Beautiful10
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No matter what they say
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He smelled like… washing detergent. "Are you done now? People are starting to stare."
"Yeah, sorry. I won't be bothering you again," said Meilin sadly.
She walked forlornly back to her room to lay on her bed.
"What a horrible day," she thought to herself. "First I think I meet the dream guy. Then I meet Sakura. And then I find out that he isn't the dream guy. *Arrggh*"
She didn't want to fall asleep, in case she met the dream guy. He didn't always show up, only when she needed him. Right now she did need him but didn't want to see him.
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She found herself standing alone. She was no where. It seemed as if she was in a large white room but it had no walls, no ceiling, and no floor. She stood there waiting. Waiting…
She wasn't sure what she was waiting for. She hoped she didn't see the dream guy again. She hoped she didn't see XiaoLang. She hoped she would wake-up soon.
She could hear voices. And a scene was unfolding before her eyes.
"Mama, come back."
"I'll be back some day."
"Worthless."
"Sorry. I'm sorry."
"Just leave us alone. Forever!"
"No! MAMA!!!"
She could see herself crying. A man was throwing her out of a house. There was two little boys behind him, they were crying. There was also a baby crying in the background. The man slammed the door in her face. She saw herself running into the forest.
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Meilin woke up with a jerk and in a cold sweat. "What in the world was that?" she asked herself. She could see the sun rising. Looking at her alarm clock she could read the red blur as 6:05. She squinted her eyes to read it better, the sun wasn't rising, but instead it was going down.
She got up and took a nice warm bubble bath. She lit vanilla candles. Her mind was filled with the dream guy. It shifted from the dream guy to XiaoLang. She remembered the look on his face when he reached them in one of her dreams. Now that she was thinking back upon it, he looked so sad.
"He tried to kick my parents off of the estate… That's something, my mom is after all is his aunt. She might not be very powerful but she still has more magic than I do. My father on the other hand is almost a match for XiaoLang. With all this magic blood running through me, why don't I have any?" Frowning Meilin splashed some water onto the floor. She decided it was time to sleep. Hopefully no more disturbing dreams.
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It was a restful night. She didn't have any dreams. It was a mixed blessing. She was really hoping to see the dream guy. But she was happy she didn't have a disturbing dream.
[July 18, 2003]
Today was going to be hopefully a 'normal day'. She was just going to go to work. "Nothing special about today," she thought.
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It wasn't a special day but it was a night with another dream.
Meilin was again in the same empty room. And the same house from the night before came into focus. It was at night this time, unlike yesterday when the scene was on a sunny day. There were two little boys playing in the front of the house. They were passing back and forth a little red ball. Their dad was calling them to come back inside the house. One of them went in but the other looked into the trees and ran towards them. He had a smile on his face. He kept running even when his dad came outside and called out to him. He disappeared into the trees.
His dad was furious. He kept looked in the batch of trees but came out empty handed. He had tears in his eyes. He looked familiar.
The scene faded away and she was in the empty room again.
Meilin didn't really like this room; it made her feel very jumpy.
But the room faded away into another scene.
She saw herself with the little boy that just ran away from his dad.
"Mama! Where were you? I missed you mama. Chou missed you too mama. I have to go get Chou."
She had tears in her eyes. "We can't Shou. Chou has to stay with Papa. We have to go, okay?"
"…Okay mama…" said Shou as he held his mom's hand and walked away.
The room reappeared again.
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Finally, today was going to be her first 'meeting' with Sakura. She trusted Sakura so she was not scared about XiaoLang finding her. They were going to meet at the café again.
When Meilin got there Sakura was already waiting for her at a table in the corner.
"Meilin! Over here," said Sakura as Meilin walked over towards her.
"Hello Sakura."
"Don't worry about a thing. I didn't tell Li but he can tell that I was hiding something from him."
"You were never a very good liar."
"So how have you been since the last time we met?"
"So is this some kind of, take care of Meilin since she can't take care of herself kind of thing?"
Sakura looked kind of confused for a minute before answering, "No. Meilin, I just want to know how you're doing that's all."
Meilin knew Sakura wasn't lying but she still had the feeling that Sakura was trying to protect her, even though she didn't need protecting. "I've been okay."
"I have something to tell you… Not even Li knows about it… No one knows… But since I know something about you that no one else knows you should know something about me that no one else knows." Meilin sat quietly and continued to listen to Sakura as she got more and more nervous. "I think… I know that I'm… pregnant." Meilin's eyes widened. "I think I'm at least three months pregnant."
