Queer isn't it? This chapter is STUPID...Ur... these are the favourite and alert people... ur... thank you, I guess this is for you people. Please enjoy, and if you don't, tell me WHY. And if you think it sucks... go ahead and tell me WHY and I can understand...
che33yLubolf
DarkCatSeras
KuraLiblossom
gamm-rae: You reviewed! Thank you! But...sorry... Sakura's story is coming up soon though! I hope you like those little stories... I thinkthey're better than my story!
KuraLi
Mikkasura
CHAPTER 4: MELING'S STORY
"He's a billionaire…"
"That assassin'll be after him…"
Shaoran listened secretly with his back towards them.
"Many people have recommended the Li Detective…"
"Said he didn't need it…"
There was a sudden gust of wind as the doors were flung open and a cloaked figure with shadowy eyes stepped right beside them.
"Tell me about this… billionaire…"
Later that night, Shaoran made his way quietly up the abandoned road. He had listened to the conversation he had not been engaged to, and had heard the very directions to the house, mansion to be exact.
The icy, night breeze whipped against his covered face, rain slapping down onto the pavement, and pulled his wet, sleek raincoat behind him. The dark clouds shrouded the glowering moonlight, making the night as creepier as ever. It was just like a night that someone would be killed… death was near.
"Eriol-sama."
Eriol gave a slight grin, "Nakuru… I think we will have a visitor to-night, please prepare."
The servant gave a quick bow, then made her way to the kitchen.
There was knock… knock…
Eriol gave a gesture, "He's here."
A servant unlocked the door, revealing a shadowy man with bright, vivid eyes eager to speak.
"I have heard about your extreme wealth, and I have come to warn you…"
Eriol closed his eyes gently, leaned against his two hands folded together, muttering aloud, "Oh yes… I know, I know… and you are…?" Eriol opened his eyes, staring questioningly at him.
"I am Li Shaoran, the Li Detective. The assassin is after you…"
"My pardons Li-sama… but I already knew that ten years ago."
"So you know of this assassin's identity?"
"This assassin has been looking for me for many years, she will reach me soon."
"Would you like to tell me…"
"The identity, I shall keep a secret to myself."
"But for the sake of Tokyo!"
"After she will kill me, peace will restore to Tokyo and it will end. She will haunt the nights of Tokyo no more."
He was beginning to ask if he knew the other, wittier assassin, but wise detectives never ask too many questions, just enough to find out the case. And now the only assassin left was the… "Black Night."
Tomoyo thought she was ready. She thought she knew who she was against, just another billionaire, her easy prey. But what she doesn't know is that she is his prey, he has been watching her for a long time. And he's ready, oh yes, he's ready for her.
Tomoyo is wearing her black suit, her tools hidden in folds and in her belt. She's like a cat in the night, but it's not night anymore. She plans to test herself, to see if she can do it during daytime. She knows she will win anyways, like she has always done. So here she comes, leaping off the tops of houses. Then, she sees her destination. There is a mansion, bigger than hers, there is a teenager in there, richer than her, and she thinks she's ready to kill him. But that's where she's wrong, because, she's not ready for him, he's ready for her. And then she realizes that the second she slips through an open window. Because there he is, in front of her.
He is not facing her, she can only see his back. But she knows that he knows she's here, even if she can't see his face. He's on a bench; he's playing his grand piano adorned with gold and autumn leaves. He shows no fear, no prickly back. He's bold and calm, as if he had planned this for years.
Tomoyo isn't sure what to do, she can almost feel herself shivering. She bites that back and, as boldly as she can, shouts at him, "Eriol Hiirigiwaza!"
The boy stops playing, his fingers are in the air. He wasn't even about to strike a key, he had just finished playing. It was as if he had planned she would shout at him, and so he made sure she wasn't going to be interrupting him.
But there was another problem, she had wanted to interrupt him, she didn't know he was going to end it when she had opened her mouth. She felt herself shuddering, but she tried to keep herself straight.
He stood up, gently laid down the cover, and then turned around to face her.
