Chapter thirteen : The End or the Beginning?
~* The next day in China *~
Sakura and Li stood near Wolf's bed and they reality of the situation hit them both. Wolf opened his eyes and smiled at them both.
" So I see you couldn't keep him away after all. " Wolf laughed faintly.
Li tensed.
" How could I when we are both worried about you? " Sakura asked kneeling down holding the frail man's hand.
" Oh my sweet girl, I was so lost after you left. How I miss your company here. "
" Oh Wolf. You've got everyone here to keep you company. I'm just an ordinary girl. I've told you that before. "
" And I've told you what I think of that statement before as well. " Wolf retorted.
Sakura laughed sadly.
" Indeed you did. " she replied.
" Did she give you my message? " Wolf asked looking at Li.
Li nodded.
" And I am not an insulent pup. Remember that. " Li stated coldly.
Sakura shot him the death glare.
" I have some important news to tell you Wolf. My mission has been successful, Wolves are the new leader. I did what you have asked of me. "
Wolf seemed to study her.
" I don't believe you. " he finally said.
Sakura tensed afraid.
" It's true. " she whispered. Wolf glared at her coldly.
" I may be an old man and I may be on my death bed, but I still know when I'm being lied to! "
" It's no lie. " Li said.
Sakura starred up at Li stunned. Wolf turned to look at Li's expressionless face.
" Sakura's been accepted as the new leader. She called a meeting and the Wolves came. Last night she sent them out and our territory has been reclaimed competely, we've been accepted and recognised as the new leader and we now outrank all the others. You should be very proud Wolf. Even I couldn't do that, not in such a short time. " Li stated.
Wolf studied Li for a long time.
" So . . " he finally said. " You've finally been tamed I see. " he said to Li, who didn't move.
He looked at Sakura.
" I congradulate you. You managed to do something that I have been waiting to see happen all my life, and you have managed to fulfil and old man's dream and because of that, I now know that I can die a happy man. "
He looked at Li.
" As my last act as the Wolves leader, I command you Little Wolf to watch over and protect this beautiful angel with your life do you hear me? "
He looked at Sakura.
" You gave me much happiness that I thought I would never feel again and made this tired body feel young again, and you have my undying gratitude. "
He looked back at Li.
" Don't be a fool and realise when it's already too late how special she really is. Cherry Blossom's are frail creatures with strong hearts, but they still need to be loved and protected. If you fail me in this I will haunt you for the rest of your life and you won't only have Hiiragizawa to contend with. "
Li stiffened.
" I hear you. "
Wolf smiled sadly.
" Hey Wolf? " Li said. " Do me a favour? Haunt that cocky smartass that you hired to annoy me will you. "
Wolf raised his eyebrow sarcastiaclly and Li shrugged.
" I can't wait that long to get that bastard back. " Li spat.
Wolf burst out laughing and choked. Sakura patted him on the back and shot Li the coldest, deadliest look she could coud muster.
" But seriously Wolf. " Li said softly. " I am going to miss you. "
Wolf looked at him with an emotion Li didn't recognise.
" Thanks my boy. I'm going to miss you and your damn stubborn and arrogant ways. "
Li smiled sadly.
** Later that night the first great leader of the Wolves died peacefully and happily in his sleep. **
*************************************************************************************************
The Wolves are at a standstill
While two great forces clash
One leader has moved on and another is about to leave.
How will the story go? What path will they lead?
The story continues
Read and find out!
*************************************************************************************************
Sakura and Li had been put into a guest room together. Sakura's bed was near the huge double doors and Li was along the wall near the door, directly across from her. The doors had been left open to let what little breeze there was to flow through.
Sakura jumped awake and sat upright, stiff as a board and knew instantly that Wolf had gone. A soft knock on the door confirmed her suspicions. Yelan's head poked through the door and spotted her. She walked into the room and closed the door and set the candle that she was carrying down on the table near Li. She was still dressed in her chinese traditional robes and her hair for once, was left to hang losely around her face and down past her waist. She came to stand near Sakura.
" He's gone isn't he? " Sakura whispered.
" Peacefully and very happily. " came Yelan's whispered reply.
Sakura's haunted eyes met hers.
" We did the right thing didn't we? I mean telling him that his dream had come true when it hadn't? " she asked tears filling her luminous eyes.
