The Testing of Li Peony

A CCS Fanfic

by SyaoranSword

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Card Captor Sakura. CLAMP and other companies I may not know of own it all. This is a fanfic and not part of the "official" storyline. The story is only meant for the enjoyment of the author and any would-be readers.

Notes: After a nice long hiatus, I have returned. If you look in my bio, you'll notice that I have actually put info on the status of my fics, so you can check there for updates. My email has changed again, and it's on the bio page as well. Having dispensed with that, prepare for a fierce battle, Li Peony vs. Li Syaoran…

~~~ (place) ~~~ = scene change

" " = dialogue

[ ] = thoughts

( ) = commentary

Chapter 9: A Father and His Daughter

"He got what was coming to him, that's for sure," Syaoran said as he and Sakura walked down the stairs to the stadium floor.

"Syaoran, that's not very nice. You shouldn't laugh at Eriol-kun just because he got beat by an eleven year-old girl."

He smiled broadly at his wife. "Look who's talking. You were eleven when you defeated the one formerly known as Clow Reed."

"That was different!" she protested. "I didn't hurt Eriol-kun at all, and I didn't do it by myself. Kero-chan and Yue merged with the staff." Sakura eyes glistened. "And of course, you helped me. The thought of not being able to see you again hurt so much that I gave it my all. We broke the darkness together."

Syaoran nodded as he reached back for his wife's hand. "I still cherish that moment, one of our first memories."

Sakura gently smiled as she accepted his grasp. "The first of many we've made over the years… and those we've yet to make."

The couple stepped into the arena and traded loving gazes as they made their way toward the now frozen Eriol Hiiragizawa. Those that were in attendance, minus the Li Elders, crowded around the iced Englishman and the panting Peony. When the two finally arrived at the scene, Sakura knelt next to her daughter and whispered, "You had me worried there for a minute, Peony-chan, but I am glad you're all right."

Syaoran felt his heart swell as his daughter hugged her mother. [Two girls who have changed my life for the better.] He turned his sight toward the magician encased in a block of green ice. A smirk formed on his lips. The smirk became a full-fledged grin. He strode up to the solid sorcerer so that they were face-to-frozen face. "Didn't think my daughter could do it, did you?" He laughed out loud. "This is great! After years of enduring your schemes against me and Sakura, you are finally put in your place!"

Minutes later, Syaoran finished his taunting and looked around to see everyone with sweatdrops. "Are you finished venting against my husband, Li-kun," Tomoyo asked with a giggle. "I know you had over 20 years of frustration built up against him, but this is surprising, especially from you."

Shocked and slightly embarrassed by her father's ranting, Peony wisely decided to not say anything. Sakura, on the other hand, did. "Syaoran, do you think Eriol-kun can hear you from inside there?" She pulled out the Firey card from the Sakura book (which seems to prove that Clow Read either couldn't spell or was too lazy to spell check). "I don't want you to get hurt if he is going to hold what you said against him."

"We don't have to unfreeze him, do we?" asked her hopeful husband.

"If we don't unfreeze Eriol-kun, then Tomoyo-chan won't be happy. And if Tomoyo-chan isn't happy, I'm not happy." Sakura turned on the puppy eyes and the cute pout. "And you don't want me unhappy, do you Syaoran?"

"Or to put it another way," Tomoyo began her devious line of reasoning, "If Sakura isn't happy, then you won't be happy. I will guarantee you that."

The man quickly became very uncomfortable from the two women on either side of him. [This is not fair. Not only does Sakura turn me into mush, but Tomoyo, who is married to the creep, makes veiled threats against me that she can and most likely will carry out.] Assaulted on both sides, Syaoran allowed his wife to melt the magician.

"Firey card, melt the ice surrounding Eriol-kun!" The card transformed into its blazing form and began to circle the green ice. In a matter of seconds, a dripping wet Eriol returned to the unfrozen world on his knees. Firey stayed close to the reincarnation of its former master, so as to quickly dry him.

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," he said while waving the spirit off. It understood and bowed to him before reassuming its dormant card form. Eriol raised his eyes to meet those of his conqueror. A gleam of light passed across his glasses as the now fourth-most powerful sorcerer in the world smiled. "Well done, Peony-san. I'm afraid I have lost all possibility of having any kind of fun with you in the future."

The little girl just grinned. "As long as you don't make me mad, then you can still have your fun."

Eriol snickered. "That's very gracious of you, my cuter little descendent."

Peony's cheeks reddened ever so slightly. "You're welcome, Uncle Eriol."

"See, she doesn't mind me calling her my cuter little descendent. So why do you so vigorously object to my name for you, my cute little descendent."

The Li Clan leader scowled at him. "I'll gladly put you back in a frozen tomb if you don't shut your mouth!"

"Hoe, not again," sighed Sakura as she watched the two grown men engage in a war of words.

Tomoyo sighed too as she continued to record every moment. "Aren't family gatherings wonderful?"