"Why didn't you tell XiaoLang yet?"
"I'm not sure how he'd take it."
"Why doesn't Tomoyo know?"
"She's always so busy and I haven't seen her for so long."
"You need to tell XiaoLang."
"I will. Just at the right moment."
"Just tell him. He'll be excited. An heir."
"It's well, she's a she."
"Oh," said Meilin in surprise. "It doesn't matter, a baby's a baby."
"Not to your family," said Sakura to Meilin's surprise. "XiaoLang told me the whole story of why you left. What if my baby doesn't have any magic either?"
Meilin looked at Sakura with a new perspective. "I was only treated like that from my parents. You and XiaoLang would never treat your children that way."
Sakura smiled, "So what about your love life? Is there a special person?"
Meilin thought carefully about this question before answering, "Not really."
"But there's _someone_ right?"
"I guess you could say someone."
"Who," said Sakura in anticipation.
"He's well, it's kinda weird and I don't even really know who he is. There's this guy in my dreams. He's been in them for a while now. Always there to help me."
Sakura's eyes widen and glossed, "How romantic! A dream lover."
"I guess you could call him that."
"So you two have never met in person."
"I'm not even sure he even exists."
"He has too. He's probably just waiting for you to find him. How does he look like?"
"I'm not sure. He's tall though."
"What? Not sure?"
"I've never seen his face."
"This is even more romantic," Sakura sighed.
"Will you stop that. No I have not seen his face. But he smells like vanilla."
Sakura practically turned to slush, "Kiwaii!"
The rest of the meeting was spent with Sakura guessing what Meilin's dreams were about and Meilin disappointing her with saying, "No."
[End of CH 10. Well, this is going to not be posted tonight because "Server not found" is still being displayed on my screen. Hopefully all this will be sorted out before I go to camp on Friday. So this isn't my fault. I wrote it, I just couldn't upload it. Does Sakura seem in character? I don't really have a firm grasp on her characterization. I can do everyone else it's just Sakura I have a problem with. Suggestions anyone?]
[July 20, 2003]
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No matter what they say
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He smelled like… washing detergent. "Are you done now? People are starting to stare."
"Yeah, sorry. I won't be bothering you again," said Meilin sadly.
She walked forlornly back to her room to lay on her bed.
"What a horrible day," she thought to herself. "First I think I meet the dream guy. Then I meet Sakura. And then I find out that he isn't the dream guy. *Arrggh*"
She didn't want to fall asleep, in case she met the dream guy. He didn't always show up, only when she needed him. Right now she did need him but didn't want to see him.
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She found herself standing alone. She was no where. It seemed as if she was in a large white room but it had no walls, no ceiling, and no floor. She stood there waiting. Waiting…
She wasn't sure what she was waiting for. She hoped she didn't see the dream guy again. She hoped she didn't see XiaoLang. She hoped she would wake-up soon.
She could hear voices. And a scene was unfolding before her eyes.
"Mama, come back."
"I'll be back some day."
"Worthless."
"Sorry. I'm sorry."
"Just leave us alone. Forever!"
"No! MAMA!!!"
She could see herself crying. A man was throwing her out of a house. There was two little boys behind him, they were crying. There was also a baby crying in the background. The man slammed the door in her face. She saw herself running into the forest.
----------
Meilin woke up with a jerk and in a cold sweat. "What in the world was that?" she asked herself. She could see the sun rising. Looking at her alarm clock she could read the red blur as 6:05. She squinted her eyes to read it better, the sun wasn't rising, but instead it was going down.
She got up and took a nice warm bubble bath. She lit vanilla candles. Her mind was filled with the dream guy. It shifted from the dream guy to XiaoLang. She remembered the look on his face when he reached them in one of her dreams. Now that she was thinking back upon it, he looked so sad.
"He tried to kick my parents off of the estate… That's something, my mom is after all is his aunt. She might not be very powerful but she still has more magic than I do. My father on the other hand is almost a match for XiaoLang. With all this magic blood running through me, why don't I have any?" Frowning Meilin splashed some water onto the floor. She decided it was time to sleep. Hopefully no more disturbing dreams.
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It was a restful night. She didn't have any dreams. It was a mixed blessing. She was really hoping to see the dream guy. But she was happy she didn't have a disturbing dream.