Yelan sat down next to her on the bed.
" I think Wolf knew that you were just telling him, but I think for your sake he let it go, just to make you happy. "
" Why? " tears fell openinly down her cheeks.
" Because he adored you Sakura. You made him a very happy man these last couple of years and for that he was very grateful. It's not easy growing up around the gang life and then having to fight all your life just to keep something that you know you can't let go of. "
Li layed and there and listened wide awake.
" Oh why did he have to leave me?!! " Sakura cried and Yelan hugged her tightly as Sakura sobbed broken heartily.
" Oh Sakura onegai don't cry. Not all is lost, his memory will live in your heart forever and he will always will be with you. Just because you can't see him, doesn't mean he isn't there. " Yelan soothed, trying to stop her from crying.
Sakura pulled away and starred up at her.
" I feel so lost. I don't know what to do? I learnt so much from Wolf, but now that he is gone, I feel as if all my knowledge has gone as well! Is this the price we must pay for being brought into the lives of gangs? Is it that for every person we form a bond with, to lose them when they are taken? " Sakura sobbed.
Two warm, strong arms wrapped around and her and she was pulled against someone very warm.
" No Sakura that is not the price we must pay for living the lives we do. " came Li's voice.
" Yes we lose the people that we love and care for occasionally, but that is the natural way of life reguardless. The price we must pay is always the life of living in darkness, forced to hide, save being busted or being caught, the life of always watching your back and fighting to keep your rank and to try and get better. That is only a few, but it is still a price none the less. Don't think is all is lost because Wolf is no longer here. He will always be here. " Li placed his hand on her heart and smiled gently.
" He loved you dearly Sakura and he played a major part in your life and for that, you feel as if your heart is breaking, but you must learn that through pain can only come healing. It is always hard to try to forget pain especially when it is so great, but Time can be an ally as well as enemy. " Li whispered.
Li looked over the top of Sakura's hair and shot his mother a look. She starred at him, curiousity shining in her knowing eyes, before she got up and slipped out of the room as quietly as she had come.
Sakura hiccupped and Li smoothed her hair gently. She shivered violently and he rocked her back and forth. She eventually fell asleep again and Li layed back against her pillows and pulled the blanket up around them both, and making sure that she was still sleeping, drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
*************************************************************************************************
Sakura stood outside, dawn was a still few hours away. The soft wind lifted her hair and it flowed out behind her. She breathed in the cold refreshing air and filled her lungs until they felt icy and cold. She had her arms wrapped herself to keep out the cold. She was just standing there in a singlet top and pyjama pants, just watching the moon filter through the clouds in the horizon.
She felt lost and scarred. Her life seemed to have just stopped and it was like she had come to a fork in the road she had been taking, but instead of just having left or right, the path broke into thousands of thousands of different pathways and she was being forced to blindly pick one.
I walk the maze of moments
but everywhere I turn to
begins a new beginning
but never finds a finish
I walk to the horizon
but there I find another
it all seems so surprising
and then I find that I know
You go there you're gone forever
I go there I'll lose my way
if we stay here we're not together
Anywhere is
The moon upon the ocean
is swept around in motion
but without ever knowing
the reason for it's flowing
in motion on the ocean
the moon still keeps on moving the waves still keep on waving
and I still keep on going
You go there you're gone forever
I go there I'll lose my way
if we stay here we're not together
Anywhere is
I wonder if the stars sign
the life that is to be mine
and would they let their light shine
enough for me to follow
I look up to the heavens
but night has clouded over
no spark of constellation
no Vela or Orion
The shells upon the warm sands
have taken from their own lands
the echo of their story
but all I hear are low sounds
as poillow waves are weaving
and willow waves are leaving
but should I be believing
that I am only dreaming
You go there you're gone forever
I go there I'll lose my way
if we stay here we're not together
Anywhere is
To leave the thread of all time
and let it make a dark line
in hopes that I can still find
the way back to the moment
I took the turn and turned to
begin a new beginning
still looking for the answer
I cannot find the finish
it's either this or that way
it's one way or the other
it should be one direction
it could be on reflection
the turn I have just taken
the turn that I was making
I might be just beginning
I might be near the end.
