Disclaimer: Don't own CCS. Wish I did, but I don't. ok.
The Magical Thread of Fate
Chapter TwoThe Li birthday Party
Hikaru opened her locker, face still red. She stared at it for a while before she registered what she saw. "Oh, shit, I forgot! The party! Hey, wait a minute, I don't need invitations, they need me there to procedd... Hmm . . ." Hikaru thought evil thoughts. "I know!" After taking the balloons and invitations (one for her, the other for Dante), Hikaru ran back up to the room. "Here, take these. I think you'll have fun. Li has to host his sisters' birthday party, so I bet you'll see him. I don't need an invite to get in, cuz they know better than to question me by now. See you tonight!" she said hurriedly before running out again.
"I wonder what she means?" Sakura and Tomoyo opened the cards. Inside was a really pretty card.
You are invited to the Li coming of age party, celebrating the 22nd birthday of the Li daughters.
"Huh. Hikaru had four balloons. And earlier she said 'those four'. I'm confused. Oh, well, I guess we should go." Sakura said. Tomoyo had an evil grin.
"She said that Li had to host, right? Where ever Li goes, Hiiragizawa is sure to follow. I say we . . ." Tomoyo started whispering in Sakura's ear her plan, making both of them smile evilly.
"Yes, I think that's perfect! We should wear . . ."
Later
"Yo, Kinomoto, Daidouji! You ready?" Hikaru hollared from a limousine.
"Comin . . . Whoa!" The two had run out of Sakura's house at her voice and were surprised at what they saw. She was wearing clothing to Li's ceremonial clothes, except the colors were black with red border, and a symbol on her back was in Chinese, written in golden print. "That is . . ."
"Unexpected." Tomoyo finished.
"You know, the girls are gonna make you change. The entire Li clan is showing up, as well as close friends. Oh, but that was a good idea. Xiao Lang and Hiiragizawa are going to freak when they see you two show up . . . especially in those outfits." Hikaru invited them into the Limo, and once inside, they noticed Dante, a man, and a woman. "Ok, introductions. Kinomoto, Sakura and Daidouji, Tomoyo, you saw Dante earlier today." They said hello while Hikaru batted the balloons away. "And these are his parents, my landlord, Dmitre, and his wife, Attella. Now, can we please get going and get this over with? I want to get out of these as quickly as possible. No smart comments from you, Dante!" Hikaru sat next to him, and anticipated his response. He just pouted.
"Come now, Hikaru, darling, you have a duty to uphold, and there are ceremonies that are part of tradition that you must watch over." Attella pointed out.
"I know, I know. Seriously, there should be a rule that you can't do it until you're 18, even if nobody else qualifies."
"Why don't you're parents do . . .whatever it is you have to do?" Sakura asked. Hikaru shut her eyes and took a deep breath.
"They passed away ten years ago. I had to take over all of their duties, including presiding over Coming of Age Ceremonies, no matter the Clan. In a couple weeks, I have to go to Hong Kong to host the Fu clan." Tomoyo and Sakura started to understand the situation Hikaru's was in, but she left out quite a bit of information. I'll get into that later.
At the Li mansion
"Jeez, Syaoran, your family is huge! Or rather, I have a lot of descendants." Eriol remarked.
"Shut up! At least I only have to deal with my sisters, and not Kinomoto."
"You spoke too soon. Now, that has got to be the sexiest outfit I have ever seen." Sakura had stepped out of the limo, followed by Tomoyo.
"How the hell did they get invi . . . oh, great." Li started muttering in Chinese. Hikaru had stepped out, followed by Dante and his parents. Hikaru had changed her manner into a dignified one, so much that Syaoran was reminded of his mother. As Hikaru walked into the room, everyone hushed, and a path was made to the four sisters, who were standing in a semi-circle, ready to greet her. Attella held the balloons. Hikaru led the mini-procession down the pathway to the Li sisters and bowed. Everyone followed suit, but bowed lower than Hikaru. After Hikaru straightened up, they waited a few seconds before straightening up themselves.
