Chapter 12: Burnout – Part III

Syaoran watched the car leave through the gate and disappear as it turned from the path leading to the training ground back to the main road towards the city, leaving only a trail of smoke and dust behind. He stifled the part of him that wished he was going with it and took in his surroundings. Outside of the fence, he could see mostly grass-covered hills and the main road, which stretched outside his view to the horizon. Syaoran focused his attention inside the fence, where the guard on duty had closed the gate which served as both entrance and exit to the compound. He wore a regular security uniform and was chatting with a similarly dressed person. Other guards patrolled the perimeter of the training ground with a sidearm at the ready. These were the standard security, highly trained in combat and the use of firearms. It was deeper into the compound where the heavy security lay. The actual building which served as the training center was guarded by another set of guards which had a different arsenal at their disposal. These were the elite Li Clan guards, trained in both martial arts and magic. They wore long oriental garbs and armed with a pointed staff which served as a melee weapon and a conduit for magic. Their faces were also veiled with only a slit for their eyes which served as protection and concealed their identity, giving them an ancient appearance like the guards to an ancient imperial palace. Despite the contrasting appearance from their modern looking counterparts though, they were just as formidable as their colleagues if not more, hence why they are charged with guarding the inside of the compound.

The actual structure which served as the Clan's training facility wasn't extravagant by the Clan standards. In fact, it's drab grey coloring and warehouse structure made it look less-than-plain. However, this was intentional design to make the compound attract less attention. Contrary to it's rundown appearance, the building was very well-constructed to withstand the use of magical forces within it and soundproofed to conceal said magical activities. The interior was lined with protective spells to provide further protection to the structure from potentially destructive magic within whether intentional or accidental, mostly the latter. Wards were also placed around the perimeter which magically deterred any unwitting passerby and protect the building and the people within in case of an attack. These magical protections were maintained by the elite guards, who routinely check the spells and renewed them when necessary. Finally, it's remote location meant there was less likelihood of it being found by people who weren't involved with the Clan. All these measures were taken to protect the people within, the young trainees who would one day become the future of the Li Clan and arguably it's greatest assets.

Syaoran looked up at the building, took a deep breath and exhaled deeply. He had been dreading his return here all week, although it had admittedly helped that things were lively again back at home. Fuutie had shared the details of their afternoon conversation to the others, much to his dismay, so his sisters were pretty riled up. They set about discussing it with him and providing their own input to the situation. Their opinions had not been as strong as Fuutie's, ranging from casual dislike from Fanren and Shiefa to plain indifference from the twins, but they all did agree upon the flaws of the Clan and empathized with his position. True to her word, Fuutie had also managed to convince them to support him against Mother should the need arise, though this last one was spoken with reluctance from all parties including Syaoran himself. He had determined that knowing more about their family's relationship with the Clan, both past and present, would be a determining factor in his decision, so it was decided that asking her would be the next logical step, though it was one they were pretty afraid to take considering how secretive she was about her dealings with the Clan. Incurring their mother's wrath was the last thing they wanted to do, but it was a risk they had to take. When it came down to it though, they knew there was very little they could do if their mother disagreed. Yelan Li was strong-minded and would hold her ground even against their combined efforts. Even so, it wasn't his mother which actually worried him the most or even whether or not he had support. He knew he could count on his sisters and Meiling if he needed it, though he hadn't told the latter anything yet. As it was, Meiling seemed suspiciously cheery when he met her the day after he talked to Fuutie and she wouldn't tell him anything when he asked about it. Whatever it was, her behavior seemed to indicate that it involved him for some reason. He wasn't really up for mischief on his part but if it kept her busy then it would benefit him for now.

No, the problem wasn't with anyone else but him. He weighed in everything he knew; the Clan was now drilling him greatly to make him atone for his failure to capture the Clow Cards. He would not dispute that it was true he had not accomplished the mission given to him nor say that there should be no consequence for it, but it did trouble him how differently the Clan treated him. Before they had been more accommodating to him and his progress as a mage, which had motivated him to do the best. That had not been enough, and now they desired to fix that. Syaoran wouldn't necessarily say that he'd been cast aside; the fact that they're still training him meant that he still had an expectation to fulfill, but it was clear their opinion of him had significantly lowered and every time he was faced with crushing defeat he was reminded that he was not at the standard that the Clan wanted him to be at.

Added to that were the stories from people around him like Wei, Meiling, his sisters and to some extent his mother. All of them had their own problems with the Clan which helped him to see the Clan in a new light, one that was greatly unpleasant but closer to reality. All of a sudden he was questioning whether or not the approval sent his way had been worth anything. When he combined every account he had heard, a common theme surfaced: the Clan's approach was authoritarian and ultimately self-serving, and Syaoran had to admit there is truth to that with the evidence presented to him. They provided a very strong reason to the argument that leaving the Clan would be in his best interest…