The second she saw him, her head became dizzy and she felt like she was standing in front of him, naked. That was how powerful he looked. It was not powerful like he had muscles and the power of a king. It was his subtle look, his soft eyes, his sleek and smooth hair, his large glasses, the way he stood; there was just something so powerful in those features of his, too unique to describe. And the second she saw him, she knew she had lost. But, like her mother, she wouldn't take defeat as an answer, she had a goal, she would make that goal, and she would destroy him with her own hands.
He spoke, his voice, smooth and clear, sounded powerful, "Tomoyo Daudoji. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." He gave a little smile.
He had seen through her black cover. His voice could have made her faint.
She answered, "I don't consider it a pleasure, you've just met your death."
He continued to smile, his eyes did not blink, he did not seem annoyed. And that angered her.
"Are you not scared?" She wanted to pull her needles and knife out now, but there was something stopping her.
His smile did not falter, his eyes blinked but not in a surprised way, "Why don't you take off your suit? Your voice is muffled behind that mask of yours."
She seem agitated, knowing that he could hear her perfectly well. She would not give her identity away, it didn't matter if he already knew it.
"I want to see your face more clearer, I've wanted to see your face for a long time, Tomoyo." He took a few steps closer.
She backed away, either this guy wanted to die, or he knew she could not move her hands.
"You're not leaving yet, are you? Come, I'll give you a tour of the house, I'll call for some tea." He held out his hand.
Tomoyo looked down at it, she didn't know what to do. She wanted to run away, out of this crazy man's house, but she was stuck where she was. Stuck.
"Don't be scared-"
"I am not scared!" She snapped.
Her voiced echoed in the room.
He didn't frown, he didn't put his hand down, he just stood there, like he was stuck too.
She felt her throat stuck now, she felt her hands sweating and her head swimming. She didn't know what to do.
Then, before she could protest, he swung forward, grasped her hand, and brought her out of the room. He held her hand tenderly, as though she were a baby. She felt dizzy with his warm hand on hers, and she felt the warmness going through her body. She didn't want to let go, she felt a glow of happiness, she was almost in a trance. She began to forget what she was here for, and who this man was. She forgot about him being her enemy, she forgot about money. She had a feeling she couldn't describe… something she had never felt in her life. She liked it; she didn't want it to leave her. She closed her eyes and smiled, as though she were in a good dream. She fell so deep, she didn't hear anything or see anything.
Eriol spoke to her softly, "Come Tomoyo, I believe you like tea and cakes, sugar and some cream. There is no poison in it, I wouldn't poison a beautiful, young lady like you."
He spoke so softly, with passion and love, it was so obvious. He loved Tomoyo. But Tomoyo was sleeping, she couldn't tell, and she couldn't tell that she loved him too. And if she hadn't loved money more, she would forget about killing him and love him forever.
So she stayed with him for a day, she drank tea, she ate cake, she sang while he played piano. But soon, she would wake up and want to kill him again. She woke up when the day had gone by, she was eating roast duck, sushi, and jellies. It happened like this, she had struck her fork into the roast duck, and then she remembered. She was here to kill Eriol. Her head flew up, she could have died right there to have realized what she had done. She pulled the fork out, stared at the young man across her with fire in her eyes. He stared back with gentle eyes, he knew she was mad.
She picked up her fork, stood on the table; smashing a yellow jelly under her left foot and crushing a glass cup with her right. She roared, she cried, she ran at him with her fork in her hand.
"YOU! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!" She hollered as she ran at him.
Eriol sat, his eyes watching her with amusement flickering in his eyes, tasting the duck and jellies, sipping his red wine as he watched.
"This duck is extravagant, and this cream in the middle of the jelly is…hmm… so luxurious! Oh, this red wine is just divine, buy more of these will you Nakuru? Tomoyo, sit down please, you're missing out a delicious meal."
Tomoyo would not sit down and comment on the food like him, she was charging at him, not even stopping to wonder why he was tasting food while waiting for his death. The truth was, he knew she was not going to kill him. And she didn't. She stopped. She had stepped into a bowl of sticky rice.
"What?" She tried to pull herself out, "GET ME OUT OF THIS!" She screamed, wailing even more when her hands got stuck in the bow too. And soon she was sinking into the bowl.
Eriol climbed on the table, his feet missing the glass and food. He bent down to pull her out.
"Dear, this is why you don't run down a table of food." He chuckled as he helped her out.
