light mixed with twin partner of ancient times. Bring forth the protector of Xiao Lang. Release!" And before Li Yelan's eyes, the young woman transformed into the winged protector of her son. "Yelan, my name is Kiseki." Yelan looked at the Guardian, studying all her features. Yes, she was powerful. Even more so than Yelan herself.
"Kiseki," Yelan repeated, the name rolling off her tongue smoothly. "About Chang Liu. I know about the Chang clan, and how powerful they are, but the details of the Gate have been distorted because of the tellings through the Generations of my family. I am unsure of the true nature of the Gate, and my son's role in it."
"The Gate is the path way to another realm," Kiseki began, as she folded her arms, after putting her staff on the bench. "In that realm, there is a stone, the Tear of Destiny. It is said that this stone can give the owner unimaginable power. But to get to the Tear of Destiny, the Gate must be open, and to open the Gate, you need the Key. Syaoran is the Key. And in order for the Gate to open, a ritual must be preformed with the Key. Chang Liu must shallowly cut Syaoran, in order for him to bleed slowly, allowing the Gate to stay open longer.While the Gate is open, chaos will ensue on this world, as the dimentions bleed into one another."
"And you, are the only one who can stop her?" Yelan asked, after taking all of this information in. Kiseki nodded once. "Do you think Chang Liu followed Syaoran here?"
"Yes," Kiseki answered, nodding again. "She no doubt sensed Syaoran was going to leave, and came too. She changes her form to conceal her powers, but I know she is here. The question is, is she going to move quickly, or wait it out. I am not sure."
"I see," Yelan murmered, "we will have to be careful, and be on alert. In the mean time, why don't we go back inside? I will have to tell the rest of the family this."
"Of course," Kiseki nodded, as she de-transformed. Hikari then followed Syaoran's mother back inside the house, where the rest of Syaoran's sisters had come downstairs, and were bugging Syaoran on whether or not he had a girlfriend. Yelan introduced Hikari to the girls, and then they surrounded her, wanting to give her a make-over or something of the sort. "No, no, that's all right. I'm fine the way I am..."
"Come!" Feimei commanded, as she grabbed Hikari's hand. "I'm going to take you out shopping!" Hikari had no time to respond, as Feimei dragged her out of the house.
"Well...." Fuutie murmered, as Feimei slammed the door behind herself and Hikari, "what shall we do while they're gone?"
"How about nothing?" Syaoran suggested. "I'm still suffering from Jet-lag."
"Aww, poor baby," Fanren snickered, ruffling his hair. Syaoran hissed, and batted her hand away, as she giggled. "Meiling, how are you doing?"
"Good," the blue haired girl replied, drinking her tea. "But I'm the same as Syaoran. Still suffering from jet-lag." Fanren nodded, and the family was together again, talking about all the family-ish things, like how Syaoran and Meiling have been, what's been going on, that sort of thing. "You know, I really like Hikari...she's like a sister to me."
"Yeah," Syaoran nodded. "One of my *better* sisters." This got him a smack with a pillow from Fuutie, and a playful shove by Fanren. "A sister that is actually not abusive towards me." The two sisters blew a raspberry, while Sheifa refused to dignify it with an answer. Yelan smiled at the sight, while quietly drinking her tea. (They'll never change...)
* * *
"Oooh, Tomoyo! Look! Aren't those cute!?" Sakura exclaimed, as she pointed to some stuffed animals in the window of a toy store. "Oh, that looks like Kero-chan!" The said Guardian beast of the Clow poked his head out from Sakura's bag.
"No it doesn't," Kero-chan scoffed. "It looks nothing like me."
Sakura shoved Kero-chan's head back down into the bag, and laughed nervously as Touya looked at her funny. "It's nothing Onii-chan! ^_^*" Touya shrugged, and pointed something out to Yukito. "Kero-chan! Don't do that! Touya's going to catch on someday!"
"Yeah right," Kero-chan muttered. "He's too slow for that."
"Kero-chan!" Sakura admonished. Tomoyo giggled, and pulled Sakura down to another store, where they exclaimed about how pretty the porcelin dolls were. "Ooh, that one looks like you, Tomoyo! It even has the purple hair!"
"It does not!" Tomoyo denied, laughing. "Look! That one looks like you!"