…and yet even with all that in mind, his heart still felt heavy when he thought about it. He had thought about it in the days that followed and had come to a solid conclusion: he didn't want to leave the Clan. Even after all he had gone through and the stories that everyone told him, there was a strong desire deep in his heart to remain in the Clan. He could discuss leaving the Clan as an alternative all he wanted, but each step he took in that direction made him feel like he did when he wanted to leave Sakura without saying goodbye, a betrayal against his own self. Both the desire to be with Sakura and the desire to remain in the Clan screamed in his heart, even when he knew that both were most likely opposite of each other. He thought about the letter he had received this week, where Sakura had mostly relayed her difficulties her role in the upcoming play her class was doing for the upcoming festival and ended her letter with a wish to see him soon. Reading that had brought back the unbearable tug in his heart to see her, to be with her, to watch her play and even to be with her on the stage again, though that last one was wishful thinking on his part. In response, his desire to remain in the Clan flared up in his heart, a fierce rejection at the idea of abandoning the Clan itself. He had always been a part of the Li Clan and had always felt a strong sense of pride in that. Now, he was forced to question whether that pride had been a hollow product of a false sense of belonging. He didn't want to believe that, he couldn't. Surely there was some meaning to all his years in service of the Clan.

There has to be.

The sound of someone clearing his throat snapped him back to reality. Syaoran looked up and saw a guard posted on the entrance of the building was now looking at him impatiently through the slits in his veil. He couldn't help but blush in embarrassment as he realized he had been staring into the door for a few minutes now. Syaoran briskly made his way to the door but stopped short of opening it. Once more he looked up at the building and followed downwards towards the hand holding the door handle. He didn't know how long he could keep this up, but he knew he had to make up his mind soon.

With that final thought, he steadied his breath and pushed the door open.

The first thing that registered as he began to part the door was the familiar sound of spells being cast and weapons clashing against dummies and each other. As the door swung fully, the source of these sounds came into view; young trainees ranging from children to teenagers practicing various drills of magical and martial art skills. The interior itself was plain in it's design. The space within was divided into four separate blocks by two cross-sectional paths which allowed access to each block. The blocks were set to divide them all according to their classes. The lower left block was allocated for beginners to magic, mostly kids from six to twelve years old. The lower right block was for the intermediate classes, mostly pre-teen to early teenagers who are starting to grow with the exception of a few older teens also stayed behind. In the upper right section, the advanced class comprised of teenagers and young adults. Despite the large area, in total there were only a few handful of mages-in-training within the compound which left a lot more space than what was being used. Finally, there was the upper left section, which was a private training area currently being used by him and Fang Zhi. Like it's exterior, the interior was built more for function than aesthetics so it was sparse in decorum. However, the Clan's symbol in the center of the room made it known that this was still their property. Atop where each path met the walls of the building were spherical stones embedded in the walls. Each of them had Chinese writings for each of the directions; North, South, East, and West. These were the wards which protected the interior and cast a protective layer inside.

Syaoran took in all these familiar sights and took a step inside. Like he has done countless times before, he turned to shut the door before walking inside. The huge wooden door creaked on it's hinges before finally clicking in place, creating a deep thud. Syaoran turned back to walk inside to his training area when he noticed it; the place had gone slightly quieter. It was only when he had his view back to the interior that he noticed why.

Everyone in the room was all looking at him.

It was only for a fleeting moment, even less than a second. Syaoran himself barely caught it as they hurriedly went back to their own businesses when he caught sight of them, the way a person does when they get caught gawking at somebody for too long. Even so, he could see how unnaturally they were returning to their own routines. Some of the younger trainees were already sneaking peeks at him. Likewise, he was now alerted to their presence but did his best to ignore them. He walked as casually as he could to his training area and tried to let them fade into the background. It was just another day of training, nothing more-

"It's him."

Syaoran caught the first whisper and turned a glance at it's direction. A boy and a girl around his age were sitting on a resting bench and whispering to each other. One of them, the girl, was sneaking glances at him. Upon realizing he saw her she kept quiet in a panic. The boy was startled by her behavior and turned to see what she was looking at but she stopped him.

'Don't pay attention. Just keep walking.' Syaoran looked forward to his training area. It was still empty, which gave him a slight relief. It meant that he wasn't due for a punishment for being late and had some time to prepare before they began training.

"He's still coming. I can't believe it."

"After the beat down last week, I thought he'd quit for sure."

The whispers were beginning to pile on and try as he might, Syaoran could not shut them out. Quite the opposite, they seemed to be amplified in his ears. He picked up his pace gradually without trying to panic. The sooner he could get there the sooner he could get this day over with.

"I really feel sorry for him. What did he even do?"

"I heard the Elders gave him something important to do and he failed."

"I would not want to be in his shoes now."

"Better him than me."

Syaoran gritted his teeth and clenched his bag tighter. In front of him the path seemed to stretch even longer. He kept his gaze downward, not daring to look at the observing eyes around him. Their hushed conversations were largely amplified in his ears now, an effect he was aware was a product of his troubled mind but nonetheless powerless to stop. He wasn't even sure if some of them were real or his own imagination. Whatever they were, he could hear each syllable rang with clarity that grew sharper with each second.

"Hmph, maybe they shouldn't have sent a kid to do a man's job."

"The Elders must be going senile. What the hell do they see in him?"

"Shhh! Don't say that so loud!"

"Even I could do better than that!"