Sakura shivered and blink back tears. Now where had they come from? She wiped them away hastily and started making plans in her fuzzy and stunned mind. She crept past her bed where Li was still sleeping. She grabbed her clothes and headed out the door.
* * *
`Ring` `Ring`
Meilin groaned and rolled over and burried her head under her pillow.
`Ring` `Ring`
" Go away! " she moaned and reached out a hand and picked up the phone.
" It had better be a damn good reason for waking me up at this time or I swear you're gonna get it! "
" Meilin? "
Meilin shot wide awake.
" Sakura? " she asked.
There was silence.
" Sakura tell me what's going on? What's happened?"
" Meilin I want you to do me a favour. "
" Sure anything. " Meilin replied as her door opened and curious faces starred at her.
" I want you to gather the Wolves and I want them where you are k? I will be arrriving there shortly and one more thing Meilin. . . I want all the Wolves baring their Wolf tatoo's and each and every single one of them holding a plane ticket for China today. "
Meilin gulped.
" So he's dead then? Wolf is dead? "
" Just do as I say. "
The phone went dead.
" What's going on Meilin? " Leiko asked fearfully.
Meilin met her eyes.
" I swear to god I wish I knew, but I have a feeling it's not good news. " she replied.
* ** ** *
~ Later that day ~
The Wolves stood respectfully as their former leader was lowered into the ground in the Li Clan cemetry. Sakura stood rigidly and refused to cry, there was no feeling, no emotion in her being. It was as if her heart was dead.
They were all dressed in black - the colour of mourning. Sakura starred down at the white rose she held. Wolf had loved his roses. That was one of the things at this moment that she remembered about him. One day she had come out into the garden when she had still been trying to recover when she had found him with his garden of roses. She smiled at the memory.
**
" Ah come to see my China Roses I see? " Wolf asked smiling as he stood up to greet his new visitor.
" China Roses? " Sakura asked curiously.
Wolf nodded.
" Best roses in the world these are right here. "
" Why's that? " Sakura asked.
" Because they've been nutured in their own soil, that's why. "
Sakura looked confused.
" Just like my China Wolves they are. "
Sakura blinked a few times. Was he going nuts?'
" You think I've finally lost it haven't you my girl? " Wolf demanded.
There was silence.
" You come here and I 'll let you in on a secret that no one knows about. " Wolf said.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped her walked through the gardens.
" You see my pack? " he asked indicating the Wolves that were training.
Sakura nodded.
" They are bred and raised here in the very heart of Hong Kong. Now the heart of anything is a very special place, you rememeber that my girl. I raise these pups and train them very hard and with determination and skill, they become the best recrutes any gang leader could ever have! "
" That's a horrible thing to say! You make it sound as if they are nothing but-but plants! " Sakura said angrily.
" They are surrivors my girl. " Wolf retorted angrily. " They know their purpose in life and they accept it. Those that don't, leave. It's the way this clan is run, it's our tradition. "
Sakura starred at him.
" They are born here, they are raised here and they are trained here. And it makes me proud to call them my China Wolves. "
" You make them sound like fragile pieces of porcelin. " Sakura retorted.
Wolf glarred at her.
" No my girl, not porcelin. For you see when they go to war, they have the strength and power of China behind them. "
Sakura learned never to question his words again.
**
" This is for you Wolf. A China Rose for the China Wolf. " Sakura whispered and threw the rose onto his grave.
Who can tell me if we have heaven
who can say the way it should be;
Moonlight holly, the Sappho Comet,
Angel's tears below a tree.
You talk of the break of morning
as you view the new aurora,
Cloud in crimson, the key of heaven,
one love carved in acajou.
One told me of China Roses,
One a Thousand nights and one night,
Earth's last picture, the end of evening;
hue of indigo and blue.
Sakura's mind ran through through all the memories that she had had with Wolf.
A new moon leads me to
woods of dreams and I follow.
A new world waits for me;
my dream, my way.
I know that if I have heaven
there is nothing to desire.
Rain and river, a world of wonder
may be paradise to me.
I see the sun . . .
I see the stars . . .
**
Sakura turned away. It was time to start, but whether what she was about to do was the beginning or the end only time would tell . . .
*************************************************************************************************
BW2 The two songs present in this chapter are both by Enya, from her album ' The Memory of Trees.'
