Li Syaoran

Chapter 5

A groan.

Yue opened his eyes.

" Hey buddy," Kero was hovering overhead. " Are you alright?"

Yue blinked, sitting up slowly. " What happened?"
" You were attacked by the Death Idols." Eriol answered. " Luckily we came. If it hadn't been for Miaka you would have been dead."

" Miaka?"
" Ohayo." Said a woman. Her face was sweet and young, skin as smooth as ivory with a tinge of pink at the cheeks. She had brown hair and clear brown eyes, with a mysterious flicker of green, and she wore a long dark grey robe laced with purple and black silk.

" Yue, this is Hino Miaka. She's one of the Living Idols, and she's not Syaoran's mother, unfortunately, because Li Yelan doesn't know her son is here."
" Syaoran? Is he alright?"
" Oh, fine, thanks to Miaka, and you of course." Eriol answered pleasantly. " If you haven't given them such a hard time like you did Syaoran would have been captured by now, and we would never have had the time to rescue you two. Unfortunately though, the Dead Idols are onto Sakura now, but that shouldn't be much of a problem."
" Gomen nasai." Yue mumbled. His head hurt.

Touya appeared.

" Oh, you're awake. I was just getting worried about you. Don't move too much, kind of sprained that wing of yours a little."

Yue was too groggy to be offended or humiliated.

" Kid's stomach looks a lot better." Touya was saying. " Can even take the bandages off in a few days. Must be Idol magic." He chuckled. " Idol. Idle. Get it?"
" Ugh, the people are going to kill me for this."
" Hey, where do you think you are?" Sakura asked. Yue looked around.
" What am I doing in a hospital?"
" Wake up, Yue." Kero snapped harshly. " You fainted. That flight of yours isn't secret you know. Everyone saw it. What's worse, you went from Yue to Yukito to Yue and back, so everyone knows you're Yukito."

Yue froze. " Nani?"
" Hai." Sakura said solemnly. " But at least...at least you're excused."

Yue looked at Sakura almost sorely. Failing psychiatry and getting suspended is a lot better then everyone chasing you for who you are...



Yukito sighed.
" How's he doing." It's a question he had asked every time he finished with his classes, or hadn't begun them yet, first checking on the child that had depended on him so much.
" Stomach's all better." Muttered the student. " Mind's not. Started drawing since I don't know when. While you were at the other room, kid just found paper and pencil out of nowhere. Kept on drawing. We couldn't really see what he was doing really, what the pictures were, I mean, but I don't suppose..." He didn't finish, opening the door for Yukito to enter.

What he saw made him freeze.

There were pictures, all drawn roughly in pencil, but well drawn, with the hands of a skilled artist. Puppies, gathered in a straw basket, all crying, tears skillfully drawn. Elephants, a mother elephant, father elephant, baby one, all crying, tears dropping down onto the ground. A fawn, curled up, as if sleeping, but there was a gaping wound at its side, bleeding dark blood. Two wolves, nuzzling a newborn pup, tears rolling down their cheeks, for the pup was a still born.

Syaoran took no notice of Yukito. He was still drawing. Yukito peered at it. It was a flower, the remains of it, scattered in a flowing river that ran quietly downstream. Petals littered the surface as the stem was torn in two, and leaves scattered onto the bank.

Yukito silently marveled at Syaoran's talent, but also felt deep dread. He silently took some of the drawings and put it in his folder, to show the professor later that day.



" Everything's crying. Does are crying, horses are crying, lions are crying. Everything is crying. And the kid probably doesn't even know what he did."

Professor Wakatoshi studied the drawings in silence or a while.
" This is a good observation, Yukito." She mused quietly. " What do you think may be the cause of this?"

Yukito thought for a moment. " He's probably lonely. This picture shows a lion cub nuzzling its mother, so maybe he wants his mother, somehow."
" Maybe. But I don't think that these drawings really reflect anything." Professor Wakatoshi answered. " Each picture shows different things, and some even contradict. Most likely it's the tears, which shows that Jin Yu is depressed."

Yukito took his time allowing the information to sink in.

" But this is very good though, right?" Yukito asked. " I mean, this kind of shows that Syaoran is beginning to ask for help now. He's acknowledging the fact, not just running around screaming and being afraid of people. He's stating that he needs help."
" Hai, and accepting it as well. This is a good development." Professor Wakatoshi stood up. " Keep working with him, but remember, don't get too close to him. If Jin Yu's sanity begins to depend on your presence, things might not turn out so well."



" So I was there, holding the vacuum," The female student was saying, " And then the baby came out, along with the blood. The instructor was yelling at me, saying, " Hurry up!" But good heavens!"
" Good thing I didn't do that. I never signed up for that course." Touya hiccuped. " Shoot. Which finger was it?"
" The fourth, I think. I wasn't paying attention."
Touya pressed down on his right fourth finger and waited.

No hiccups.

No hiccups.

" Hic!"
" Ah well."
" Hmph!"

