Chapter 4: At The End Of The Day

Syaoran was stirred from his sleep by the sound of his door opening. Half-awake, he opened one if his eyes to see his guardian, Wei, standing at the doorway.

"Master Xiaolang, it is almost dinnertime."

The words brought Syaoran back to the waking world and he looked at the clock. 6.50. He recalled the events of that day; Sakura seeing him off, his mother requesting his presence after dinner, and his talk with Meiling. After that last one, he had taken a shower and then lied down on his bed. He had been thinking about the upcoming talk with his mother before the exhaustion of travel and the exertion on his mind caused by the events of that day had finally claimed his consciousness. Counting the time back, he's slept a little over an hour.

Syaoran turned to the old man standing by the door. Wei did not usually call him to dinner since Syaoran had always been on time. Yelan Li was a woman who valued punctuality and it was an unspoken rule that within her household her schedule was to be followed, especially by her children (although that did not stop Shiefa from turning up late every now and then, much to Yelan's chagrin.) And yet this time, he had made sure to remind Syaoran, as if aware of the fact that he would fall asleep. Being late for dinner was something Syaoran did not want on today of all days, so Wei had woken him up on initiative, but had waited until the last moment to allow Syaoran the most of his rest. Syaoran smiled at Wei as he is reminded of his guardian's perceptivity, one that was perhaps rivaled only by his mother's.

"Thank you, Wei." Syaoran spoke. "I'll be down shortly."

With that, Wei nodded and promptly left the room. Syaoran headed to his bathroom to wash the traces of sleep off his face. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, beads of water still rolling down his skin and bangs. That had been a good sleep, and his mind now felt fresher than before. The anticipation of what was to happen after dinner was still there, but it felt more subdued now. Good. It wouldn't do to panic in front of his mother. Drying his face with a towel, Syaoran took one last look in the mirror before heading downstairs to join his family in the dining room.

By the time Syaoran entered the large dining room, the rest of his family was already sitting there waiting for dinner. His sisters were divided equally on both sides. Yelan Li took her place at the head of the dining able. And a seat lay empty opposite hers, one that was his father's and when he had died long before Syaoran could remember him, passed down to his son. Slowly, Syaoran took his seat. There was a silent tension hanging in the air. Even his sisters, who would normally be chattering with one another and attempt to make idle chatter with him and Yelan (an attempt usually rebuffed by them both), were uncharacteristically silent. Syaoran and his sisters sat there uncomfortably. Time seemed to be running slowly for them right now.

Fortunately, there was only a minute left before dinnertime, and it wasn't too long before the clock in the dining room showed 7.00. As if on cue, the door behind Yelan opened and Wei entered, followed by four servants carrying various dishes. The smell of freshly cooked food permeated the room, and as the servants laid the dishes on the table Syaoran felt his stomach growl in anticipation. He had been so preoccupied with his problems that he had forgotten how little he had eaten today, having only had a small breakfast with Wei that morning before leaving for the airport. Syaoran's mouth couldn't help but fill with water as his body reacted to the sensory inputs the food gave out. He didn't have to wait long. After thanking the servants and dismissing them, Yelan Li prepared her chopsticks and told her children that they may eat.

They ate mostly in silence. Dinner in the Li household was always a quiet affair. While they would talk before dinner when they gathered, the eating part itself was always mostly silent, save for the few moments of one person asking another to pass a dish their way. This time however, the silence was accompanied with an unbearable tension and Syaoran wondered how such a familiar part of his life suddenly became so unfamiliar. Thankfully, his bodily cravings helped keep his mind off the tension, and he focused on eating. Dinner in the Li household was also always a delicious affair, and in part the reason for their silence is the enjoyment of the meals itself.