"Hey, it does," Sakura nodded, as she peered at the doll through the glass. "Maybe we should get it and scare Touya with it. You know, pretend that the doll actually talks?"
"Yeah!" Tomoyo agreed, smiling. "We should do that."
Touya looked at one of the flowers that a vendor was trying to sell to him. It was almost dead but the vendor insisted that it was just 'a little old' and 'nothing a little love and care wouldn't fix', but the young man knew it was a flat out lie. "No thanks," he said to the man. As he turned around to walk to another store, he knocked into someone. "Sorry..." Then he saw who it was. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean, 'What am I doing here?' What are YOU doing here??" Hikari asked, as she looked at Touya with wide eyes. "I'm here because I have to speak with Syaoran's family. That doesn't explain why you're here!"
"My dad's looking at some artifact," Touya replied, brushing something off his sleeve. "It's nice running into you too." He then noticed the other girl that was with Hikari. "Who's your friend?"
"This would be Syaoran's sister, Feimei," Hikari introduced, as Feimei bowed, as did Touya. "She's taking me on a nice little tour of Hong Kong."
"Before you rudely interuppted it," Feimei said a little snappishly, as she grabbed Hikari's hand again. "We have to go get something for Sheifa before we go back."
"Hikari!?" Sakura exclaimed, as she ran over with Tomoyo. "What are you doing in Hong Kong?" She was extremely excitied to see the older girl, and immediately wondered if Syaoran was with her. The young girl noticed Feimei, whom she had met last year. "Feimei! Hi!"
"Sakura," Feimei smiled, bowing to the younger girl. "How are you? What brings you to Hong Kong?"
"I'm with Touya," Sakura said, pointing to her brother. "Otousan's looking at some kind of old artifact. Is Syaoran with you?" (I got a look at that artifact that Dad's looking at. I think it could have something to do with Chang Liu. I'm not sure though...)
"He's at the house," Hikari replied. Suddenly, she felt very faint, and leaned against the building for support. Her vision got blurry, and she could've sworn that she saw two Sakuras. (What's wrong with me? It's a strong power....I didn't think it would have this effect on me...or someone must be trying to disrupt my powers...)
"Hikari? Are you all right?" Yukito asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Hikari shook her head, regaining some of her vision back, and felt good enough to stand on her own two feet without falling over. "Yeah...just a little jet-lagged...I'll be fine." She gave Sakura a look, which meant 'I felt a strong power', and thankfully Sakura got the meaning of the look. "Feimei, I think I should go back to the house..."
"I agree," Feimei nodded, taking her arm. "Come. You don't look so well. Good bye, Sakura, Tomoyo." The two girls said bye, as did Touya and Yukito, and Feimei led Hikari back to the Li household.
*~Evening*~
Hikari stretched out, and was about to go to the bathroom to brush her teeth when she heard a knock at her door. "Coming," she called to whomever was at the door. When she opened it, she was forcibly pushed against the wall, the person's forearm against her neck. "Who are you!?" Hikari managed, her voice strained.
"Don't reconize me?" The voice hissed, and Hikari's eyes widened, as she fully reconized the voice. "I'm hurt, Miss. Reed. I'm going to take care of you now, so you don't get in my way when I rightfully take my rightful place!" As Hikari's mouth opened to make a retort, a hand was clamped firmly on her mouth. "You're not going to say a word, understand?" Hikari, not one to take orders from her mortal enemy, bit down on Chang Liu's hand. "Argh! You brat! How DARE you bite me!"
"You're not taking me!" Hikari declared, getting into a defensive stance. "You think I'd surrender to you so easily? Think again!"
"Oh, you're coming with me," Chang Liu said smugly, crossing her arms across her chest. "Unless you want something 'unfortunate' to happen to dear Syaoran." Hikari's eyes widened a bit as her mind raced over the possiblities of this sudden threat. She knew Chang Liu had her power masked, so no one in the house could sense the power except for herself. "Not so tough now, are we? Your kind heart makes you weak, Hikari Reed."
"What is weak to you could be your downfall, Chang Liu," Hikari shot back. She rushed at Chang Liu, and looked to be wanting to execute a side kick, but Chang Liu saw it coming, and grabbed Hikari's foot, twisting it so that her ankle snapped, and dropped the young woman to the ground, smirking.
