Disclaimer: don't own.....blah blah blah.
Chapter 4
Syaoran fidgeted. And honestly, why wouldn't he? Living with Sakura and Touya? In fact he was in their living room right now, book bag in hand. He didn't want their charity! It's not like he couldn't take care of himself. And how embarrassing! What if they caught him during one of his nightmares or his sick spells? He thought of a million things he should have done before he felt. He should have phoned Meiling, let her know where he was going to be, he still had to do that. He was alone in the room for now, Touya was making tea and Sakura said she'd go get a room ready. The others had left or had been dropped off at their houses on the way here.
Sakura came back in the room and smiled sweetly and took a deep breath,
"Tori!"
Soon Touya's head appeared through the kitchen door way, he twitched,
"You didn't have to yell you know, I'm right here......Well?"
"Where do you want Li? What I mean is we only have three rooms, but which one do you want me to put him in? Mine, yours, of dads?"
"Kaijiou, you know I would never let him stay in your room and since dad has the biggest bed, I call it. He can stay in mine for awhile. You can take him there now to drop his bag off if you want but don't touch anything until I get my valuables out of there."
"Okay"
Sakura motioned for Li to follow her as Touya disappeared back into the kitchen. She lead him up some steps and they past a few doors before getting to Touya's. Sakura pushed open the door.
"It's kind of messy. Tori's not very organized sometimes." They both sweat dropped as they witnessed the huge pile of clothes in the middle of the room. Sakura grabbed his bag from him and tossed it on the bed which was horizontal to the door and had a window above it.
"So...Li, anything you want in particular for supper?"
"That's okay, I'm fine." He said blushing. He just wanted to go home, was that so wrong? He was tired, he usually went to bed at nine thirty, it was ten already, did they not sleep?
When they came down, Touya had set the dinner plates and poured the tea. Touya ultimately made each of them sit on either side of him. Syaoran was surprised at how hungry he was!
Then he remembered he had to call Meiling.
"Excuse me, is it all right if I use your phone Sakura?"
"Sure, it's just over there."
"Thank you."
He left his spot at the table and started punching in a long line of numbers once he reached the phone.
"Li Residence."
"Is Yelan Li there?"
"I'm sorry but I'm not authorized to give her any calls from solicitors, strangers-"
"Tell her it's Xiao-Lang Li."
"Forgive me, Master Li, I did not recognise your voice."
Pause.
"Hello?"
"Mother."
"Xiao-Lang, my little wolf. I was waiting for your call. I have some important information to share, but first I would like to hear about you. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I just wanted to let you know that I'm staying at Sakura Kinomoto's."
"What for?"
"I...they didn't want me to stay alone."
"Then why are you only staying with them now? I hope you made it clear to them that you don't need to be taken care of."
"I did, but they wouldn't leave me there, they threatened to call social services."
"A Li is able to take care of themselves."
"I know, mother."
"Well, be a polite guest."
"I will. Meiling was saying something this morning-"
"Oh, yes. About the sheilds, correct? Everything she told you was true."
"So the sheilds just strengthened around random people and dropped around others?"
"I wouldn't call it random."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll let you draw your own conclusions."
"Why? Who's sheild dropped?"
"That's the wrong question to ask, I think."
"You mean you're focusing on the sheilds that didn't drop."
"It seems the wisest way."
"Well then?"
"Well then what?"
"Whose sheild stayed up?"
"Well, mine of course, your sisters, Meiling's, three families in the clan who are in the west. Two families from the East. Miraculously Wei gained a sheild as did some other servants and trainers, all children have sheilds. And the Li clan is no longer one."
Syaoran quickly caught the reference to his deceased cousin. His brow furrowed.
"You mean that the Li's with out sheilds cannot harm the ones who are with?"
"They can't even touch them, literally."
Syaoran was speechless.
"Syaoran, I don't know what this means, the elders want you to come back but I don't think that's a good idea. The elders also lost their sheilds after all."
"So what's the connection?"
"I think, my son, that is for you to decide. You should get your sleep, I have a feeling you'll need it."
"Yes, mother. Tell my sisters I love them."
Syaoran hung up the phone and was a little embarrassed when he realized that Sakura and her brother might have been able to hear his conversation. His suspition was confirmed.
"Shield, that's that gaki?" Touya looked suspiscious.
"Nothing...it's just something we have in my family."
Touya didn't seem to be buying it but let it drop. Sakura, the trustful girl she is, believed him.
"Would you mind if I go to sleep now?"
"Wait here a minute while I go clear some stuff out."
Touya left the room.
"So, Li...what are you planning this week end?"
"Oh...uh, nothing inparticular, I'm sorry I ruined your picnic."
"Actually we decided to have it tomorrow on Saturday even before we checked up on you. Would you like to come with us?"