~* The next day in China *~
Sakura and Li stood near Wolf's bed and they reality of the situation hit them both. Wolf opened his eyes and smiled at them both.
" So I see you couldn't keep him away after all. " Wolf laughed faintly.
Li tensed.
" How could I when we are both worried about you? " Sakura asked kneeling down holding the frail man's hand.
" Oh my sweet girl, I was so lost after you left. How I miss your company here. "
" Oh Wolf. You've got everyone here to keep you company. I'm just an ordinary girl. I've told you that before. "
" And I've told you what I think of that statement before as well. " Wolf retorted.
Sakura laughed sadly.
" Indeed you did. " she replied.
" Did she give you my message? " Wolf asked looking at Li.
Li nodded.
" And I am not an insulent pup. Remember that. " Li stated coldly.
Sakura shot him the death glare.
" I have some important news to tell you Wolf. My mission has been successful, Wolves are the new leader. I did what you have asked of me. "
Wolf seemed to study her.
" I don't believe you. " he finally said.
Sakura tensed afraid.
" It's true. " she whispered. Wolf glared at her coldly.
" I may be an old man and I may be on my death bed, but I still know when I'm being lied to! "
" It's no lie. " Li said.
Sakura starred up at Li stunned. Wolf turned to look at Li's expressionless face.
" Sakura's been accepted as the new leader. She called a meeting and the Wolves came. Last night she sent them out and our territory has been reclaimed competely, we've been accepted and recognised as the new leader and we now outrank all the others. You should be very proud Wolf. Even I couldn't do that, not in such a short time. " Li stated.
Wolf studied Li for a long time.
" So . . " he finally said. " You've finally been tamed I see. " he said to Li, who didn't move.
He looked at Sakura.
" I congradulate you. You managed to do something that I have been waiting to see happen all my life, and you have managed to fulfil and old man's dream and because of that, I now know that I can die a happy man. "
He looked at Li.
" As my last act as the Wolves leader, I command you Little Wolf to watch over and protect this beautiful angel with your life do you hear me? "
He looked at Sakura.
" You gave me much happiness that I thought I would never feel again and made this tired body feel young again, and you have my undying gratitude. "
He looked back at Li.
" Don't be a fool and realise when it's already too late how special she really is. Cherry Blossom's are frail creatures with strong hearts, but they still need to be loved and protected. If you fail me in this I will haunt you for the rest of your life and you won't only have Hiiragizawa to contend with. "
Li stiffened.
" I hear you. "
Wolf smiled sadly.
" Hey Wolf? " Li said. " Do me a favour? Haunt that cocky smartass that you hired to annoy me will you. "
Wolf raised his eyebrow sarcastiaclly and Li shrugged.
" I can't wait that long to get that bastard back. " Li spat.
Wolf burst out laughing and choked. Sakura patted him on the back and shot Li the coldest, deadliest look she could coud muster.
" But seriously Wolf. " Li said softly. " I am going to miss you. "
Wolf looked at him with an emotion Li didn't recognise.
" Thanks my boy. I'm going to miss you and your damn stubborn and arrogant ways. "
Li smiled sadly.
** Later that night the first great leader of the Wolves died peacefully and happily in his sleep. **
*************************************************************************************************
The Wolves are at a standstill
While two great forces clash
One leader has moved on and another is about to leave.
How will the story go? What path will they lead?
The story continues
Read and find out!
*************************************************************************************************
Sakura and Li had been put into a guest room together. Sakura's bed was near the huge double doors and Li was along the wall near the door, directly across from her. The doors had been left open to let what little breeze there was to flow through.
Sakura jumped awake and sat upright, stiff as a board and knew instantly that Wolf had gone. A soft knock on the door confirmed her suspicions. Yelan's head poked through the door and spotted her. She walked into the room and closed the door and set the candle that she was carrying down on the table near Li. She was still dressed in her chinese traditional robes and her hair for once, was left to hang losely around her face and down past her waist. She came to stand near Sakura.
" He's gone isn't he? " Sakura whispered.
" Peacefully and very happily. " came Yelan's whispered reply.
Sakura's haunted eyes met hers.
" We did the right thing didn't we? I mean telling him that his dream had come true when it hadn't? " she asked tears filling her luminous eyes.