"You'll never be able to defeat me, girl," Chang Liu smirked. Hikari looked up at the older woman with utter hatred in her eyes. The pain was causing her to feel lightheaded, and she made an effort to stand up, but ended up passing out from the pain. "Some threat. I'm beginning to think Shang Tsung [Tm Mortal Kombat] was out of his tree when he perdicted that this little brat was going to be the one to defeat me." She picked up the inate form of Hikari, and before she teleported out of the house, she dropped a small card with her clan symbol on it, but she didn't notice it. (I'm going to dispose of you now, Hikari Reed. Then there will be no one that can stop me from retrieving the Tear of Destiny. No one.)
Syaoran, after finding he couldn't sleep, decided he would talk to Hikari about it. As he approached her room, he saw that the door was open, and the lights on. (That's weird. . .Hikari doesn't leave the lights on...) The young Li ventured further into the room and his eyes widened. There were clearly signs of a struggle going on, and no Hikari in sight. "Hikari? Hikari!! She's gone...but where?" He then saw a small diamond shaped card on the floor. (That's the Chang clan crest! That means......Chang Liu has Hikari?!)
"Syaoran?" the young Li almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the new voice. He spun around and saw Meiling, a confused look on her face. "What's going on? Why do you look as if you've seen a ghost? And where's Hikari?"
"Meiling, get changed," Syaoran instructed, his voice shaky. "Chang Liu took Hikari...and we have to find her...and fast." Meiling's eyes widened considerably, and they were filled with worry. But she took heed of Syaoran's instructions, and ran off to her room to change into her cerimonial robes. Syaoran went back to his room and got dressed in his cerimonial robes, and took a deep breath. (I can't let Chang Liu do anything to Hikari. I couldn't live with myself if I failed. I just hope that Chang Liu doesn't kill her quickly...)
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Author's notes: ^_^* Yep, finally done another chapter! Complete with cliff-hanger! Was that a good idea, or did I goof-up somewhere? Don't be afraid to tell me, I don't get angry. Heck, I don't really have a clue what I'm doing, so any suggestions/comments/feedback is welcome! (as announcer) What *will* Chang Liu do with Hikari? Will Syaoran and Meiling have a chance to get her back? Here's a little forewarning, beware of Shoujo-ai situations in the next chapter! Nothing too scary or explicit, just giving you all the heads up! Thanks for the reviews, and I'll see you on the flip side!
Disclaimer/Author's notes/Assorted junk: Anyways, here's the next chapter, and this is where everything picks up a notch. Also, this will feature Syaoran's family, and a game of 'Guess where it is?' with Syaoran's belongings thanks to his sisters. Naw, I'm just kidding you with that last part. I'm hoping this chapter will be longer than the last one, but you never know. I may just give up halfway and leave it with a cliffhanger. Or do my Radicals homework. Given the size of my homework, I'll probably work on this chapter. Enough talking from me, read on, and review please! ^_^
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Hikari typed away at the laptop, as the plane flew smoothly, much to Meiling's relief, and Syaoran's eyes were attempting to close, begging for sleep. All he could think about was Chang Liu. How could he think of anything else? He sighed, wishing he could sleep, but his mind wouldn't shut down. Syaoran was snapped from his thoughts from Hikari tapping him on the shoulder. "Yeah?"
"You really should sleep," Hikari advised, smiling. "Your body needs the rest. Besides, you need your energy to put up with your family, the way you're complaining about them." Syaoran nodded, knowing she was right, and closed his eyes, and surprisingly, fell asleep. Hikari ran her hand through his messy brown hair, and smiled. (You're a strong person, Syaoran. Any other person would've collapsed from all the pressure, but you're handling yourself well. I shouldn't be surprised. I promise I'll protect you Syaoran. Forever.)
"Hikari," Meiling began, as Hikari turned to face her, "I just want to know one thing."
"Sure, what is it?" Hikari asked, shutting down her laptop, and turning her full attention to the blue haired girl sitting beside her.
"This entire thing with Chang Liu...will we all make it out alive?" Meiling questioned, biting her lower lip. (I don't want Syaoran to see how worried this is making me. I can talk to Hikari. She's like family, and she's the only way we can defeat Chang Liu...here goes. You can do this, Meiling. This isn't going to stop you!) "I mean, how strong is she?"