~~~~~~

"The latest reports indicate that the typhoon will make landfall over Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon," announced the weatherman on TV. Earlier that morning, a level one typhoon warning was issued through the appearance of a blue 'T' on the lower right corner of the screen. An upside-down 'T' now signaled that the typhoon warning was at level three. "It is advised that all ships be securely docked and that citizens stay indoors wi-"

The television was clicked off. There was no need to listen to the rest of advisory. "Tomorrow will go as we planned," Syaoran stated as he tucked a pink card into his robes.

"Pardon my asking, but did either of you have an influence over this?" Eriol directed his question to his descendent and his half-daughter.

Sakura shook her head. "No, we didn't cause this storm or alter its path. It was going to pass through here whether we had predicted it or not."

"That's good," Eriol responded with relief. "I would have questioned the method of testing if it would have unnecessarily put other lives in danger."

Syaoran nodded as he drew his wife a little closer to himself. "We have spent months making sure that what we were doing was the right thing to do. Now that there are only two days left until Peony's twelfth birthday, the responsibility has returned to us."

"We are the last two our daughter will face. Syaoran goes tomorrow, and I will go after him." Sakura closed her eyes in delight as she leaned closer to her husband. "Even if we have prepared for this in advance, not everything is working out to what we predicted… and that makes me glad."

"Sometimes the paths we envision for our children are not the most beneficial," Yelan said. "Although we try as hard as we can to hold onto them, they must become their own person. For Peony, the time for her to do so is quickly coming."

Meanwhile, Jin reclined outside against the trunk of a tree. He gazed up at the stars and let his mind wander back to that very brief exchange with Bruce. [What does he want me to tell her? Does he know about my feelings? Well, what about him? Doesn't he love her, too? Doesn't she love him?] His train of thought only made him even more frustrated. "What am I supposed to do?" he said to himself. "I'm cursed to love and lose. There's no way around it." Jin sighed as he spotted a particularly bright star. "All I can do is wish for her to be happy forever. I guess that will have to be my happiness as well."

"Hey! What's with the angst? It's making me sick!" Jin looked straight up in surprise to see Bruce sitting on a branch above him.

"Can't someone have a moment alone anymore?" Jin asked incredulously. "What are you doing up there?"

"Looking for you, of course. We have a conversation to finish." Bruce pushed himself off the branch and landed in front of Jin. "I want you to tell her."

"For the last time, tell her what?"

Bruce grabbed the front of the other boy's robes. "Do you think I'm blind, Jin-kun? I see the way you look at her. You need to tell her about your feelings. She just won't understand unless you tell it to her face."

Jin looked darkly at the boy. "And what about you? What about your feelings? Better yet, what about her feelings? She sure seems to like you."

"Of course, because I'm family. Distant family, but that's beside the point. It's in her personality to like people, and just because she likes me doesn't mean she doesn't like you."

"You didn't answer my first question, Bruce-kun. What do you feel for her?"