"...alright."
"It'll be lots of fun. I promise. You can even help me and Touya make some snacks tomorrow."
"Thank you for letting me stay and stuff."
Sakura blinked at him.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
"No..you just sounded a little weird, I don't think I've ever heard you use the word stuff."
Syaoran blanched. What did she think he was? A robot? Ice? A dictionary?
"Oh....well-"
"Squirt Number Two, your rooms ready."
"Tori! Don't call my friends squirts!"
"I'll call them whatever I want to call them."
"You know, just because you're bigger doesn't mean you can call us names."
"I. Can. Too."
Sakura finished the argument with a stomp on his foot and he howled. Once he was finished howling, he glared.
"You promised!"
"Well, I took this as a special occasion."
"Pft. Whatever, I'm going to take a shower, you and the Gaki better be in bed when I get out."
Touya left the room, Sakura and Syaoran walked up the stairs.
"Good night Li!"
"Good night."
Sakura and Li went their separate ways.
Syaoran sighed and rubbed his temples as he made his way to the bed through the relatively cleaner bedroom. It kinda made him want to laugh, Touya's room was so messy, Syaoran wondered how he fit everything in there, he didn't even want to know what was in the closet, not that he cared. Because he didn't! It's not like he randomly ewnt through people's closets, except maybe his sisters, but that wasn't random. And now he was rambling, he must be tired. He was confident that no pain would follow for a few days because it usually didn't. Nightmares always came. Blood, laughter, hands, hands all over him, voices accusing him. It was enough to make him throw up.
He settled into the bed. He closed his eyes. He kept them closed. The door creaked. He opened them. All right enough with discriptive sentences. Syaoran opened his eyes as the door opened and light from the hallway streamed in.
"Gaki, you're lucky you're in bed, you are not lucky, however, that you are not asleep."
Syaoran did what he usually did, glare.
"Fine, fine, just get to bed. Oh, and have sweet dreams my little wolf." Touya closed the door again. Syaoran sat up, did he really just say that? Syaoran felt chills go through him. He shook them off, he would not surrender to fear. Though he couldn't say why that would scare him, his breathing got heavier. Eventually he calmed and continued his quest for sleep.
Syaoran could imagine himself looking silly staring into the nothingness that is the Kinomoto's hallway. The light had blinded him and he never even seen Touya. He had a nightmare as usual but this time was.....different. No one had heard him. He woke just before the time he usually woke up screaming. Then he was comforted. What was that? It was so nice. He could have sworn it was a person, he didn't see them but he felt whoever it was. The person or whatever it was had reminded him of his mother. He was sure it was a woman.
Or did it even happen at all? But it had too have happened. If it didn't happen then the pieces just wouldn't fit, not that they fit anyway, but it would make more sense if it was real......maybe? Syaoran got up when Sakura had knocked on his door, now all three house occupants were in the kitchen baking cookies.
"Did you have a pleasant sleep Li-kun?"
Li nodded at Sakura.
"I hope Touya didn't bother you too much when I was sleeping."
"He never bothered me much."
"What do you mean, 'much' gaki? I never bothered you at all."
Touya started mumbling about a lying gaki trying to get him into trouble. Sakura glared at his back, though not such could be said for it's force.
"What'd he do Li-kun?"
"Uh, nothing, he just asked if I was awake was all." Syaoran really didn't want to be in the middle of this.
"Touya!"
"All I did was knock Sakura, he never ansewred so I assumed he was asleep."
Syaoran looked confused. Sakura turned to him,
"Sorry my brother came into your room in the night and bothered you."
"What?! I did not go in his room, even ask him?"
They looked at Syaoran.
"But, you did, didn't you?"
"What?! You trying to get me in trouble Gaki?"
"You did though."
"What are you trying to pull? Sheesh, that is the last time I help you out."
"Touya! Sorry Li, my brother doesn't like to admit when he's wrong."
"I'm not the one who's wrong."
"I smell something....oh no, brother, you're supposed to be watching the cookies!"
And so the animosity between Touya and Syaoran grew until it was time to leave for the picnic, although Syaoran was still confused. It had to be Touya, right? It acted like him, yet that nickname was so out of character. He hated when people called him Little Wolf. And what of his dream and that spirit, as he now called it. Everything was so confusing. He was going to get another headache. Something in the air was wrong, he didn't particularily fancy going to find out what is was. He only knew, it was here for him.
AN: this seemd OOC to me. Sorry about that. I can't get the angst to come out right either, to be honest this isn't how I pictured my story or Syaoran and the rest of the characters. I'll try to fix that, I'm not sure if I can but I'll at least try for some angst in the next chapter. I feed off tears! Lol, I'm not a tear vampire.