"Well," Hikari began, taking a deep breath, and closing her eyes for a moment, "she's very strong. Nothing like you've seen before. You've dealt with Clow Cards, and Eriol isn't a threat. This is something that involves past histories, magics from two different paths, and also a clan of very dangerous Sorceresses and Sorcerers. But, there is a way to defeat Chang Liu." Hikari sighed, remembering everything her grandfather had told her before he passed away. "But timing's everything. If we don't stop her by a certain time, we're all--"
"Dead," Meiling finished, a grim expression on her face. "I know." She swallowed, and tried to smile. "But you know, we'll make it out of this! After all, we can't just die when the going gets tough, right?"
Hikari couldn't help but smile at Meiling's determination. Even at her worst, Meiling wouldn't give up hope. She was stubborn, but sometimes, that was her best feature. "Right. Now, I think you should get some sleep. The flight's long, and I'm thinking of getting some rest too."
"Okay," Meiling nodded. She adjusted her position so that she was comfortable with the flimsy pillow that was provided on the flight. "Hikari?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
Hikari's heart just melted when she heard those words from Meiling. It had been so long since anyone had told her that. She watched as the blue haired girl drifted off into sleep, and ran a hand through her dark hair. The last person who told her that they loved her was her Grandfather. He had raised her since she was 6 years old, as her parents had died in a car accident in Hong Kong. It was then that Shang Reed decided that he would move to Osaka, Japan with Hikari, and raise her there. (I had waited so long to have that feeling of belonging in a family return again. I won't let Chang Liu destroy this. This peaceful world for her own gains. She doesn't even know if the power of the Tear of Destiny is controllable. . .)
* * *
Sakura frowned as Tomoyo put down another hand. "Rummy!" the purple haired girl declared happily. And it was true: Tomoyo's hand had 4 Kings, and a 3, 4, and 5. "I'm so glad you taught me how to play Rummy, Sakura! It's so much fun!"
"Yeah, fun," Sakura muttered, as she looked at the hand again. Kero-chan was on her shoulder, as her father, Touya and Yukito were in the row behind them, and the man that was sitting beside them was asleep. "I wonder why Syaoran wasn't home when I called? He's usually home at that hour."
"Keeping tabs on your man, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked innocently, as she re-shuffled the deck. Kero-chan smirked as Sakura turned the approximate colour of a cherry. "I'm just kidding. I don't know why he wasn't home. Maybe he was out or something."
"The gaki with a social life? Not likely," Kero-chan scoffed, as he split the deck that Tomoyo held out to him. Sakura gave him a glare, and he retracted his comments. "How much longer until we're in Hong Kong anyway?"
"A long time," Sakura replied, patting the dwindled form of the Guardian beast's head. She yawned, and covered her mouth, closing her eyes for a moment. "I'm so tired, but I haven't done a thing!"
"You're just lazy!" Touya commented from behind her.
"Touya!" Sakura admonished, as she turned around, glaring at her brother. "Weren't you asleep or something?"
"Nope," the older Kinomoto sibling shook his head. "Can't sleep with you two yapping all the time." Sakura blew a raspberry, and returned to her seat. Yukito raised an eyebrow to his best friend, and Touya looked at him. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You have to be so difficult all the time, Touya?" Yukito asked, resting his chin on his hand. "Pretty sad front you're putting up for your feelings."
"Yuki," Touya began, before Yukito put a finger to his best friend's lips. "???"
"Shut up, Touya," Yukito smiled. "At least get some rest. The flight's a long one, and besides, I think we can all do without you starting another disruption." Touya nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue Yukito's point, and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. The rest of the flight was a peaceful one, and a woman sitting just five rows behind Syaoran, Hikari and Meiling smirked. She would have him soon. Very soon.
* * *
"Here we are," Syaoran said, as he led Hikari up to his house. Meiling was beside him, and Hikari had stuck back for a bit to tip the cab driver. Hikari was a little surprised at the size of the house...it looked more like a mansion. Syaoran rang the doorbell, and waited. One of his sisters, Sheifa answered. "Hello Sheifa."
"Hello brat," Sheifa greeted 'warmly'. "Hey Meiling. And who are you?" That question, of course, was directed at Hikari, who waved pathetically at Syaoran's older sister. "Oh wait, you must be that Hikari girl Mother told us about. Come in." She stepped back and allowed the three to enter the large house. "I'll get mother."