It was only after they finished eating that the silence began to weigh at them once again. Normally, when they finished eating Yelan would ask each of them to update her regarding their obligations and studies, magical or otherwise, starting from the eldest (Fuutie) to the youngest (Syaoran). This time however, it was her turn to be uncharacteristically silent, and that's saying something. They sat for minutes without anyone saying a word. Syaoran looked for signs that his mother was about to speak, but as always, Yelan's face offered no window to the thoughts behind it. He clutched his thighs firmly. The silence was wearing down his sanity, and as he looked around the table, he saw that it was wearing down his sisters' too. They had never had to be silent for such a long period of time and it was driving them nuts. It was visibly hardest on his twin sisters Feimei and Fanren, who were the most talkative of his sisters, as they were biting their lips shut tightly and sweating profusely. They looked like they were about to vomit words alongside their dinner from the way their cheeks were puffing up. Syaoran almost wished they would, if only to end this torturous stand-off. He almost couldn't believe himself. For the first time in his life, he actually wanted his sisters to start chattering.

It was an almost liberating moment when Yelan Li finally decided to speak. "Fudie", she said as she turned her head to face her eldest daughter. Sighs of relief were shared all around the minute her voice broke the silence. Yelan ignored them and continued. "How are your studies?"

"They're going fine", replied Fuutie. "I'll be a bit busy for a while. The tests are coming soon and I've been studying hard for them. I've also been talking to Uncle Lao. He said he might be able to get me a job at his place during the summer." Fuutie paused a bit before continuing. "As for magic, I've been practicing the spells you taught me. I've managed to do some of them, but I haven't been able to do the rest. School's pretty busy and all." she finished, and braced herself to be told off about neglecting her magic studies.

Sure enough, Yelan voiced her dissapproval. "Magic is an integral part of our heritage, Fudie. As a Li, we have an obligation to understand it, no matter how much of it we are born with. Only then can we learn live with it and accept it. "

Fuutie nodded submissively. She had been born with some magic power, but nothing on the level of Yelan or Syaoran. This often inevitably led to not-so-hushed comparisons to them or other more magically inclined relatives by gossiping aunts. She often wished she did not have any magic powers to begin with. Sensing her growing reluctance to accept it as part of her, Yelan personally tutored her in the arts of magic. Her mother was determined that she learned what she could.

"But for now, you may focus on your academics. I wouldn't want to see you lag behind in that aspect either. You will of course, show me the test results once they are available", Yelan relented. "Do not think this means you can forget your magic studies, however. I shall arrange with Uncle Lao so that there will be time for our lessons during the summer. I expect to see your progress then."

Fuutie nodded again. Her mother was strict but fair, and that was as good of a deal as she'll get.

The next ten minutes were filled with reports to Yelan about the obligations of each sister. Shiefa was born with no magical affinity whatsoever, but had a strong connection to the spirit world, and Yelan had her train to become a medium. Yelan had been vexed to find out that Shiefa had fallen behind on some subjects, and reminded her that she should be doing better considering that she doesn't have the added pressure of studying magic as heavily as her sisters. Shiefa had pouted and insisted that those subjects were hard, but ultimately relented. Up next were the twins, Feimei and Fanren. Academically, they were considered slightly above average, earning scores that were a little higher than the passing mark. That was not enough for Yelan Li however, and she reminded them once again that they could do better. As for magic, the twins shared a unique relationship. Individually, their magic power was not significant, slightly less than Fuutie's, but when they were together, their combined power was greater than the sum of its parts. With some training, Yelan believed their power could even catch up to Syaoran's. However, teaching them was another matter altogether, and getting the twins to focus on anything in the presence of each other was a challenge even for her, making progress incredibly slow in that area. Yelan Li is not one for giving up however, and told them they would be joining Fuutie during the summer to work on their skills. Fuutie smiled at this. At least she would have company during the summer.

Finally, it came down to Syaoran, who had been filling with anticipation for the moment. Tension returned to the room and his sisters fell stiff. They were anxious to hear what she had to say to their brother. Instead, Yelan made a move of her hand to disperse them.