As soon as she was free, she escaped from him, leaped out a window and screamed as she ran away, "I HAVEN'T LOST! I WILL WIN!"
Eriol watched, smiling, "Tomoyo, Tomoyo. Of course you won't give up, you'll never give up until you finally kill me. But by then, you'll regret for all your life." And then, as Tomoyo vanished behind the mountain of houses and trees, he climbed up the spiral stairs to go to bed.
Meiling gave one last heave, and then it was finally in. She turned around to face the impatient faces, shouting at her and telling her to hurry up and sit down. Meiling flipped them off with a shrug, and took her seat at the window seat. She loved the window seat. She loved to see the little houses and city down there, and the clouds. She sat back to think about her arrival to Japan, how she'll give Shaoran a surprise. She felt giddy inside, she wanted to see him again. She wanted to jump on him, pounce on him, hug him and declare he was hers. She was going to chase away all those girls with eyes on him, and she was going to capture his heart once and for all. She was going to make him fall in love with her.
Meiling was interrupted by a snore. She looked to her right, the pig lady beside her was snoring. Meiling rolled her eyes, what a wonderful time she would be having with her.
But soon, the plane was off, and Meiling's eyes glued to the window, her nose pressing it and making clouds when she breathed.
She marveled at the tiny city below her, and the moving cars.
She studied each pillow they passed, and what type of cloud and what it looked like. She was almost sure one looked like the head of the snoring pig beside her. And it was shocking to Meiling when the lady stopped. Meiling was a bit freaked out, could this lady read thoughts?
She couldn't help but turn to look. Meiling jumped back, the lady's slit eyes were open. They were like two lines, but she was definitely awake. There was a deep, brown glimmer in them, and the wrinkled face withered even more. Her mouth was like a flattened out U upside-down.
What happened next made Meiling want to sink to the ground. The lady spoke. Her voice sounded as old as she looked, it was creaky and croaky, like a frog.
"Meiling."
Meiling felt a chill in her body, "How… how do you know my name?"
"It shows in your character, and your character is shown in your face. The way your nose is shows how rich you will be, and it is perfect, you are already rich…" The lady continued to babble on about Meiling's future.
Meiling listened, everything she had said was true. Meiling did come from a rich family, and she probably would become rich. And soon they were entwined in a conversation, and soon, Meiling began to tell the lady everything, about her life and about how she came to love Shaoran. The old lady listened, nodded, put in some comments, and had Meiling explain everything about Shaoran.
"… and he's really kind." Meiling sighed.
"Hmm… does he love you?"
Meiling seemed a little startled by the question, she fixed her gaze on the lady, but it was rather a gaze looking out of the world instead of looking at what she saw.
The lady saw this, and her eyes seemed to glitter with pity. As she had heard the happiness and love in Meiling's voice when she explained about Shaoran, she knew at once how much she loved him. But the way she described him had also shown how much she didn't know about him. The lady saw Meiling's future, she saw what love could do, she saw what would happen to Meiling.
"Meiling, he doesn't love you?"
Meiling seemed to have some tears, "He does…" She said a little quietly, "…but in a sisterly way."
"Give me your hand." The lady instructed.
She held out her hand.
The lady didn't have to look at it, she could feel it, and she could feel the love line on her palm. It was short.
"Your love, he does not love you. He will never love you the way you want. There is no way to change it, he will love someone else, and there will be nothing you can do. You will forever love him, he will never love you. Be ready to let go of him, because you could never have him."
The lady didn't say anymore, Meiling had bitter tears falling out of the corner of her eyes.
They tried not to talk anymore; they were going to land soon anyways. But the lady talked, she told Meiling her story. And how similar it was to Meiling's!
The lady had been born as an orphan, there was a lady who could tell the future near the orphanage whom she learned from. The fortune teller had a son, older than her, and that was the man she fell in love with. One day, she told him she loved him, and he said he loved her too. But she knew that he only loved him like a little sister, not someone he would marry. And the fortune teller knew this too, and told her to fall in love with someone else. But she could not, and she continued to love him, hoping someday he would fall in love with her. Then one day, he left his mother to live with the woman he loved. And that day, she cried her face off.
The lady pointed to her face, "This is why I look like a pig today, because I cried every day."
