A/N: Okay! Normally I think that it's a bit of a pain to do this, but . . . well, I owe a few reviewers for this story luv. So . . . L-chan, thank you for constantly coming back; Carole, thank you for actually being a Wish fan; xia, thank you for reminding me that, as usual, I've forgotten to put in the angst (don't worry, there's some coming!); and everyone else, thank you for reviewing period! This little fic doesn't get much love, so I'm supremely grateful for every review it gets.

Don't forget- yaoi and such coming soon. ^_~









"Gracious Host"









"Li," Touya said exasperatedly from the kitchen table as Ruri and Hari rubbed against his arms, "you don't need to do all this."

"I want to," Li insisted, not even looking up from the groceries he was sorting into the cupboards and refrigerator.

"You've really lost it this time, haven't you," Touya muttered, idly scratching the cats under their chins. "Cleaning the house, buying groceries- what's next; raising babies?"

"Well, I WAS thinking of making dinner, but I suppose that I could do that too," the youth remarked thoughtfully.

"What's with you today?" Touya grumbled as the cats giggled.

"You haven't seen me face-to-face in four years- surely you didn't think I'd be exactly as you remembered me," Li replied, unwrapping a chicken and finding a pan to cook it in.

"Uh . . . " Touya winced slightly. "Well, in a way," he admitted. "But even if I hadn't, I don't think I'd have pictured you like this. You're so . . . so . . . " 'sad,' he thought, but didn't say.

"I'm growing up, I think," Li said softly, looking regretful. "I'm afraid it hasn't been much fun."

"You were hung-over earlier, weren't you," Touya said after a moment.

Li grimaced at the memory. "Badly," he confessed.

Touya frowned at him. "Why were you drinking to begin with?" he asked.

"Usual reason," Li told him. "Wanted to forget myself for a while."

"This is a habit?" Touya's eyebrows went up.

"No." Li made a face. "And it won't become one, I assure you- I don't relish spending another morning leaning over the toilet, plus still have a headache AND be nauseous the rest of the day."

Touya smirked in a rather satisfied way upon hearing of the other's discomfort. "Serves you right," he said with a chuckle.

"I know it does; that's the worst part," Li grumbled. "Pass me the baster, would you?"

Touya did so, and then got to his feet and started putting the rest of the groceries away. "Such a damned weird day," he muttered. Ruri and Hari squealed in delight.

"An angel who swears!" Ruri gushed.

"So sexy!" Hari crooned. Touya rolled his eyes.

"Oh, is that what this aura is?" Li frowned slightly and gestured in Touya's general direction. Touya blinked at him. Shouldn't the kid have been freaking out?

"Yup!" Hari chirped. "He's an angel- like, a servant of God an' all that stuff!"

"And we're demons." Ruri preened. "Just wait 'til the sun goes down; then you can see OUR true forms too!"

"We so fine!" the two cheered in unison, high-fiving each other.

"Dear God, the SUN," Touya groaned, remembering with distaste the experience of being chibi-fied. The cats looked remarkably smug. "You know, you're taking this pretty well," he observed, looking back to Li.

"I'm a student of magic, aren't I?" the other pointed out with a slight shrug. "It's not that big a jump from magic to angels and demons. And I have had a few lessons on the effects of the cycles of the sun and moon and the ranks of both sides; things like that." Disinterested, he licked a few drops of melted fat and juices from the chicken off his wrist with a catlike movement, causing both Ruri and Hari to jump over to the kitchen counter and suckle his fingers to get at the rest.

"Mm, chicken-flavored Syaoran-chan!" Ruri purred. Li blushed at the suffix.

"Stop that," he mumbled, though the words lacked real force. The cats just giggled and rolled onto their backs. Li sighed but smiled and scratched their stomachs anyway. "Spoiled little brats," he muttered affectionately, pulling away to put the chicken in the oven. The duo giggled again.

From the hallway, they heard the door suddenly slam open, and Sakura's voice shouted, "I'm home! I'm home, I'm home, please don't be mad that I'm late!"

"Hello, Kinomoto-san," Tomoyo's own voice called, far more quietly. "I'm very sorry we're late."

"He's not home, kaijuu!" Touya yelled back. "But we're in the kitchen!"

" 'We'? Ah, is Yukito here?!" Sakura squealed in delight, barging in with a delighted smile on her face. Then she stopped dead and shrieked, "SYAORAN!" The Card Mistress tackled her long-time friend around the waist with another happy squeal, and Tomoyo came in, smiling gently at them and with Kero in her arms.

"Hello, Li-kun," she greeted, giving Touya a nod. "Oh, what gorgeous cats!" she added a moment later.

"Those are no cats," Kero muttered. Ruri and Hari blinked at him.

"What's that thing?" Hari asked in bemusement. Sakura yelped in shock.

Li snickered. "Don't mind the stuffed animal," he said, clearly amused.

Kero glared at him. "Go to hell, brat."

"Ooo, please do!" Ruri and Hari chorused excitedly.

"We'll show you around!" Hari added.

"As in literally?" Touya rubbed at his forehead. "God, it figures. Dammit, gaki; where's the milk?!"

"Fridge; top shelf," Li replied absently, already moving on to preparing the next part of the meal. "I bought three gallons for your strange new appetite." Touya winced at the reminder and claimed an entire bottle for himself. As an afterthought, he took out a glass.

He wished his mother had stayed. This strange situation might've seemed easier that way. At least Sakura didn't even seem to have noticed his new aura, so thank God for small favors.

Of course, Kerberos would no doubt spill the beans any moment now, but at least there would be a brief lull before the storm. Yeah, a lull would be nice.

Then Kohaku stepped in through the door. "Touya?" she asked uncertainly as her eyes fell upon him. The others blinked in surprise.

"Oh, another one? Always nice to have company." Li smiled at her gently and got out the milk. "Do you take it plain or with honey, Miss?"

"Oh, either is fine," Kohaku said quickly. Li opted to add the honey.

"Did you follow us?" Tomoyo asked with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

"Yes," the angel admitted, wringing her hands in worry. "I'm sorry, but . . . I needed to find Touya, and Sakura said her name was Kinomoto too and she had SO much magic, I just thought you might know him!"

"Well, seems like you were right then, weren't you," Li put in conversationally as he pulled out a teapot. "Would you like your milk heated up?"

"Yes, please," Kohaku answered politely. "Thank you very much." Li filled the pot while Sakura and Kero watched him curiously. Tomoyo, however, pulled out the video camera.

"You look so cute, Li!" she cheered. "Like the perfect host!"

The boy rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You'll never change," he muttered fondly.

"Li, why didn't you tell us you were coming?" Sakura asked curiously.

"I didn't know," he replied, suddenly sounding tired. "I ran away from home yesterday."

"HOEEE?!" Sakura yelped, her eyes bugging out in disbelief. "What happened?!"

Li just shrugged. "No reason," he said. "I just needed a vacation."

"But your family- and the Li clan . . ." Tomoyo looked slightly puzzled. "What about them?"

"As long as I'm back by the end of the month, they won't care," Li said flippantly, cranking up the stove. "If I'm alive and well and in China when they need me to be, then they'll be happy."

"Why do you have to be back by then?" Kohaku asked softly, unable to keep her concern for this polite new boy out of her voice.

Li's smile had a bitter twist to it. "Because . . . that's when I'm getting married," he answered.









* tbc . . . *









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