"You four are dismissed and may return to your rooms. I will talk to Xiaolang privately", she ordered.

The sisters showed reluctance but ultimately obeyed their mother's order. Syaoran was also glad for this. There were things he wanted to discuss which his sisters did not need to hear. After the four women left the room, Yelan stood up and told Syaoran to follow her. They left the room as servants entered to clean up the dinner table.

They walked silently for a while, Yelan in front and Syaoran following from behind. Soon enough they found their way to the mansion gardens. Cool night air greeted Syaoran as he stepped outside, and he couldn't help but feel calm. The atmosphere in the garden gave off a tranquil feeling. The trees standing unmoving, the water of the pool still as ever, not even a ripple to be seen. The only voices were the songs of insects that had awoken in the night, which somehow suited the nightly feeling. Syaoran and Yelan made their way to the center of the octagonal platform which stood at the edge of the garden, overlooking the Hong Kong skyline. Syaoran looked at the bustling city below him, displaying it's lights as nightlife awakens below. The view was almost hypnotic, but not as much as the moon. From the dark sky where the pale blue orb showed half of it's face, Syaoran could feel it's rays stirring the magical energies within him and he found himself drawn to it, wanting to snatch it out of the sky if he could. He couldn't help but be reminded of his former attraction to Yukito and wondered how he didn't notice how similar the feeling was.

They stood silently there for a while, bathing in the light of the moon until Yelan finally broke the silence. "I will hear your report now Xiaolang." She turned to face her son and he did the same.

Syaoran felt his heart going into overdrive. The moment he dreaded, the one that this day would build up to, was finally here. He looked up at his mother's face. Her pale white features were further accentuated by the glow of the moon, giving her a divine aura. If she had looked like an empress that evening, now she looked like an ancient goddess and Syaoran, the poor boy, was the foolish mortal who incurred her wrath. His mind raced a thousand times faster. There's so much to say that he didn't even know where to start.

Fortunately, Yelan solved his predicament. "Start from the Final Judgement. I already know the details from your previous attempts to capture the individual cards from the testimonies of Wei, Meiling, and yourself." Syaoran was thankful for this, as he would not have to waste time on recalling all of his previous adventures. He then recalled he had been pretty vague to her in his description of the events on that day, and from then on he had practically stopped contacting her altogether during Eriol's magic trials.

"Of course", he complied. "We had just returned from capturing the final Clow Card, Earthy. It was then that the second guardian, Yue, revealed himself from his guise as Yukito, one of Sakura's companions. As the judge, he declared the selection for the true master of the Cards. I was chosen first. We engaged in battle and I attempted to subdue him with my own magic but it didn't have any effect on him, so I turned to using the Clow Cards that I possessed. I used the strongest Card in my arsenal, Time, but he turned it's power against me, as Time was under his jurisdiction. After my defeat, Sakura's turn came next. Yue pushed his offensive and for a while she could only evade his attacks. She used the Woody card to attempt to restrain him, but like with Time he turned the Card's power against it's master. However, she was able to break free at the last moment. It was then that her magic power awakened, and she transformed her wand with it. She activated the Windy card and this time was able to override Yue's control over the card and neutralize him. Yue then declared her the true master of the Clow Cards." Syaoran finished. He had not mentioned Kaho Mizuki's intervention per her request that her involvement in the Final Judgement be omitted from his account. Syaoran was uncomfortable about lying to his mother, knowing her ability to read people, but had promised her to do so nonetheless. Syaoran remained still, not trying to give anything away. He hoped he could sneak past this little lie, or else he would have trouble sneaking the bigger one in the next part of his report.

A few seconds passed by in silence as Yelan processed the information she had received in quiet contemplation. Syaoran felt sweat forming in his brow even in the cold night. He was nervous about a lot of things, and the lie only added weight to his conscience. He hoped that his mother would dismiss his fidgeting as nervousness for facing his failures.