Meiling wanted to know what she did next, but the lady did not tell her. All she said was, "So, when he leaves you, do not cry so much and lose your pretty face. Go marry someone else and live a happy life, forget about him and stow him away from your memory. Forget about your love for him, be more of a sister and encourage him to go with the woman he loves. Or else, there will be no more meaning to your life than a pig who lives to be eaten."
Then, they landed.
Meiling bid goodbye to the pig lady when they had gotten off the plane.
"Thank you." Meiling hugged the pig lady.
She turned to leave, but then asked, "Um, you still haven't told me what you're doing in Japan?"
The lady smiled, her crooked teeth showing, "I am here to pray for that man I loved. He has died."
And then the lady strutted away with her tottering leg, and Meiling never saw the lady again.
MEILING'S STORY:
There was a time when I did not love Shaoran, and I had only loved him like he was my brother. That was when I was small, when I had hardly seen him. Yes, we took lessons together, and we learned to fight together for many years. But there was nothing in him that I loved, only my admiration for his hard work.
And when he turned seven, when uncle died, he had not cried. Instead, he held back his tears and bit his tongue so that he would not cry out for his daddy. I've seen him cry, and I've seen him happy, but that was only when his father was alive. He cried once when he was three, because his plane had broke, he laughed and shouted when his father came home, because he loved his father.
But then, his father died, and I never saw him laugh or cry, or even smile again. He worked hard every day, he trained with his sword and learned to master it. He worked hard in school, he learned Japanese, he became so smart, there was no one I knew who was smarter than him. It was only admiration; there was no love in me. I liked to play, I didn't like to work very much. When I saw how much he worked every day, I felt admiration, not love. I watched him every day, but it was admiration that drove me to do that, it was not love.
There was a day when I came to love him, it was like he had turned into a whole new person, or maybe it was just me. It was when I was eight.
Auntie was Shaoran's mother. She was someone powerful and wise, when I saw her, I knew where Shaoran got his wisdom and his power. I knew he got his looks from his father, and his hard work and sword. I admired his father too, his father was strong and fun. He liked to put me on his left knee, Shaoran on his right. Then, he told us stories, and like magic, took out a present from my ear.
My favorite was the ring he gave me: it was pure gold and diamonds on it. I never wore it, I just looked at it. Then one day, I lost it. It fell into the well. It happened like this.
It was the day after my eighth birthday, I had worn the ring all day yesterday. Today, I felt I could do the same. I was grown up, I thought, I was older and wiser, I could wear the ring. My friends said the ring made me look like a lady, and I loved the way they adored me. So I wore it today.
Mother told me to draw some water from the well, I could go alone since I was older now. I felt proud that mother would trust me so much, and I skipped over the well with a bucket in my hand. Usually, the servants were supposed to do it, but I had always wanted to crank the handle and pull the bucket full of gleaming water up.
I fastened the rope onto the bucket, and then began to slowly crank it down. I pulled it up, the bucket was very heavy. I reached down with one hand to try to get the bucket, but then I slipped a little. I didn't let go of the crank, so I didn't fall down, but my other hand jutted out and the large ring slipped off my tiny finger. I tried to catch it, but I couldn't reach it, and it fell. It fell into the dark, and deep well. And then, with so many tears in my eyes, I heard a sound.
PLOP! It had reached the water. And now the heavy ring would sink to the very bottom! Down to where the river is, and be eaten by a fish! My favorite ring! Eaten by a fish! Uncle would be so unhappy! So mad to learn that a million yen ring was eaten by a fish!
What was I to do? What in the world could I do? I didn't want to tell anybody, I didn't want anyone to know! But… if I didn't… what else would I be able to do?
"Hey."
I spun around. Shaoran!
"What are you doing? Do you need help?" Shaoran went over to the well and took the bucket off, "I'll carry this home for you."
I was stunned, should I tell him? I began to cry.
"Hey, hey! Don't cry! Do you want to carry it instead?" Shaoran put it down, confused.
"Shaoran! What am I going to do? I dropped the ring Uncle gave me down the well!" I cried.
Shaoran said, "I'll help you get it."
I looked up at him, "Really?"
"But, we should tell Wei or Auntie first."
I shook my head, "No! I can't! What will they think of me?"
"But, we need they're help! And you can't just not tell them!"
