Story Name: Portrait of a Little Wolf

Author: DarkxDiamonds

Comments: Mm … It seems Chapter 10 is already here. D Thank you for your continued support!

Chapter 10

Narrator

And so the days passed. Sakura grew accustomed to life with Syaoran Li, but continued to spend countless hours with her good friend, Tomoyo. The unhappy memory of Meiling seemed to fade from all their minds. Instead, it was replaced with Sakura's constant cheerful smile. Her days consisted of her small quilting business and she herself would look with longing at the children playing in the streets.

And as Tomoyo predicted, Sakura and Syaoran both knew that as winter was drawing in, their own time was drawing out. In the coldness of the days when leaves finished drifting from trees and as the stars shone down with a frosted brilliance, Syaoran took the hand of the woman he loved and asked her to be his wife – in life and in death. And Sakura, her voice trembling and her eyes glittering accepted the duty she had been prepared for since the day she met the artist.

Weeks later, the same priest that had given Syaoran his cryptic message looked at the faces of the lovers and smiled secretly, pronouncing them husband and wife. And as the two kissed, the bouquet of cherry blossoms between them released the pure and distinct fragrance that spread to the cheering faces of Tomoyo and Eriol. It had been a small, private wedding, just as Sakura had wished it.

It was the perfect story, the perfect ending. But there is always one dent, one fragment that disturbs the ideal portrait of beauty …

January 10, 1930

"Mrs. Li!" The tottering 3 year-old held up his arms. "Play, play!" Sakura, who had found herself to be very fond of little children, could do nothing but obey and picked up the child. "Now, Yahiko-chan, what do you think we should do?" The brows of the child deepened as he made his decision. "Build a snowman!" Sakura laughed cheerfully. "A snowman it is!"

Yahiko Yomagata, the son of the town's bookseller, was a very sweet and promising child. He loved to learn and listen and Sakura was one of his favorite adults. As Sakura helped him pile the snow into a round ball, her mind trailed off in thought. I wonder if I'll ever have a child like Yahiko? She looked at his innocent face, happily in bliss and completely immersed into the ball of snow in his mittens that kept falling apart. And Sakura knew… she knew that she wanted a child of her own.

She sighed and shook her head resignedly. I'll never be ready for one. Yahiko pulled at her scarf. "Mrs. Li! Look, I made the ball!" Indeed he had, for in his hand was one snowball that he had managed to mold together. Sakura smiled at him proudly. "That's a wonderful snowball! Should we try to make it bigger?" Yahiko nodded agreeably and the two proceeded with the task of rolling the snowball through the ground.

From the window above, Syaoran was discussing business with the father of Yahiko. "I agree with you that the painting should be done within a month, but unless you wish to sit still in the same pose for over a month, it cannot be an exact replica." He sighed and his hand combed through his hair in annoyance. Glancing out the window, his heart grew a little lighter as he watched his wife play with Yahiko. It would be nice to be out there too … but it seems business comes first.

Mr. Yomagata was a friendly man, but sometimes demanding and rude. He pulled at his moustache subconsciously. "Very well. I will trust you to do the best you can, Mr. Li." Syaoran assured him he would and saw the man to the door. Another order to do …He added it to his mental checklist of duties. There were times when all he wanted to do was snap the brushes in half, tear the canvas into two, and kick the easel into pieces.

Sakura came in, her cheeks tinted pink from the cold. "Did everything go all right?" she asked with a worried expression on her face. He smiled back and nodded. I will protect her. "It just seems that I have another painting to do again." Her expression changed. "Be careful you don't overwork yourself," she warned him. "You can get sick from it." Syaoran took in the way her eyes were directed just at him, worry just for him. "I will be, don't worry."

His gaze went out the window to the whiteness that topped the entire town. "Should we go out and enjoy the snow?" Sakura nodded happily, a smile on her face again. "Yes, please! Oh, we can make snow angels, or build a snowman … or …" Syaoran looked at her curiously. "Or …?" A sly grin appeared on her face. "Or we can have a snowball fight!" Before Syaoran could react, she had run out the door. Syaoran shook his head, somewhat dazed. How long has it been since I've had a snowball fight …? His mind didn't dwell long on the answer, though, for a fistful of snow had hit him smack in the face.

Leaping into action, he grabbed his coats and boots and swore that he'd get his revenge on his wife. "It's almost like we're children again," he murmured to himself. Bursting open the door, he barely managed to dodge another snowball Sakura had thrown at him. Laughing, he began his retaliation back. Wouldn't it be nice to stay as children forever?

A/N: Okay, I'm sure a lot of SS fans out there are very happy with this at the moment. XD I'm planning an … interesting series/events of plots further on, so please hang with me! As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not a person for happily-ever-after endings since life isn't like that at all. Until then, sayonara!

Kokoro