"I will ask you two questions", Yelan said. "Answer them to the best of your abilities."

"Yes mother." He tensed in anticipation. 'Please don't ask about Mizuki-sensei please don't ask about Mizuki-sensei please don't ask about Mizuki-sensei.'

"Firstly, why were you defeated?"

Syaoran felt a bit of relief before tensing up again. Yelan had put him on the spot with this one. He expected this line of questioning, and truth be told, the question had been in his mind after his defeat. He would revisit the moment again from time to time, wondering where he went wrong and what he could've done differently to change the outcome. His mother was expecting an answer however, and what-ifs and half-baked excuses would not do. He had to give her a satisfactory answer. Syaoran searched back to the days when he used the Clow Cards before and during the Final Judgement, analyzing them with his own logic and knowledge of magic.

"I was reckless," he spoke but stopped abruptly. Syaoran began to panic in his head. He had said that on impulse and was at a loss at how to continue. Still, he sensed that there was some truth to that. Steadying his breath, Syaoran calmed his mind down. He had to pull himself together if he was going to get through this. After feeling in control once more, he continued. "I had a hard time getting accustomed to using the Clow Cards. Using them didn't come naturally for me, unlike my own magic. I always needed to pour more magic into them to get them to work. It usually drained me, which is why most of the time I used my own spells to weaken the Cards, and relied on Sakura to seal them." Syaoran's mind was turning. He could feel he was on the verge of the answer. He just needed to connect the dots. "I suspect this was due to the nature of the Clow Cards themselves. Being made by Clow Reed, they had both the magic of the Sun and the Moon in them. Since my-our magic draws power from the Moon, this meant I could only access about half of its magic normally. I had to exert myself more in order to make them work. Of course, the Cards have different jurisdictions, and depending on that it could either be Sun or Moon power that was more dominant within each of them, but activating them still required a lot of effort." Syaoran felt his excitement rise. His reasoning was sound, but he still needed to answer her question. "So when the Final Judgement came, I favored using my own magic over the cards, and when that failed to have any effect on Yue, I was frustrated. I couldn't think properly. All I wanted was to end the battle quickly, so I reached for the strongest Card I had, Time. In my haste, I forgot that Time was under the jurisdiction of Yue. I should've kept a clear head and remembered my lessons. I knew each Card had a guardian and at the time I had Cards that were under Keroberos, but I didn't use them, and my lack of judgement cost me, and our Clan, the Clow Cards." Syaoran finished. Even as the words left his mouth Syaoran felt the truth in them. That was the answer. He looked at Yelan to see if she accepted it.

To his relief, she nodded with approval. He had used his magical knowledge to analyze what he did wrong, and that was enough to satisfy her, however much it could in this situation. She continued with her second question. "Secondly, why did she win?"

Syaoran silenced the voice in his head that wanted to speak about Kaho Mizuki's involvement that day and continued to think. 'Alright. Same drill as before. Think back to the events and use your head.'

"Sakura's power comes from the Stars, which encompasses both the Sun and Moon. This meant she was able to access the magic of the Clow Cards easier than I was. During our first encounters that power lay dormant as she mostly used the residual magic in her staff and the Cards. It eluded even my perceptions when we first met. However, as she continued to adapt to using the Clow Cards, her power steadily began to develop and show itself. During the Final Judgement, perhaps out of necessity, it was finally brought forth to it's full extent. It was this power that allowed her to override Yue's command over the Windy Card and subdue him." Syaoran was about to stop but decided to continue. It didn't felt fair to Sakura to leave it at just that. "Although, I would not say that her magic was the only determining factor in her win. Sakura Kinomoto possesses an openhearted personality that allowed her to form a synergetic relationship with the Cards. While my relationship with the Cards I had was one of master and tool, Sakura's was one of friendship and trust. With each captured Card she made sure to care for it like a friend, and likewise they treated her as more than just their master. Their close bond allowed her to use the Cards to their full potential." Syaoran had to will his lips shut before he could continue gushing over her in front of his mother. Even talking about her brought a warm feeling to his heart. Feeling the heat in his cheeks, he desperately hoped he wasn't blushing, or at least that the night would hide it if he was.