Li Yelan came down the stairs a bit later, dressed in traditional Li robes, and a cherry blossom flower in her hair, with Sheifa right behind her. One of the servants in the house had taken the trio's luggage away, and Hikari was looking around the house in awe. "Hello Hikari," Yelan smiled, bringing Hikari out of her reviere. "I am Li Yelan. Syaoran's mother. It's nice to meet you." She bowed to Hikari, who bowed back.
"It's nice to meet you too, ma'am," Hikari nodded. "I have to talk to you privately about Chang Liu and the Gate. Is there somewhere where we could do that?" (Can't dance around this, and I'm sure Yelan would have asked if I didn't right away.)
"Of course," Yelan replied. "Miel, get Meiling and Syaoran something to drink while I talk to Hikari in the garden. Tell your sisters to come down as well." Sheifa nodded, and went to another part of the house. Miel, one of the servants in the house, nodded, and went to the kitchen to get some drinks. Syaoran and Meiling sat on one of the couches, and leaned back, the jet-lag beginning to set in.
Yelan led Hikari to the back of the house, to the garden, and Hikari was shocked at the beauty of the garden. It was far more beautiful than anything she had ever seen. There were many cherry and peach blossom trees, and bonzai ones as well. A soft breeze played with the young woman's hair, as a cherry blossom flower floated down from one of the branches, and landed in her hand. "Li-sama...I am sure you are well aware of the legend of the Gate...and Syaoran has surely told you that he is the Key to opening the Gate..."
"Yes," Yelan nodded, as she sat down on a stone bench in the middle of the garden. Hikari sat beside her, and the older woman continued. "If you don't mind, would you please transform? I would like to see for myself the Guardian of my Xiao."
"Of course," Hikari answered. "Dark light mixed with twin partner of ancient times. Bring forth the protector of Xiao Lang. Release!" And before Li Yelan's eyes, the young woman transformed into the winged protector of her son. "Yelan, my name is Kiseki." Yelan looked at the Guardian, studying all her features. Yes, she was powerful. Even more so than Yelan herself.
"Kiseki," Yelan repeated, the name rolling off her tongue smoothly. "About Chang Liu. I know about the Chang clan, and how powerful they are, but the details of the Gate have been distorted because of the tellings through the Generations of my family. I am unsure of the true nature of the Gate, and my son's role in it."
"The Gate is the path way to another realm," Kiseki began, as she folded her arms, after putting her staff on the bench. "In that realm, there is a stone, the Tear of Destiny. It is said that this stone can give the owner unimaginable power. But to get to the Tear of Destiny, the Gate must be open, and to open the Gate, you need the Key. Syaoran is the Key. And in order for the Gate to open, a ritual must be preformed with the Key. Chang Liu must shallowly cut Syaoran, in order for him to bleed slowly, allowing the Gate to stay open longer.While the Gate is open, chaos will ensue on this world, as the dimentions bleed into one another."
"And you, are the only one who can stop her?" Yelan asked, after taking all of this information in. Kiseki nodded once. "Do you think Chang Liu followed Syaoran here?"
"Yes," Kiseki answered, nodding again. "She no doubt sensed Syaoran was going to leave, and came too. She changes her form to conceal her powers, but I know she is here. The question is, is she going to move quickly, or wait it out. I am not sure."
"I see," Yelan murmered, "we will have to be careful, and be on alert. In the mean time, why don't we go back inside? I will have to tell the rest of the family this."
"Of course," Kiseki nodded, as she de-transformed. Hikari then followed Syaoran's mother back inside the house, where the rest of Syaoran's sisters had come downstairs, and were bugging Syaoran on whether or not he had a girlfriend. Yelan introduced Hikari to the girls, and then they surrounded her, wanting to give her a make-over or something of the sort. "No, no, that's all right. I'm fine the way I am..."
"Come!" Feimei commanded, as she grabbed Hikari's hand. "I'm going to take you out shopping!" Hikari had no time to respond, as Feimei dragged her out of the house.
"Well...." Fuutie murmered, as Feimei slammed the door behind herself and Hikari, "what shall we do while they're gone?"