"Daughters and Li, Yelan. I present to you classmates. Kinomoto, Sakura and Daidouji, Tomoyo." The two greeted the four sisters, amazed at how they look alike. "And my landlord, his wife, and his son." They greeted the sisters as well, but were already familiar with them. Hikaru turned to face the Clan. "My name is Kakuo, Hikaru. The name given to me at birth is Xing Fu Ki, and I am of the Ki Clan. I am here to preside over the following ceremonies and insure they go smoothly, and traditionally." Hikaru was speaking in Chinese, so Sakura and Tomoyo couldn't understand a word she was saying. She continued.
"Dude, did she say she was from the Ki Clan?" Eriol whispered to Syaoran, who nodded slightly. "Ok. It looks like I'm not here for fun, after all. I think I know exactly who that girl is." Syaoran shot him a look, but didn't say anything. After her speech was over, everyone began chatting again, and the sisters rushed over to Tomoyo and Sakura.
"Oh, Xing Fu, you shouldn't have brought such cuties!"
"Oh, Aren't they adorable?"
"Her hair is the perfect length . . ."
"Girls, why don't we go to the suite. I'd like to be in something more comfortable!" Hikaru poked one of them. They herded the three girls into the back, leaving Dante and his parents. Yelan followed her daughters. Attella put the balloons down somewhere and started making rounds with her husband. Dante followed them obediently.
In the Suite
"I think this color would match her pretty eyes . . ."
"How about this hairstyle, doesn't she look cute?"
"This dress, it has the perfect cut!" Hikaru left the girls to the torture of the quadruplets and went into a room, shutting the door and leaning against it. She smiled to herself.
"So far, so good. I hope they don't try to crash the ceremonies. But, even if they do, that's what I'm here for. Besides, every person here has at least some real magic, except for Daidouji. Her magic is the magic of friendship and relation. She'll keep Kinomoto going. Besides, I think Keroberos decided to take a ride in her bag. I'm sure Yelan already noticed him." She changed into a Qipao that was black with red trim. The designs, flowers at the bottom and falling along the slit, were also in red. Hikaru let the red streaks in her black hair (red, the color, unnatural looking. And I mean it, it looks RED). Her hair, she let flow loose down to her hips. Now, the slit went as high as you dare to let it, without showing any undergarments. Therefore, you can assume that she was showing a lot of skin. On both sides. Yes, the slit is on both sides.
When were you planning on telling me that you were reincarnated? Hikaru heard a familiar voice in her head. She laughed.
I told you before you created the card with my power. And you said nothing about reincarnating yourself. Did you split into two, Clow?
Yes. That's why Kinomoto is the Cards' new master. Her father is my other reincarnate.
Does Xiao Lang know?
He knows about me, but not about Kinomoto. I figure the look on his face will be priceless when he finds out, so we'll let him wait a little longer.
You are a troublesome one. One tip, though: If you want Daidouji, go ahead, but be careful and don't get her life in danger. She's not as . . . resistant to certain magics as we are.
Yeah, yeah. If I really wanted her, I'd have her by now. It's fun playing with her and making her absolutely angry. Hikaru didn't want to hear any more, so she cut off the link in her mind.
"Watch out, Daidouji, he's beginning to like you, and once he gets desperate enough, good luck resisting him. The two of you, as well as Kinomoto and Xiao Lang . . ." She let her thought trail off as she left the room, and, seeing the girls still dressing up S + T, she decided to find Yelan. Knocking on her suite door, she opened it and walked in, closing it behind her.
"Good evening, Keroberos. I didn't think I'd get to meet you again. And I didn't think you'd be so . . . little so I can squeeze your head now!" Hikaru squeezed his head until he got away, hiding behind Yelan. "Awwww, come on, Keroberos, I've wanted to do that ever since Clow created you!"
"Who are you, anyway?" Kero was clueless.
"Oh, yeah, the seal. I always forget that nobody can really sense me. Fine, I am currently known as Hikaru Kakuo, but my birth name is Xing Fu Ki, of the Ki Clan."
"Wait a minute, Ki, Ki . . . I know! You're Kai! Kai the Fire Queen!" Hikaru smiled. "What are you doing here?"
"All of the others are gone. They weren't able to protect themselves, and if it weren't for Yelan's daughters, I wouldn't be here, either. I've been training with the Li Clan, but I still attend to the duties of the Ki Clan. This place is safe, for now. Now, why don't you change into your true form and surprise everyone?"