Yelan gave no indication that she saw any change in her son's behavior. Instead, she accepted his answer once again. "The loss of the Clow Cards is a shame, but your answers on both questions were reasonable and logical. You will find yourself being asked questions like these a lot in the times to follow. Be warned Xiaolang, your Elders will be much more dissatisfied than I, and in their disappointment be less inclined to see your reasoning. Keep your mind clear and your emotions controlled, and you may yet pass this storm."

Syaoran took the words to heart. His mother rarely gave him advice, but when she did, he knew it would be wise to heed it. The last time she had talked to him liked this was before he had left for Japan to find the Clow Cards, speaking of which…

"Aren't you disappointed, Mother?" he inquired. Yelan had shown little signs of disapproving the results of his mission, and he wasn't sure what to think now after what she had just said.

Yelan's face remained unchanging. "The addition of the Clow Cards to our family would have no doubt greatly benefited us in status and helped us learn more about our powerful ancestor," she said matter-of-factly. Syaoran nodded. He would likely hear these words in much more accusatory tones from his Elders. "However, I have lived long enough to know that some losses often bring with them unexpected rewards." Yelan finished, and Syaoran could've sworn she saw the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Back to the matter at hand, continue your report Xiaolang. Tell me about these magical disturbances that occurred after the selection was completed."

'Out of the frying pan,' he thought. Syaoran gulped. This was the next thing he would have trouble with. Kaho wasn't the only one who requested that their involvement remain unmentioned. Eriol and Kaho had talked to Syaoran privately after they had dinner in his house. It was then that both of them presented their request to keep their presence a secret from the Lis, Eriol especially. As a reincarnation of Clow Reed, he would be a person of interest to them, but he was not Clow Reed, and did not want to be hounded by his former life's reputation by his ancestors or worse, former enemies. The problem was Eriol was much more heavily involved compared to Kaho, and while he had some faith he was able to keep calm enough to sneak Kaho's involvement past his mother, he had no idea how he was going to sneak in a lie of this magnitude without sweating like a pig. Eriol had given him a reassuring but mischievous smile and rehearsed Syaoran's cover story with him for the rest of the evening. He even gave Syaoran "proof" to support it. The problem was whether Syaoran could keep himself steady while telling it.

"Well, one day months after the Final Judgement, it started to rain heavily. It was a few days before I was scheduled to return home. When the rain did not relent for days, we suspected magic might be involved. Sakura had tried to stop the rain before but to no avail as her key and the Clow Cards failed to respond. It was only later when we reattempted to disperse the rain that we realized the problem. Now that Sakura was the master of the Cards, she needed to use her own magic to power the key and the Cards. She finally managed to disperse the rain after changing the Firey Card to her own Card, but fainted as the conversion took a lot of magic out of her. In the months that followed, more and more unusual incidents happened, each one forcing Sakura to change another Card. We detected Clow's magic everytime but found no trace after the incident. This depleted her magic for a while, and it took a toll on Yue, who almost disappeared, but that crisis was averted, and slowly her magic began to recover. Soon she was able to convert multiple Cards easily without exhausting." Alright, he had gotten the truth out, now for the lie.