Bruce's grip on Jin's clothes loosened. "I'll admit I love her… but only as a brother to a sister." Jin gave him a look of disbelief. "It's true. I don't have any romantic feelings for Peony." Bruce forced a laugh. "And to think the Elders are actually considering me to be first choice for her future husband. It's tragic." Bruce released his hold on the other boy. "Now you know why I'm pushing you to her. Do you remember the wish you made just now? I want it to come true as well, and you are the one who will do it."

Jin was floored by what he had just been told. He had been given the chance to make his feelings known to the girl he loves. One thing still nagged him, though. "What if she doesn't return my feelings?"

Bruce only sighed and said, "I know it's easier said than done, but that's a risk you have to take."

~~~~~~

Syaoran watched his daughter enter the darkened arena. Peony looked up in surprise at her father, who stood atop a solid column of stone. The typhoon's strong winds caused his wet sleeves to violently flap against his body. Lightning flashed and the sound of thunder rumbled as he reached into his robes. Peony gasped as he pulled out a Sakura card. Syaoran uttered its name, "Earth Card."

The ground shook as several more columns slowly rose out of the floor of the coliseum. The pillars were cylindrical in shape and had varying heights, with the shortest one being ten feet tall. When the card was finished with its work, Syaoran flung it to his waiting wife, who was alone in the skybox. She skillfully caught the car between her middle and index fingers.

The leader of the Li clan turned to the girl on the ground. "Come up here," he called to her. Calling on the Jump Card, Peony leaped up onto the column next to her. She saw her father across the expanse at about the same level as she was. Syaoran spoke again, "Do you remember the 'pillars exercise', Peony?"

His daughter shifted to her ready stance and responded, "The one who falls to the ground first loses."

Syaoran took his sword from the sheath on his back, "That's right. On the next flash of lightning, we will begin."

Both Lis gave hard stares as the rain continued to fall, and the tension mounted. Down below, everyone else waited with umbrellas, raincoats, and waterproof spells. "This is crazy," Touya began, "I can somewhat understand the previous ones, but now the little kaijuu has to fight her own gaki of a father?!"

"This is how things must be, Touya," Fujitaka answered. "Peony-san must prove that she is more powerful than Syaoran-san."

"Don't doubt Peony-san's abilities," Eriol added. "She has trained all her life, just like her father." He then said as an afterthought, "And if you think this is bad, just wait until tomorrow."

Touya gave a sideways glance towards the cryptic spell caster. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see, half-son of mine," Eriol snickered.

"Oi! Don't call me that again!" Touya fumed as almost everyone around him laughed at his expense. However, their lightheartedness ended as the dark, cloudy sky was illuminated by a searing bolt of electricity. The sixth test had begun.

By the time the accompanying thunder was heard, both fighters had already closed the distance between them. Peony had left the Jump Card active while using the Sword Card to match her father's weapon. Quick strikes and parries were traded in the air each time they passed each other, neither wanting to stay too close to the other. Syaoran jumped away from his daughter as he called for his signature attack, "Raitei shourai!"

Lightning struck where Peony was standing before she leapt away to dodge her father's attack. A radiating ring of charred rock surrounded where a small amount of smoke rose from the point of impact. Syaoran stood back and called down more thunderbolts, each one hitting just after Peony had jumped away. He then paused, surprising Peony, who thought she would have to dodge another strike. Instead, Syaoran made lightning hit where his daughter was about to land. Peony had one foot on solid rock when the bolt landed in front of her. She screamed as she shut her eyes and fell off the pillar.

Jin cried out in shock, "PEONY!!"

The girl's eyes snapped open upon hearing her name being called. She quickly dispelled the Jump and Sword Cards, and she pulled out one card that could save her. "Fly!" As soon as the wings magically appeared, she slowed her descent until she had stopped just centimeters off the ground. Peony gave a sigh of relief. "That was close." She stayed close to the ground as she thought and flew at the same time. "Otou-san isn't playing around. I have to get him to stop using his element attacks." Peony had an idea. "As long as he can see me, he can just use lightning all day. But what if he can't see me?"