"How about nothing?" Syaoran suggested. "I'm still suffering from Jet-lag."
"Aww, poor baby," Fanren snickered, ruffling his hair. Syaoran hissed, and batted her hand away, as she giggled. "Meiling, how are you doing?"
"Good," the blue haired girl replied, drinking her tea. "But I'm the same as Syaoran. Still suffering from jet-lag." Fanren nodded, and the family was together again, talking about all the family-ish things, like how Syaoran and Meiling have been, what's been going on, that sort of thing. "You know, I really like Hikari...she's like a sister to me."
"Yeah," Syaoran nodded. "One of my *better* sisters." This got him a smack with a pillow from Fuutie, and a playful shove by Fanren. "A sister that is actually not abusive towards me." The two sisters blew a raspberry, while Sheifa refused to dignify it with an answer. Yelan smiled at the sight, while quietly drinking her tea. (They'll never change...)
* * *
"Oooh, Tomoyo! Look! Aren't those cute!?" Sakura exclaimed, as she pointed to some stuffed animals in the window of a toy store. "Oh, that looks like Kero-chan!" The said Guardian beast of the Clow poked his head out from Sakura's bag.
"No it doesn't," Kero-chan scoffed. "It looks nothing like me."
Sakura shoved Kero-chan's head back down into the bag, and laughed nervously as Touya looked at her funny. "It's nothing Onii-chan! ^_^*" Touya shrugged, and pointed something out to Yukito. "Kero-chan! Don't do that! Touya's going to catch on someday!"
"Yeah right," Kero-chan muttered. "He's too slow for that."
"Kero-chan!" Sakura admonished. Tomoyo giggled, and pulled Sakura down to another store, where they exclaimed about how pretty the porcelin dolls were. "Ooh, that one looks like you, Tomoyo! It even has the purple hair!"
"It does not!" Tomoyo denied, laughing. "Look! That one looks like you!"
"Hey, it does," Sakura nodded, as she peered at the doll through the glass. "Maybe we should get it and scare Touya with it. You know, pretend that the doll actually talks?"
"Yeah!" Tomoyo agreed, smiling. "We should do that."
Touya looked at one of the flowers that a vendor was trying to sell to him. It was almost dead but the vendor insisted that it was just 'a little old' and 'nothing a little love and care wouldn't fix', but the young man knew it was a flat out lie. "No thanks," he said to the man. As he turned around to walk to another store, he knocked into someone. "Sorry..." Then he saw who it was. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean, 'What am I doing here?' What are YOU doing here??" Hikari asked, as she looked at Touya with wide eyes. "I'm here because I have to speak with Syaoran's family. That doesn't explain why you're here!"
"My dad's looking at some artifact," Touya replied, brushing something off his sleeve. "It's nice running into you too." He then noticed the other girl that was with Hikari. "Who's your friend?"
"This would be Syaoran's sister, Feimei," Hikari introduced, as Feimei bowed, as did Touya. "She's taking me on a nice little tour of Hong Kong."
"Before you rudely interuppted it," Feimei said a little snappishly, as she grabbed Hikari's hand again. "We have to go get something for Sheifa before we go back."
"Hikari!?" Sakura exclaimed, as she ran over with Tomoyo. "What are you doing in Hong Kong?" She was extremely excitied to see the older girl, and immediately wondered if Syaoran was with her. The young girl noticed Feimei, whom she had met last year. "Feimei! Hi!"
"Sakura," Feimei smiled, bowing to the younger girl. "How are you? What brings you to Hong Kong?"
"I'm with Touya," Sakura said, pointing to her brother. "Otousan's looking at some kind of old artifact. Is Syaoran with you?" (I got a look at that artifact that Dad's looking at. I think it could have something to do with Chang Liu. I'm not sure though...)
"He's at the house," Hikari replied. Suddenly, she felt very faint, and leaned against the building for support. Her vision got blurry, and she could've sworn that she saw two Sakuras. (What's wrong with me? It's a strong power....I didn't think it would have this effect on me...or someone must be trying to disrupt my powers...)
"Hikari? Are you all right?" Yukito asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Hikari shook her head, regaining some of her vision back, and felt good enough to stand on her own two feet without falling over. "Yeah...just a little jet-lagged...I'll be fine." She gave Sakura a look, which meant 'I felt a strong power', and thankfully Sakura got the meaning of the look. "Feimei, I think I should go back to the house..."