"One night, three days ago, Sakura had the idea of using the Return Card to ask Clow Reed himself. She found out that Clow Reed had set up the events before he died to make Sakura change the Clow Cards to Sakura Cards. She returned to the present just in time as the final spell took hold. The town was covered in darkness and everyone without magical powers had fallen asleep. Sakura converted the two remaining Cards, Light and Dark, and negated the magic spell. After which she led us towards Er-Clow Reed's old house ('that was too close, Syaoran! Get your act together!'), where she took out a hidden diary Clow had told her about that detailed his plans and the spells he had put in place before he died. I've brought the book back with me if you would like to see it." Syaoran finished rather panickedly. The story was solid as far as cover-ups go, and the diary Eriol had written up should be enough to fool even his mother. It was himself that Syaoran did not trust. All the time he said that he had felt his mother's eyes analyzing him, looking for any unnatural signs in his body language.

"That would be helpful, yes." Yelan replied. Her calm look was replaced with a more serious one, and she was now staring intently at him. "The Elders will not be pleased to hear that you assisted her in converting the Cards."

"She was already the master of the Cards. There was no way I could take them from her then even if I wanted to, and I was not going to let those magical disturbances harm her or anyone else." Syaoran replied firmly.

For a moment, Yelan Li paused and looked at her son. Syaoran stood a little straighter now. He had finished his report. The large weight that had been building up on him was finally lifted, and he felt good right now.

"Very well," she finally spoke. "I've heard what I wanted regarding these past events. The results could've been better, but things eventually worked themselves out in the end. You are dismissed, Xiaolang. You may return to your room."

Syaoran gave a small smile. The talk had gone much more smoothly than he had anticipated. Now he just had one more thing to do. The most important thing he had to do. He was more nervous about this than he had been to face her about the Cards, but that only meant this was much more important to him. It was now or never. He stood still in the center of the platform as Yelan Li made to move to the house. "Mother, there is something else I would like to tell you."

Yelan stopped short at the end of the platform. She did not face him, but her voice was clear. "And what would that be?"

"Something else happened in Tomoeda. I-" Syaoran considered his words for a moment. He knew what he wanted to say, but the thought of putting it so bluntly was just too much for him. He decided to go for the middle road. "I've found something- someone important to me there."

Yelan turned around now, fully facing her son once again. "Who is it?"

Syaoran turned to face her and met her eyes with his own firmly. "It is the Mistress of the Cards, Sakura Kinomoto. I… love her. I have grown to care about her ever since our dealings with the Cards and Clow's magic and I'm sure of the way I feel about her. She is very important to me." For a while the words hung in the air. Syaoran looked away from his mother for a second and steeled himself for what he was about to say next. His mother stayed silent, and while he was sure she was perceptive enough to know what he wanted to say (otherwise telling her his feelings would be pointless) but he would say it anyway. He was determined to show her mother how serious he was.

"And that is why I want to go back to Tomoeda. I want to be by her side and not part from her again. I understand what I'm asking is difficult if not impossible. I am aware that I am not in any position to be making demands especially now, but I am determined to see this through, and I wished to inform you of my intentions in the hopes that you might approve of them. Perhaps not today, tomorrow or maybe not for a long time, but I am determined to get your approval and that of my Elders on this, no matter what," Syaoran finished. He had said what he wanted to. The rest depended on how his mother would react. She was the first hurdle he needed to win if he was going to face his Elders.

Not for the first time since they began talking, silence fell over them while she contemplated his words quietly, although he felt as if this one was longer than the previous ones. That was understandable. This situation was not something that she had expected. Finally, she spoke. "The Star Mistress, does she reciprocate these feelings?"

"I… cannot say," Syaoran admitted weakly. "She is aware of them, and has made it known to me that she accepts them, but she has yet to tell me if that is the case." Syaoran rubbed the back of his head before straightening himself again. "However, that she is aware of my feelings and has not rejected them gives me hope. She has told me that she would like to see me again, and I do not intend to disappoint her." Another pause of silence followed. Syaoran wondered just how much time these pauses wasted between their talks.