" So, how's our psychiatrist?" Asked the student. " You heard about the midwife. I heard Syaoran's a lot better now. Too much better."
" Hai, it's weird." Touya agreed. " Just several weeks ago he went kicking and screaming and raising chaos. Now he's just very quiet and not doing anything, not sleeping, not eating, not drinking. It's like he's quietly killing himself. Maybe you shouldn't have taken the professor's suggestion."

Yukito frowned. " She's right though." He replied slowly. " I mean, I can't be there for him all the time. He has to learn how to be independent."
" Well, right now he thinks you're rejecting him, no doubt."
" Maybe." Yukito sighed. " Actually, I guess I kind of ignored him a little, too many tests."

Touya snorted in disapproval. " The Living Idols aren't going to like that excuse."
" Never said they would."



Syaoran looked out from the bushes. The hospital was bright, the city lights turned on. The security guard hadn't noticed that he had slipped out, quiet and nimble as shadows are. Syaoran smiled, happy. He finally got out. He wanted to find Yue.

It was around midnight. Outside there were some cars, traffic lights, and several people wandering outside. Syaoran blinked, rushing across the street. Yue's aura was...that way.

Running quickly, he darted towards the neighborhood. It was quiet now. One car rolled past, and then there was nothing. All of the lights were turned off, so it was dark, dark as the sky. Syaoran tilted his head again, something he did very often when he was curious, his right ear listening for any kind of movement. Detecting none, very much relieved, he ran in that direction.

BBBBBEeeeeeeeee!

Syaoran jumped out of the way as a car brushed past. His heart beating rapidly, Syaoran began to panic. The car rolled on, the driver shouting curses at him. Syaoran began to run. He ran for what seemed like forever, until-

The house looked eerie under the shroud of darkness. Everything was gray; there was hardly any color at all. On the second floor to the left the window was bright, with red curtains showing that someone was still up. Syaoran looked at the sky. There was no moon. He looked at the bell.

Pressing once, Syaoran jumped as he heard the faint sound of bells in the house, a striking melody. There was a moment's hesitation, then a sound of footsteps on the stairs.

By now the child was calmer but very anxious. If Yukito really didn't like him anymore, this will be proof-

" Syaoran, what are you doing out here this late? Get in here. Good heavens, do you know what the weather like? It's freezing out there, even if it's March. Come on, how did you get out?" Yukito gathered the boy into his arms and closed the door. Syaoran just clung on and wouldn't let go.

" No wonder there was that horn." Yukito quickly led Syaoran inside. Inside was warm. Inside was safe. The damage done by the idols were all absent. It was a home. " You should be sleeping now! You're nine years old, and to think, staying up this late! But come. I know you're tired; it's a long way here from the hospital. We'll get you back in the morning."

Morning was a long time. Syaoran nodded, just holding on to Yukito's legs. Yukito pried him off. Syaoran blinked, tears welling up in his eyes, but Yukito gathered the boy and embraced him tenderly. Only then did Syaoran relax.

" Come along, get to bed. I don't know how you found this place! I was driving before!" Yukito tucked in the covers. Syaoran closed his eyes.



Sighing, Yukito turned around, turning off the lights and shutting the door quietly behind him. He searched for the phone and dialed.

" Moshi moshi?" A tired voice answered.
" Touya!"
" Yuki! Why are you calling this late?" There was a yawn. " You're lucky I'm studying."
" I was studying too, until the kid came over."

There was a long silence.

" Nani?!"
" Hai! The kid came over, in his pajamas, and he didn't even shiver! Good heavens, I don't know what to do with him?"
" He's insane, remember." Touya's voice answered flatly. " What can you do, anyway."

Yukito looked down and was silent for a long moment before looking up into Touya's eyes.
" I don't think the kid is insane in the way you think, Touya-san."
" Huh?" Touya blinked. " Why?"
" I think he's just scared." Yukito's voice was a whisper. " He's afraid of his father and everyone else. The only person he trusts is me. And Yue."
" Right?"
" So that was why he looked for me all the time." Yukito continued. " He wants comfort."

Touya looked at Yukito.

" You bonded with him."
" That's what doctors are supposed to do, Touya." Yukito stood up. " I mean, patients need comfort too. You can't just sit there talking to them as if they're they're rats, I mean, and you're just doing this for money!"

Touya looked at Yukito.
" I'm not saying that you're not supposed to do that, Yukito." He said quietly. " It's just an observation. I wonder what are you going to do when his mother claims him and he leaves."

At this Yukito froze.

" Nani?"
" Oh Yue, please don't tell me you're having this fantasy about adopting him or something! The Living Idols live somewhere, you know?" Touya sighed sadly. " Li Yelan wouldn't be too happy if you stole her son away from her, and when she claims him back he's going to go with the rest of the Living Idols. Up to wherever they belong."

Yukito felt his heart skip a beat and his vision became blurry. Without a word he left the room, Touya staring solemnly at him.