Syaoran saw his daughter fall off the column, and he quickly hopped over to look down. Peony was nowhere to be found. [That's no surprise. I felt her use her magic, but where-]

"Cloud Card, release!" The space between the pillars filled with a dense fog. No one could see anything in the stadium that was below the top of the lowest column.

Syaoran countered with an ofuda. "Kashin!" The continuous downpour of rain had no effect on the stream of fire that burned up Peony's cover.

Unfortunately, his move came too late. Peony had gotten behind her father in time to execute her own attack. "Windy!" Syaoran turned around only to face strong gusts, in addition to the ones caused by the typhoon. The powerful winds and the slippery surface of the pillars helped cause Syaoran to be shoved off his perch.

He would not be beaten so easily, however. Placing another ofuda on the broadside of his blade, Syaoran faced the orange-yellow paper toward the ground and shouted, "Wind, come forth!" The burst of air kept him from touching down and, with a little more power, propelled him upward to safety.

Syaoran aimed his magic at Peony, causing her to be blown back. The wings disappeared as she set her feet back on a column. [I can't take much more, and Otou-san doesn't look tired at all.] Soggy and nearly exhausted, Peony opted to retreat. The girl hopped from pillar to pillar, away from Syaoran, and stopped at the one closest to the skybox. Once there, Peony held a card up in the air. [I have to end this before my strength has run out.]

The mistress of the cards and of the Li clan smiled, knowing exactly what her daughter was planning, but despite her expression, Sakura felt her emotions breaking. On one hand, she was glad her daughter had become so strong. Peony would have no trouble handling her duties. On the other hand, it pained Sakura to put Peony in situations where she could be seriously hurt. Not only that, she has had to go against her friends and her family. [You are going through something worse than I did at your age. I know you'll forgive us, but I'm still sorry about this, Peony-chan. After tomorrow, it will be over, and you will be given a choice. I'm sure you'll know which is the right one.]

Syaoran was caught off guard as Peony called on the card's power, "Mist!" The green mist poured out of the card and onto the stadium floor, where it pooled into a corrosive fog. Just like what happened at the Cinderella play, everything that came in contact with the mist was steadily being eaten away.

"The Mist Card?!" Eriol had not expected Sakura's heir to actually use this strategy. He urgently made everyone abandon the seats close to ground level and move up. The Li Elders discreetly did the same.

"A bold gambit," Yelan said of her granddaughter's move as she sat back down.

Syaoran could already feel the pillars losing their stability, and he knew they would inevitably fall. Peony had practically set a time limit for the remainder of the battle, and this dramatically shifted the advantage to her, because she had ways of staying in the air. It's true that he could use an ofuda with the power of wind to keep himself aloft, but it would be very taxing. All he could do now was to try and keep the stone column under his feet from toppling over.

The pillars began to fall away, one by one. Only the ones with Peony and Syaoran on top remained when the Mist Card was restored to its inactive form. Father and daughter looked at each other a final time before their own columns finally gave way.

Syaoran leaped from his spot, pulled an ofuda out, and used its magic to keep him above the floor. His body remained parallel to the ground while using most of his concentration to keep the wind blowing. Peony also leaped very high, with the Jump Card's assistance. It was impossible for Syaoran to turn his head around to see what Peony was doing. Otherwise, he would have seen her raise her staff above her head with both hands. On her way down, she swung downward, forcefully clubbing her father in the back.

The unexpected blow caused Syaoran to let go of his sword, and his means of staying in the air. He struggled to open his eyes, as that last strike had really hurt. When he could see, he knew he had lost. Off to the left of where he was going to land, he saw the unmistakable pink beach ball with wings, better known as the Float Card. The Li clan leader knew that he wouldn't be too hurt because of how high he was, but he still didn't like the sight of the fast approaching ground.