Yelan sat down next to her on the bed.
" I think Wolf knew that you were just telling him, but I think for your sake he let it go, just to make you happy. "
" Why? " tears fell openinly down her cheeks.
" Because he adored you Sakura. You made him a very happy man these last couple of years and for that he was very grateful. It's not easy growing up around the gang life and then having to fight all your life just to keep something that you know you can't let go of. "
Li layed and there and listened wide awake.
" Oh why did he have to leave me?!! " Sakura cried and Yelan hugged her tightly as Sakura sobbed broken heartily.
" Oh Sakura onegai don't cry. Not all is lost, his memory will live in your heart forever and he will always will be with you. Just because you can't see him, doesn't mean he isn't there. " Yelan soothed, trying to stop her from crying.
Sakura pulled away and starred up at her.
" I feel so lost. I don't know what to do? I learnt so much from Wolf, but now that he is gone, I feel as if all my knowledge has gone as well! Is this the price we must pay for being brought into the lives of gangs? Is it that for every person we form a bond with, to lose them when they are taken? " Sakura sobbed.
Two warm, strong arms wrapped around and her and she was pulled against someone very warm.
" No Sakura that is not the price we must pay for living the lives we do. " came Li's voice.
" Yes we lose the people that we love and care for occasionally, but that is the natural way of life reguardless. The price we must pay is always the life of living in darkness, forced to hide, save being busted or being caught, the life of always watching your back and fighting to keep your rank and to try and get better. That is only a few, but it is still a price none the less. Don't think is all is lost because Wolf is no longer here. He will always be here. " Li placed his hand on her heart and smiled gently.
" He loved you dearly Sakura and he played a major part in your life and for that, you feel as if your heart is breaking, but you must learn that through pain can only come healing. It is always hard to try to forget pain especially when it is so great, but Time can be an ally as well as enemy. " Li whispered.
Li looked over the top of Sakura's hair and shot his mother a look. She starred at him, curiousity shining in her knowing eyes, before she got up and slipped out of the room as quietly as she had come.
Sakura hiccupped and Li smoothed her hair gently. She shivered violently and he rocked her back and forth. She eventually fell asleep again and Li layed back against her pillows and pulled the blanket up around them both, and making sure that she was still sleeping, drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
*************************************************************************************************
Sakura stood outside, dawn was a still few hours away. The soft wind lifted her hair and it flowed out behind her. She breathed in the cold refreshing air and filled her lungs until they felt icy and cold. She had her arms wrapped herself to keep out the cold. She was just standing there in a singlet top and pyjama pants, just watching the moon filter through the clouds in the horizon.
She felt lost and scarred. Her life seemed to have just stopped and it was like she had come to a fork in the road she had been taking, but instead of just having left or right, the path broke into thousands of thousands of different pathways and she was being forced to blindly pick one.
I walk the maze of moments
but everywhere I turn to
begins a new beginning
but never finds a finish
I walk to the horizon
but there I find another
it all seems so surprising
and then I find that I know
You go there you're gone forever
I go there I'll lose my way
if we stay here we're not together
Anywhere is
The moon upon the ocean
is swept around in motion
but without ever knowing
the reason for it's flowing
in motion on the ocean
the moon still keeps on moving the waves still keep on waving
and I still keep on going
You go there you're gone forever
I go there I'll lose my way
if we stay here we're not together
Anywhere is
I wonder if the stars sign
the life that is to be mine
and would they let their light shine
enough for me to follow
I look up to the heavens
but night has clouded over
no spark of constellation
no Vela or Orion
The shells upon the warm sands
have taken from their own lands
the echo of their story
but all I hear are low sounds
as poillow waves are weaving
and willow waves are leaving
but should I be believing
that I am only dreaming
You go there you're gone forever
I go there I'll lose my way
if we stay here we're not together
Anywhere is
To leave the thread of all time
and let it make a dark line
in hopes that I can still find
the way back to the moment
I took the turn and turned to
begin a new beginning
still looking for the answer
I cannot find the finish
it's either this or that way
it's one way or the other
it should be one direction
it could be on reflection
the turn I have just taken
the turn that I was making
I might be just beginning
I might be near the end.