[July 18, 2003]
Today was going to be hopefully a 'normal day'. She was just going to go to work. "Nothing special about today," she thought.
----------
It wasn't a special day but it was a night with another dream.
Meilin was again in the same empty room. And the same house from the night before came into focus. It was at night this time, unlike yesterday when the scene was on a sunny day. There were two little boys playing in the front of the house. They were passing back and forth a little red ball. Their dad was calling them to come back inside the house. One of them went in but the other looked into the trees and ran towards them. He had a smile on his face. He kept running even when his dad came outside and called out to him. He disappeared into the trees.
His dad was furious. He kept looked in the batch of trees but came out empty handed. He had tears in his eyes. He looked familiar.
The scene faded away and she was in the empty room again.
Meilin didn't really like this room; it made her feel very jumpy.
But the room faded away into another scene.
She saw herself with the little boy that just ran away from his dad.
"Mama! Where were you? I missed you mama. Chou missed you too mama. I have to go get Chou."
She had tears in her eyes. "We can't Shou. Chou has to stay with Papa. We have to go, okay?"
"…Okay mama…" said Shou as he held his mom's hand and walked away.
The room reappeared again.
----------
Finally, today was going to be her first 'meeting' with Sakura. She trusted Sakura so she was not scared about XiaoLang finding her. They were going to meet at the café again.
When Meilin got there Sakura was already waiting for her at a table in the corner.
"Meilin! Over here," said Sakura as Meilin walked over towards her.
"Hello Sakura."
"Don't worry about a thing. I didn't tell Li but he can tell that I was hiding something from him."
"You were never a very good liar."
"So how have you been since the last time we met?"
"So is this some kind of, take care of Meilin since she can't take care of herself kind of thing?"
Sakura looked kind of confused for a minute before answering, "No. Meilin, I just want to know how you're doing that's all."
Meilin knew Sakura wasn't lying but she still had the feeling that Sakura was trying to protect her, even though she didn't need protecting. "I've been okay."
"I have something to tell you… Not even Li knows about it… No one knows… But since I know something about you that no one else knows you should know something about me that no one else knows." Meilin sat quietly and continued to listen to Sakura as she got more and more nervous. "I think… I know that I'm… pregnant." Meilin's eyes widened. "I think I'm at least three months pregnant."
"Why didn't you tell XiaoLang yet?"
"I'm not sure how he'd take it."
"Why doesn't Tomoyo know?"
"She's always so busy and I haven't seen her for so long."
"You need to tell XiaoLang."
"I will. Just at the right moment."
"Just tell him. He'll be excited. An heir."
"It's well, she's a she."
"Oh," said Meilin in surprise. "It doesn't matter, a baby's a baby."
"Not to your family," said Sakura to Meilin's surprise. "XiaoLang told me the whole story of why you left. What if my baby doesn't have any magic either?"
Meilin looked at Sakura with a new perspective. "I was only treated like that from my parents. You and XiaoLang would never treat your children that way."
Sakura smiled, "So what about your love life? Is there a special person?"
Meilin thought carefully about this question before answering, "Not really."
"But there's _someone_ right?"
"I guess you could say someone."
"Who," said Sakura in anticipation.
"He's well, it's kinda weird and I don't even really know who he is. There's this guy in my dreams. He's been in them for a while now. Always there to help me."
Sakura's eyes widen and glossed, "How romantic! A dream lover."
"I guess you could call him that."
"So you two have never met in person."
"I'm not even sure he even exists."
"He has too. He's probably just waiting for you to find him. How does he look like?"
"I'm not sure. He's tall though."
"What? Not sure?"
"I've never seen his face."
"This is even more romantic," Sakura sighed.
"Will you stop that. No I have not seen his face. But he smells like vanilla."
Sakura practically turned to slush, "Kiwaii!"
The rest of the meeting was spent with Sakura guessing what Meilin's dreams were about and Meilin disappointing her with saying, "No."
[End of CH 10. Well, this is going to not be posted tonight because "Server not found" is still being displayed on my screen. Hopefully all this will be sorted out before I go to camp on Friday. So this isn't my fault. I wrote it, I just couldn't upload it. Does Sakura seem in character? I don't really have a firm grasp on her characterization. I can do everyone else it's just Sakura I have a problem with. Suggestions anyone?]
[July 20, 2003]