~~~~~~

Syaoran was disoriented as he awoke in his bedroom. As he sat up, he noticed his wounds had been bandaged up, and he felt stiff all over. He rubbed a sore spot on his lower back. [My daughter earned a well-fought victory. I just didn't realize how much I would suffer for my role.] Falling back to the cozy mattress, the defeated Li Clan leader realized that there was no one else in the room. He was about to get out of bed when the door was opened.

"Otou-san!!" Peony cried, seeing her father awake. She quickly ran to the side of the bed and gave him a hug. Her tears soaked the blanket as she let out her emotions. "Oh, Otou-san! I'm so sorry for what I did! I shouldn't have hurt you so much! You could have died!"

Syaoran shed an unnoticed tear as he comfortingly patted the little girl's back. With a soothing voice, he calmed her down. "Shhh. It's all right. Don't blame yourself. I'm fine." Peony pulled back a little to see her father's kind and smiling face. "See," he said while gesturing to his bandages. "I wasn't going to die, Peony-chan. It would have taken a lot more than that."

Peony sniffled. "But still, I did this to you."

"Peony, think back to when you were just learning how to use a sword. Do you remember that one time where you accidentally wounded me?"

His daughter nodded. "That was my fault, too," she noted sadly.

"No, I was careless. I really underestimated how much you had learned. I may have been hurt, but wounds do heal over time. My point is, Peony-chan, that everyone will have pain in their lives. It is inevitable. But if you treat the pain and give it time, it will heal." Syaoran smiled as he said, "Please remember that no matter how much you may hurt me, you're still my daughter, and your Okaa-san and I will always love you."

"I will. Arigato, Otou-san." She gave Syaoran another hug before quietly heading back to the door. "Have a good nap!" she called out to him before leaving.

He shook his head while grinning at the evidence of his daughter's childishness. Syaoran had lain back down when he heard the door swing open again. He sat up just in time to see Sakura use her foot to close the door behind her. "Ohayo, koi. I hope you're hungry," she said, gesturing to the tray in her hand that was made to serve breakfast in bed.

"Aww, you know you didn't have to do this, Sakura."

She giggled. "You tell me that every time I do something for you, and yet you still let me do it."

"It's because I know you like to do it." He grinned. "It's because you love me."

Sakura set the tray down on the bed. Her face was very close to his. Their breaths mingled as she whispered, "No… it's because I really love you." She kissed him so that his head was pressed back into the pillows. Sakura lifted her lips from her husband's, so as not to disfigure the mattress. "I made you your favorite."

Syaoran had a look of surprise as she lifted the metal lid off the covered plate. "Chocolate chip pancakes!" he breathed in awe. He then looked at the steaming green mug that accompanied the dish. "Is that what I think it is?" His wife nodded as he took the cup in his hands and inhaled the familiar, yet extraordinary scent. "Honey milk," Syaoran sighed in appreciation.

Sakura took a seat in a chair by their bed. "Otou-san always said there was something about honey milk that helped sick people feel better. He once joked about it being magic."

Holding the mug up, her husband responded, "The only thing magical about it is the one who makes it."

Sakura couldn't hide her blush. "Oh, stop it!"

"No, I'm serious. I have tried many times to duplicate your honey milk," he paused to take a sip and to give a satisfied sigh, "But it never tastes exactly like this."

"Syaoran, it's an easy recipe, and you're a great cook. How can you not create the same taste?"

Sakura's husband simply smiled as he reached out and entwined his fingers with hers. "I just explained it, koishii. There's an extra ingredient that only you could add: your love for me. Thank you."

She gave a gentle squeeze as she responded, "You're very welcome." After a brief pause of adoration, she added, "You should eat your breakfast… unless you need me to feed you."

Syaoran set his cup on the tray and picked up the silverware. "It's tempting, but I think I can manage. Thanks for offering, anyway." He cut the pancake and placed a piece into his mouth. "I married the best pancake maker in the world."

Sakura spent the next hour lovingly watching her husband savor the breakfast she made for him.

To be continued…

The series is winding down! Only two chapters left, and one final challenge for Peony. She faces off against the most powerful sorceress in the world, also known as her Okaa-san. But before the last battle, Peony will learn the real truth behind why she is going through all of this in the first place. How? With the same card Sakura used to learn the truth about Clow Read. And what's a third cousin in love supposed to do when a second cousin gives him the OK? Find out in the next chapter, "The Secret of Sakura and Syaoran." See you then!