"Yes, Keroberos, that would be a splendid thing to do!" Yelan agreed.
"Uh-uh, Sakura would get angry at me. She doesn't know I'm here, but Tomoyo does."
"Keroberos, does Kinomoto know about Yue?" Hikaru's eyes were on the wall in the direction of the party.
"Of course she does! She's the Master of the Cards now! Why wouldn't . . ."
"They followed him. Have everyone be on guard, they'll probably attack during the first ceremony." Hikaru ran out of the room. She went out to the crowd and searched for someone. She had only been out for a little bit when someone bumped into her, making her fall.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Here, let me help you." It was Yukito. Hikaru shook her head and stood up.
"I'm fine. I was actually looking for you, Yue." Yukito gasped.
"H-how did you know . . ."
"Not you, too! I thought you, of all people, would be able to sense me, even through the Seal. Or, you'd at least recognize me!" Yukito looked lost for a minute.
"Are you . . . Kai Ki?" He asked slowly.
"I was. In this lifetime, my birth name is Xing Fu Ki. I'm here to preside over the ceremonies, since my parents are gone." She was smiling like it was nothing. "Of course, my Japanese name is Kakuo, Hikaru. And yours?"
"Tsukishiro, Yukito. Have you seen Sakura?"
"She's back there. She and Daidouji wore these really neat outfits to scare Xiao Lang and Hiiragizawa, and now Xiao Lang's sisters are dressing the two up. Oi!" Someone had wrapped their arms around her waist. It was Dante.
"Do you remember every single name at this party?" He asked, smiling at her.
"Do you remember every title of every song you've every written?" She threw back. He sighed.
"There's too many names, and they're all Chinese!" Hikaru laughed.
"Tsukishiro, this is Dante, my landlord's son. Oh, they're so cute!" Sakura and Tomoyo had finally gotten something on, and the sisters looked pleased. Sakura had an emerald green Qipao that was just like Hikaru's, and Tomoyo's was the same, except it was deep purple. "Now, time to look for some Odangos. There she is! Mei Ling!" Hikaru got the girl's attention by waving, and she came bouncing over, tugging a boy along.
"Xing Fu! That was a great speech earlier! I've never seen you act like that! It was awesome!" She kept going on in Chinese, and Hikaru smiled.
"And who is this that you've dragged along?"
"This is my boyfriend, Ping. Ping, this is Xing Fu Ki, and she's here as Presider. Here comes Xiao Lang! Xiao Lang! Over here!"
"So, we've all gathered. Although, Kinomoto's father really should be here. He'd be safer here, where we can offer protection from the Qin." Hikaru's eyes were glazed over.
"The Qin, are they . . .?" Mei Ling left the question hanging.
"Yes, they're here. They want to finish the job they started ten years ago. But they're too late. They should have finished me off on that day. Power grows over the years, and I've had ten. Xiao Lang, Mei Ling, pass the word. Everyone is to be on guard, especially during the first Ceremony. Make sure everyone is prepared for a full-out attack. I need to talk to Kinomoto." She walked over to the girls.
"Kinomoto, Daidouji, I need to speak with the two of you. Yelan?"
"Use my suite. It took some convincing, but he finally agreed." Hikaru nodded, and led the two girls to Yelan's room. Sakura went in first.
"Kero, what are you . . .!" She clamped her hand over her mouth and tried to hide Kero from Hikaru.
"Keroberos, can you sense them?" Hikaru asked, surprising the two girls. He nodded.
"They're hitting the shield full force. I've never felt so many this close. Is Yue aware?"
"I found him. Everything should be fine, until the break the barrier. Everyone is prepared, though, for a fight. Kinomoto, you'll have to use the Cards to protect Daidouji and your brother."
"H-how do you know about the cards!" Sakura stared at Hikaru.
"That's a long story. Maybe another time. Don't be afraid to use the cards; the entire Li clan is aware of their existence, seeing as they are all descendants of Clow Reed, the cards' creator. Keroberos, you and Yue should make your presence known soon. Maybe, they'll let up, and leave me alone." Kero changed back into his temporary form.