Sakura shivered and blink back tears. Now where had they come from? She wiped them away hastily and started making plans in her fuzzy and stunned mind. She crept past her bed where Li was still sleeping. She grabbed her clothes and headed out the door.
* * *
`Ring` `Ring`
Meilin groaned and rolled over and burried her head under her pillow.
`Ring` `Ring`
" Go away! " she moaned and reached out a hand and picked up the phone.
" It had better be a damn good reason for waking me up at this time or I swear you're gonna get it! "
" Meilin? "
Meilin shot wide awake.
" Sakura? " she asked.
There was silence.
" Sakura tell me what's going on? What's happened?"
" Meilin I want you to do me a favour. "
" Sure anything. " Meilin replied as her door opened and curious faces starred at her.
" I want you to gather the Wolves and I want them where you are k? I will be arrriving there shortly and one more thing Meilin. . . I want all the Wolves baring their Wolf tatoo's and each and every single one of them holding a plane ticket for China today. "
Meilin gulped.
" So he's dead then? Wolf is dead? "
" Just do as I say. "
The phone went dead.
" What's going on Meilin? " Leiko asked fearfully.
Meilin met her eyes.
" I swear to god I wish I knew, but I have a feeling it's not good news. " she replied.
* ** ** *
~ Later that day ~
The Wolves stood respectfully as their former leader was lowered into the ground in the Li Clan cemetry. Sakura stood rigidly and refused to cry, there was no feeling, no emotion in her being. It was as if her heart was dead.
They were all dressed in black - the colour of mourning. Sakura starred down at the white rose she held. Wolf had loved his roses. That was one of the things at this moment that she remembered about him. One day she had come out into the garden when she had still been trying to recover when she had found him with his garden of roses. She smiled at the memory.
**
" Ah come to see my China Roses I see? " Wolf asked smiling as he stood up to greet his new visitor.
" China Roses? " Sakura asked curiously.
Wolf nodded.
" Best roses in the world these are right here. "
" Why's that? " Sakura asked.
" Because they've been nutured in their own soil, that's why. "
Sakura looked confused.
" Just like my China Wolves they are. "
Sakura blinked a few times. Was he going nuts?'
" You think I've finally lost it haven't you my girl? " Wolf demanded.
There was silence.
" You come here and I 'll let you in on a secret that no one knows about. " Wolf said.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped her walked through the gardens.
" You see my pack? " he asked indicating the Wolves that were training.
Sakura nodded.
" They are bred and raised here in the very heart of Hong Kong. Now the heart of anything is a very special place, you rememeber that my girl. I raise these pups and train them very hard and with determination and skill, they become the best recrutes any gang leader could ever have! "
" That's a horrible thing to say! You make it sound as if they are nothing but-but plants! " Sakura said angrily.
" They are surrivors my girl. " Wolf retorted angrily. " They know their purpose in life and they accept it. Those that don't, leave. It's the way this clan is run, it's our tradition. "
Sakura starred at him.
" They are born here, they are raised here and they are trained here. And it makes me proud to call them my China Wolves. "
" You make them sound like fragile pieces of porcelin. " Sakura retorted.
Wolf glarred at her.
" No my girl, not porcelin. For you see when they go to war, they have the strength and power of China behind them. "
Sakura learned never to question his words again.
**
" This is for you Wolf. A China Rose for the China Wolf. " Sakura whispered and threw the rose onto his grave.
Who can tell me if we have heaven
who can say the way it should be;
Moonlight holly, the Sappho Comet,
Angel's tears below a tree.
You talk of the break of morning
as you view the new aurora,
Cloud in crimson, the key of heaven,
one love carved in acajou.
One told me of China Roses,
One a Thousand nights and one night,
Earth's last picture, the end of evening;
hue of indigo and blue.
Sakura's mind ran through through all the memories that she had had with Wolf.
A new moon leads me to
woods of dreams and I follow.
A new world waits for me;
my dream, my way.
I know that if I have heaven
there is nothing to desire.
Rain and river, a world of wonder
may be paradise to me.
I see the sun . . .
I see the stars . . .
**
Sakura turned away. It was time to start, but whether what she was about to do was the beginning or the end only time would tell . . .
*************************************************************************************************
BW2 The two songs present in this chapter are both by Enya, from her album ' The Memory of Trees.'