"I agree," Feimei nodded, taking her arm. "Come. You don't look so well. Good bye, Sakura, Tomoyo." The two girls said bye, as did Touya and Yukito, and Feimei led Hikari back to the Li household.
*~Evening*~
Hikari stretched out, and was about to go to the bathroom to brush her teeth when she heard a knock at her door. "Coming," she called to whomever was at the door. When she opened it, she was forcibly pushed against the wall, the person's forearm against her neck. "Who are you!?" Hikari managed, her voice strained.
"Don't reconize me?" The voice hissed, and Hikari's eyes widened, as she fully reconized the voice. "I'm hurt, Miss. Reed. I'm going to take care of you now, so you don't get in my way when I rightfully take my rightful place!" As Hikari's mouth opened to make a retort, a hand was clamped firmly on her mouth. "You're not going to say a word, understand?" Hikari, not one to take orders from her mortal enemy, bit down on Chang Liu's hand. "Argh! You brat! How DARE you bite me!"
"You're not taking me!" Hikari declared, getting into a defensive stance. "You think I'd surrender to you so easily? Think again!"
"Oh, you're coming with me," Chang Liu said smugly, crossing her arms across her chest. "Unless you want something 'unfortunate' to happen to dear Syaoran." Hikari's eyes widened a bit as her mind raced over the possiblities of this sudden threat. She knew Chang Liu had her power masked, so no one in the house could sense the power except for herself. "Not so tough now, are we? Your kind heart makes you weak, Hikari Reed."
"What is weak to you could be your downfall, Chang Liu," Hikari shot back. She rushed at Chang Liu, and looked to be wanting to execute a side kick, but Chang Liu saw it coming, and grabbed Hikari's foot, twisting it so that her ankle snapped, and dropped the young woman to the ground, smirking.
"You'll never be able to defeat me, girl," Chang Liu smirked. Hikari looked up at the older woman with utter hatred in her eyes. The pain was causing her to feel lightheaded, and she made an effort to stand up, but ended up passing out from the pain. "Some threat. I'm beginning to think Shang Tsung [Tm Mortal Kombat] was out of his tree when he perdicted that this little brat was going to be the one to defeat me." She picked up the inate form of Hikari, and before she teleported out of the house, she dropped a small card with her clan symbol on it, but she didn't notice it. (I'm going to dispose of you now, Hikari Reed. Then there will be no one that can stop me from retrieving the Tear of Destiny. No one.)
Syaoran, after finding he couldn't sleep, decided he would talk to Hikari about it. As he approached her room, he saw that the door was open, and the lights on. (That's weird. . .Hikari doesn't leave the lights on...) The young Li ventured further into the room and his eyes widened. There were clearly signs of a struggle going on, and no Hikari in sight. "Hikari? Hikari!! She's gone...but where?" He then saw a small diamond shaped card on the floor. (That's the Chang clan crest! That means......Chang Liu has Hikari?!)
"Syaoran?" the young Li almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the new voice. He spun around and saw Meiling, a confused look on her face. "What's going on? Why do you look as if you've seen a ghost? And where's Hikari?"
"Meiling, get changed," Syaoran instructed, his voice shaky. "Chang Liu took Hikari...and we have to find her...and fast." Meiling's eyes widened considerably, and they were filled with worry. But she took heed of Syaoran's instructions, and ran off to her room to change into her cerimonial robes. Syaoran went back to his room and got dressed in his cerimonial robes, and took a deep breath. (I can't let Chang Liu do anything to Hikari. I couldn't live with myself if I failed. I just hope that Chang Liu doesn't kill her quickly...)
* * *
Author's notes: ^_^* Yep, finally done another chapter! Complete with cliff-hanger! Was that a good idea, or did I goof-up somewhere? Don't be afraid to tell me, I don't get angry. Heck, I don't really have a clue what I'm doing, so any suggestions/comments/feedback is welcome! (as announcer) What *will* Chang Liu do with Hikari? Will Syaoran and Meiling have a chance to get her back? Here's a little forewarning, beware of Shoujo-ai situations in the next chapter! Nothing too scary or explicit, just giving you all the heads up! Thanks for the reviews, and I'll see you on the flip side!