"Hikaru, what are those red streaks in your hair?" Tomoyo asked.
"Rank strips. They always come out of their own accord when there's a ceremony I have to preside over. Are you ready, Keroberos?"
"Ready as I'll ever be. You've got a lot of explaining to do when this is over." Hikaru smiled, but it disappeared as soon as they left the suite. Once outside in the crowd again, Hikaru clapped her hands three times for attention. Yukito walked towards her and stood on her left, while Kero was floating on her right.
"Descendants of Clow Reed, and one of his reincarnates." She addressed the crowd. "I present to you the creations of Clow: Keroberos and Yue!" Their wings surrounded their bodies as they took on their true form. When the wings parted, the crowd gasped and bowed, except for Eriol. Hikaru smiled at him. "Reincarnate of Clow Reed. I presume you created another pair when you awakened?" Eriol smiled his dark smile.
"Release." He released his wand and changed. Nakuru, who was hanging on Touya, took her place beside Eriol, and Spinal came out of nowhere. "Reveal your true form. Spinel Sun, Ruby Moon!" His dark voice, of course. They changed into their true forms. Yue and Kero were shocked.
"Never since the death of Clow Reed has a Coming of Age Ceremony been complete. Now, it is full, with the entire clan, Clow Reed's reincarnate, a new master of the cards, and four creations of Clow. But now, as you have heard by now, this Ceremony will not go without interruption, because," She turned to face a wall on the other side of the mansion. "someone decided that they wanted to finish what they started ten years ago, not realizing the amount of power that has gathered here." Her tone was harsh.
"I am fully aware of the might of the Li clan, as well as the power of Clow Reed. Now, it's time for you to die like you should have ten years ago!" A figure appeared out of thin air at the wall Hikaru was facing. Someone shouted "Qin!"
"I challenge you to a duel, Qin Master. No Magic. Swords only." She said bravely. He just laughed.
"Xing Fu Ki, a mere child, you wish to challenge me to a duel? Without you're magic? How brave. Very well, I accept your challenge!" He floated down to the floor as a path was made for the fight. Hikaru summoned a katana as he summoned his sword. Swinging it around to test it out, she finally took her battle pose, stiff as a statue. It was similar to the Li martial arts, except she had a sword in her hand. He took a simple pose, sword held out, tip aimed at her. Everything was still for a long time.
"What's the matter, Penta? Afraid of a little girl that you couldn't kill when she was totally defenseless?" Hikaru taunted, not leaving her stance.
"Shut up!" He came at her and swung a deathstroke, but before it touched Hikaru, she disappeared. There were murmurs around the room. She reappeared behind him.
"Boo." Her back was to him, but she disappeared again before his blade touched her. This time she had jumped into the air. He went after her and swung again, but she just bent back and it passed harmlessly by her. This time she retaliated by swinging her sword, and she ripped the flesh of his stomach. She landed on two feet and regained her stance, waiting for him to come at her again. He didn't land so gracefully, and was clutching his stomach. "It's not like you to be so weak. Or so slow. What's the matter, afraid of me? Or are you afraid of all of the power in this room, pressing against you, draining your power slowly from your body?" She was taunting him.
"Shut up!" he came at her again, full speed. Instead of disappearing when he swung, she hit his sword in a parry, and kept swinging, forcing him into a defensive crawl backwards, towards the wall. He saw the anger in her eyes, and the controlled movements, but there was no pattern that he could follow and predict.
"What's the matter, Penta? I cut your stomach and you become a pathetic mess? I think you rely on your men too much, and when you're by yourself, you're nothing more than a helpless dog." The clan snickered at his weakness. He scowled and disappeared, reappearing near an exit.
"This isn't the end, not yet, Xing Fu Ki! You will die, I promise you!" He disappeared.
"Prepare yourselves! 200 Qin are outside, breaking the shield!" Hikaru yelled, and every Clan member had some sort of weapon appear, or they entered a fighting stance. Hikaru let her sword disappear, and jogged back over to Sakura. "Be prepared to use The Shield card when they come in. Stay inside of it, and don't come back out until they are all gone. Yue, Keroberos, keep them safe, and make sure that you don't get killed yourselves. Penta was too weak, there had to be something wrong with him already. Or...Well, I don't want to think about that. Hiiragizawa!" he smiled at her and cocked his head to the side.