"NO! I don't want to!" I screamed.
"I will go tell them." He turned around to leave.
"I'll cry! I'll cry so hard that you'll be in trouble! I'll say you hurt me! I'll make them ashamed of you!" I shouted at him.
He stopped. I felt scared, I felt like I shouldn't have said that.
He turned around andlooked at me. I began to shiver, I wanted to cry but I couldn't.
"Fine. I'll help you." He walked over to the well, his face seemed to say, "I'll have no regrets, whatsoever."
He instructed, "Go in the bucket and I'll bring you down."
I peered into the empty darkness, "I… I can't."
"Why not?"
I shivered, "Because… because… I'm scared of the dark."
He peered down into the darkness with me, "Alright, I'll go down." There was no annoyance in his voice.
He told me to lever me down slowly and carefully, but then he stopped.
"Can you do it?"
I didn't understand, but I just nodded and said yes.
He stepped into the bucket. How heavy he was! He sat in it. My hands began to slip off the crank, but I gripped on. I slowly moved the crank down, but he jerked and stopped so many times, I knew I was doing a bad job. He didn't complain. I felt my forehead getting sweaty, an itch in my nose, and my hands were slipping. And soon, they were slipping off the crank.
Shaoran yelled, "Almost there—"
My hands slipped.
"—Meiling!"
There was a grappling at my throat when I realized what I had just done. I had just let go! I tried to stop it, but it spun so fast, and my hands could not catch it. I tried to think about something that might help, but I couldn't. Then it stopped, and I heard a large sound in the well. I climbed over to look in.
I yelled, "SHAORAN!"
There was some no sound.
I yelled again, "SHAORAN!"
There was a gasp and the break of water. I couldn't see anything; it was already getting a little darker.
"SHAORAN!" I yelled harder.
"I'm alright!" I heard a muted scream.
I felt my nerves relax, but then, how could he not be hurt from that fall?
"DID YOU GET HURT?" I screamed down into the pitch-blackness.
"No…" He sounded a little weird, "Maybe a little bit, but its nothing to worry about."
"Should I pull you up now?" I felt it was my fault he had fallen into the water, it wasn't worth getting the ring.
"No. I need to find the ring."
There was an odd knot and feeling in my stomach, I screamed it out, "NO! DON'T! YOU CAN'T! YOU'RE HURT AND IT'S MY FAULT! I'LL GO CALL SOMEBODY TO HELP YOU GET OUT!" I began to run.
But I heard him scream behind me, "I won't get out until I find the ring!"
Maybe it was that that made me fall in love with him. His determination, that need to find that ring for me. Maybe it was love that I felt in my stomach when I ran home and called for help. Maybe it was that which planted seeds of love in me. But I definitely remember the very second I knew I fell in love with him. It was the smile.
Wei came to our aid when I called. He ran with me to the well and pulled Shaoran up. I cried when he came up. He crawled out of the bucket, out of the well, and then kneeled in front of me.
"Meiling, hey, Meiling, stop crying."
I looked up. His face was right in front of mine, and he was… smiling. He showed the grimy and shiny ring in his hands, and I saw how scratched, wet, and bloody they were. I saw how wet he was, how dirty and how he had scratches and cuts and gashes all over him.
And then I flung my arms around him and cried. I cried because he had all those cuts, and it was because it was for me. It was because he was searching for that ring.
I cried because I was happy he was safe, and because I knew that I loved him. I knew it the second he had kneeled in front of me and smiled. That smile I hadn't seen for years.
And, from then on, it was like he was a different person, because he had turned into the person I loved. That is how I came to love Shaoran, and even though I know I'll lose him someday, I'll love him to the end, I'll love him to the very end when I'll lose him. But I won't give up, I'll never give him up, until he finds the one he loves, I'll let him go. And I'll forget this memory, I'll stow it away and make new ones. That's what I'll do.
"I'm sorry… I didn't do my job well… I made you cry."
I remember hearing Shaoran say, and I remember promising to myself I would make him mine, I remember it so well. And that's my story.
TADA! Now, I've got to do a lot more other stories! What should I do next? Didn't this story kinda sound like the birdy one? I didn't want to copy the one from the episode, so I tried to make one like it… I dunno if it was ok. But. O well! I bet no one reads these anyways!