Yelan let out a small sigh. "Well, this certainly complicates things", she almost huffed. Syaoran was surprised to say the least. His mother rarely showed any expression outside her usual one, and to see even a minor expression of defeat on her was highly unusual. It then dawned on Syaoran that as his handler, she also had to answer for his actions as much as he did, and he felt a wave of guilt for putting his mother on a tough spot. The expression stayed there for the smallest of moments, and Yelan quickly returned to her calm composure. "But in the end", she continued, "I cannot say I was surprised."

Syaoran didn't say anything, but displayed his confusion with his face. He shouldn't really be surprised at his mother's ability to read others by this point, but at the same time, he couldn't believe it. How had she found him out even before this?

Yelan answered the unspoken question. "Xiaolang, I have lived for many years, and although I have yet to live the rest of them, I have already experienced a lot of things at my age. Most importantly, I have seen and felt the highs of success along with the bitter taste of failure." Syaoran nodded at the statement. Even at the relatively young age of 33, Yelan Li was many things; sorceress, seer, spirit medium, head of the family, mother, teacher, widow, the list goes on.

"As such, I have learned to see how these two affect me and others around me. When you came home this afternoon, I had anticipated that this failure, your first major one nonetheless, would affect you greatly. To my surprise however, I saw something else. You carried fear of course, and I knew you dreaded facing your Elders and me, but you did not carry defeat within you. It was as if you were not disappointed at your loss of the Clow Cards. I would have dismissed this as acceptance, since you've had enough time in Tomoeda to perhaps reconcile with yourself, but I saw something more. You were somehow happy despite it all, and when I inquired about your departure, you fought to not let it show but I saw enough. This and the fact that Meiling had been depressed when she had come home from visiting you only strengthened my suspicions but our talk tonight confirms it." Syaoran was amazed by her explanation. Her insight into other people and their emotions was nothing short of remarkable and he couldn't help but be reminded of a black-haired girl in Tomoeda who had the same gift. If he had to compare the two, Tomoyo's insight was a warm, understanding one while Yelan's was more analytical and calculating.

Syaoran couldn't help but be amused at how quickly he had been found out. "I guess I really shouldn't try to hide anything from you, Mother", he said sheepishly.

"It is difficult for people to hide their hearts, Xiaolang", she replied. "Even if they try their best to control every part of their behavior, their hearts will manifest themselves in little ways they can't even imagine. All it takes is someone who is perceptive enough to read the signs, although in your case, not much perception was required." This time Syaoran could clearly see the small smile at her lips. Now he was curious. What had he done that had given him away?

"You've been referring to her by her first name", came her answer.

As the realization hit Syaoran, his face reddened. He put his right hand over his eyes and cringed. During his reports to Yelan from Tomoeda he always referred to Sakura as "Kinomoto", "the girl", or "the rival". After he had practically stopped contacting her, he and Sakura had finally got on a first name basis and it became natural to him, so natural that he didn't even think twice about calling her that in front of his mother. The simple gesture had given him away from the beginning. As he turned this over in his head, Yelan Li smiled and chuckled inwardly in a rare moment of amusement. She had seen Syaoran make different kinds of expressions, but watching him blush in embarrassment of love was a first. She enjoyed the moment for a while before returning to a more pressing matter.

"Syaoran." Her voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked again to face her. Her tone was grave, and he knew she was once again speaking seriously to him.

"Understand that what you ask is impossible at the present. The situation with your Elders right now is still very volatile, and may yet have undesired effects on our family. Bringing this matter to their attention now will only make things worse. So for now, you will not mention any of this to your Elders. It is difficult to hide your heart, Xiaolang, but understand that right now it may be the best way to protect it." Syaoran nodded silently. He had suspected as much. The storm was only beginning, and he would have to wait it out before he could push forward. That didn't make it any less hard though.

"As for now, this matter is to be kept secret and known only to us few. I know Wei is aware of this and so is Meiling." Yelan's gaze narrowed at him at the mention of the latter, and Syaoran understood the implication. Meiling had been – was still in love with him, and could just as easily tell the Elders and jeopardize his chances to go back to her. He knew better though.