"Don't worry about me. We'll be fine." Hikaru nodded. She continued directing the others.
"Hikaru is really responsible, isn't she?" Sakura asked Tomoyo, who nodded.
"You really can't blame her." Eriol smiled at them, staff still out. "She's upheld her family's duty for ten years now. She hasn't been able to be a child." Tomoyo had to admit, he looked really good in that outfit with the staff in his hand. His attention was suddenly directed elsewhere, and Sakura felt a presence. There were gasps as Hikaru doubled over.
"Don't come near me!" She gasped out, struggling to breathe. "If you value your life, you'll keep away!" Dante leaned near her, then backed away as her body became very hot. She stood up slowly, twin kodachi in her hands. "They've broken the shield! Prepare yourselves!" There was a roar coming from the outside, and dark figures appeared out of the air, dropping among the crowd, only to be shredded. There was a circle around Hikaru, since the heat coming off her body was unbearable to those nearest.
"I wonder what she's planning on doing?" Kero asked, crouched protectively near Sakura and Tomoyo.
"Knowing her, something dangerous." Eriol frowned. He had cast a magic circle around them, so nothing was getting through to them. More figures started appearing, and they started appearing above Hikaru. Any that got within five feet of her caught on fire, and if they dared to get any closer, they were shredded mercilessly. Sakura caught a glimpse of her eyes, and was scared. She saw unmasked anger, and it looked like her eyes were on fire.
"Hiiragizawa, what kind of magic does Hikaru have?" Sakura asked, shaking. He only smiled.
"If she wanted you to carry the burden of knowing, she would tell you herself. It's not my place to reveal things like that." He was still worried about her behavior, though. He had never seen her this angry before. And even if she was, she never let it out. Not like this. There was now a radius of twelve feet between her and the members of the Li Clan.
And then she was thrown back by an invisible force and landed against a wall, unconscious, and her body temperature seemed to be normal. Sakura ran to the girl and reached her at the same time as Dante. He checked her pulse and let out a sigh. "It looks like they finally threw the entire shield right back into her body. That would explain why not many of them appeared at first. But also . . ." He felt her forehead and frowned.
"What's wrong with her? She doesn't look too good." Dante smiled at her.
"She's just got a slight fever from the power slam. I'll tell mother and father to not let her leave the house for a few days. We should probably . . ." He wasn't able to finish his sentence because she woke up.
"Don't you dare . . . finish that sentence." She gasped out, trying to breathe. He grinned.
"As long as you take it easy. No more fighting, and I mean it." She smiled somewhat weakly at him.
Later
After the attack was over, the Ceremonies began, and they went smoothly. Hikaru was proud of the sisters, and congratulated them, both formally and informally. Syaoran had went over to Eriol's mansion to escape the screams of all of the girls. Sakura and Tomoyo couldn't sleep, they were so excited about the concert, so they were both at Tomoyo's mansion, trying on outfits and talking about nonsense. Around 1 in the morning, Hikaru lay down her head in Dante's lap as they drifted off to sleep in the car. His parents smiled at them. The Li mansion was quiet after about 3 in the morning.
And then, at 6 in the morning, all hell broke loose. (omg, I've wanted to say that forever! But yeah) Over at the concert stage, reporters were swarming the area, and everyone was rushing to get everything set up. At Tomoyo's, the girls were still trying on clothes (they went to sleep around 3) and figuring out what makeup to wear. Eriol and Syaoran were also trying to find the perfect outfit. People all over Tomoeda were making preperations for the big day. And the Li sisters went through the final, quiet ceremonies with their mother to prepare for marriage. And then, when they were done, they rushed to get ready for the concert. Even Yelan was excited.
And I end the chappie here. Good luck waiting for the next, my regular comp (Which I have decided to be the home of the next chapter) hasn't arrived yet (I moved, by the way), so everything's been done on a seven year old laptop whose fan no longer works and sound chooses when it will engage. I'm ok, though, it's been nice to me so far. Oh, yeah, and it has to be plugged into the wall for it to even turn on anymore. Gateway batteries from 7 years ago aren't that good. Anyway, please review!