"I trust her, Mother." Syaoran asserted. "She has been understanding of my position, and has been nothing short of supportive throughout this ordeal. She will keep her silence."

Yelan nodded. "Very well. You will have my silence too. We will discuss this matter further when the situation has eased. Until then, mind to whom you speak to and where you speak it, Xiaolang. You never know who may be listening." She turned to her left and fixated on a cluster of bushes a distance away from the platform. Before Syaoran could react, she had gathered magical energy with her fan and swung it at the direction of the bushes. A powerful gust of wind emerged from the movement and headed straight for the bushes in great speed. As it did, the wind collided with an invisible dome, creating white sparks where the two made contact. The dome was no match for the wind and was shattered like glass into pieces that blew away from the force before disappearing as the magic powering it faded. Syaoran turned to the site of impact and gaped in shock. Where the barrier had been now stood four young girls whose presence before had been concealed to the naked eye.

"Isn't that right, girls?" Yelan said curtly.

The sisters stared at her in shock, having just experienced their mother's magic way too close for their comfort. Fuutie was the one to recover first and she stepped forward to her mother. The others followed weakly behind. The four of them lined up with their hands clasped in front and their faces down. "U-um, we're sorry Mother. We didn't actually want to do this, but then Feimei got curious and then we all started getting curious too then Feimei and Huanglian said they could make a cloaking spell and so we did that and then I combined it with my barrier to hide our presence and Xuehua asked the spirits to help us hear what you were talking about and we're sorry we disobeyed you", she trailed off. She dared not look up lest she see the heated expression she knew was on her mother's face.

"I distinctly told the four of you that I would be speaking to Xiaolang privately, and yet here you are, listening in on our conversation. I am aware of your compulsion to butt into affairs not your own, but I had thought as your mother you would respect my wishes enough to comply with them. I can see I was mistaken. Let me make it clear to the four of you right now that I am extremely disappointed in the four of you and that there will be consequences for your actions." The emphasis in those last words told the sisters they were really in trouble right now. Being under the wrath of Yelan Li was not a pleasant feeling. Nor, for that matter was being under the wrath of Syaoran Li. Having recovered from his shock, he was now glaring daggers, or rather swords, into each of them and young as he was, he had a look that could strike fear into an adult. If looks could kill, the combined glare of their mother and brother would've killed them several times over by now.

Sensing her son's growing anger, Yelan continued. "However, this is not the time for it. I will decide your punishments later. I will admit it is an impressive feat for the four of you to keep yourself hidden from me for that long, but that is another matter. Since you've heard too much already, I will remind all of you that you will not speak of this to anyone. Do you understand?"

"Yes mother!" came the collective reply as the four sisters nodded up and down aggressively.

"Good", she replied. "Now I believe you also owe your brother an apology." Yelan pointed her eyes to where Syaoran stood with his fist clenched, still glaring at his sisters.

They didn't waste any time. "LITTLE BROTHER, WE'RE SORRY!" said the four of them as they immediately surrounded Syaoran and knelt before him, tugging at his shirt, at the same time staining it with their tears. Once again Syaoran found himself surrounded as each sister had her say, making it impossible to discern who was saying what.

"Alright! Whatever, I forgive you!" Syaoran said irritably. "Just promise you'll keep this quiet and never discuss it in front of anyone."

"We promise!" said Fuutie.

"You can count on us!" followed Fanren.

"We'll even give you advice!" suggested Feimei while giving him two thumbs up

"Our little brother really has grown up!" came the final voice of Shiefa.

That last comment stirred something in each sister, and once again they resorted to collective shouting. "HOW CUTE! Our little wolf's in love!" they yelled as they hugged Syaoran from all sides again. Unbeknownst to the five of them, Yelan Li smiled as she watched her children's little squabble. Their racket echoed through the night, the silent peace that had been there before nothing but a distant memory.