"Man, they're really tough on the young ones now, huh? I'm glad it wasn't on my time."

"The Head Sorceress must be disappointed. None of her children have anything close to her talent."

"Bet he was spoiled. Nothing good ever comes from being spoiled."

"Oh boy, we're going to get another spectacle today!"

"He doesn't know when to quit, does he? Probably don't have a choice."

.

.

"He doesn't belong here."

'Come on! Walk faster!' Syaoran watched his feet take him faster and faster, relying only on muscle memory to take him to his training court. It wouldn't stop their gossips but he felt like being out of the open would help; anything to quiet their gossips and snickering. He kept looking down when a person's shadow came into view in his immediate path. As he walked closer, he noticed the shadow wasn't moving which told him the person was stationary. Syaoran slowly stopped walking and looked up at the source of the shadow. The boy who had antagonized him two weeks ago, Su Bao if he remembered correctly, was standing in his way with his two friends on both his sides in a straight formation. They were spaced across the path to the court rather widely since the path itself was quite wide, but their intent was quite clear; they were blocking him from passing.

"Hello again."

'Not this again.' Syaoran groaned in his mind.

"I don't have time for this right now."

Su Bao let out a laugh which his two cronies quickly echoed. "Oh, don't worry. You're on my time now. I told you l was going to knock you off your high horse and I like to keep my word." The boy took a step forward, which signaled his friends quickly followed.

"I don't want to fight. I don't have a problem with any of you." Syaoran replied, but even as he spoke he knew the situation was beyond words. The three of them were enclosing on him with wolfish grins on their faces. Still, he had to try to at least reason with them. "If you do this now, you'll get all of us in trouble."

His last words seemed to stir the other two. One of them stopped in his tracks and the other began to walk uncertainly. However, their leader was undaunted.

"Oh, I know, but I don't care. You see, I'm just a normal trainee, not worth any attention. They'll just give me some disciplinary action, nothing I haven't gone through before. But you, you're different. You've got the attention of the higher-ups for whatever reason, so I imagine they're going to be tougher on you. Hell, that teacher of yours will probably put you through the ropes for this. And unlike me, you're not used to that, golden boy. You'll break sooner or later, and that's good enough for me. Besides, I just can't hold myself back any longer."

Syaoran looked at the fiery hatred in the boy's eyes and wondered for a moment what circumstances led him to hate someone he had never known. He shelved the question away as it wouldn't help him in his current situation. The two boys, emboldened by their leader's resolve had continued their approach. With almost no options left, Syaoran did something he never thought he'd do, something he utterly loathed; he pulled rank.

"My mother, the Head Sorceress-"

"-is currently away and in no position to help you. Even if she was, there are rumors she's not in good terms with the Elders. Any fault of yours will also reflect on her. You see, there's no outcome where you win from this, Li Xiao Lang. Your mother can't help you, little boy. She's as impotent as you are. Ha! She probably passed on her weakness to you, just like your weakling sisters."

Syaoran recognized the taunt, knew it was meant to goad him to anger, but couldn't stop the rising fire in his heart. "Leave. Them. Out. Of. This."

"Oh no, the little wolf's angry." Su Bao threw up his hands in mock fear. The other two, ever so loyal, snickered at their leaders' actions, before focusing their attention back to him. "What's the matter? You gonna stand there and look at me angrily all day? You all bark and no bite?"

Syaoran looked at his three adversaries. He had done all he could to dissuade them from the conflict and given them every chance to walk away. A minute ago, he had considered simply slipping past their blockade but now it was too late. This fight was happening, whether he wanted to or not. He dropped his back and kicked it to the side far enough to not hinder his fight. He entered his combat stance, never taking his eyes of his opponents.

"That's more like it." The lead boy motioned his goons forward. Syaoran kept his eyes on each of their positions. Even through his anger, he recognized he was at a disadvantage. One slip-up and the three of them would gang up on him. He had no measure of their skill relative to his, though the fact that the leader had chosen to gang up on him meant that they weren't confident enough to take him one-on-one. Even so, he dared not underestimate his opponents. His mind raced through all the possible scenarios trying to come up with a strategy for each one even as his trained senses kept track of all their movements. He juggled between the three of them as they began to funnel towards him. He locked his eyes with the boy on the left, then the Su Bao, by far the bulkiest of the bunch, then the right-most boy. He made his way back to the leader in the middle again, who looked at him with passionate fury. Then for a moment, he broke his gaze and looked at something behind Syaoran and raised his right eyebrow slightly.

The realization that the boy was signaling came immediately to Syaoran, but it was a fraction of a second too late. Even as he sidestepped to avoid the attack from behind, a fist grazed his left upper jawbone. He had dodged to escape most of the damage but the impact still reverberated through his head. Looking to his side, he saw the perpetrator: another boy had snuck up behind him while the other three occupied his attention. The surprise attack had not gone smoothly, but it was enough to momentarily distract him. The other three was now closing on him and Syaoran had to quickly act if he was to turn the situation to his favor.

In a moment of adrenaline, Syaoran quickly focused on the nearest of the attackers; the boy who had sneaked up on him and was now approaching his position. Still in the middle of his sidestep, Syaoran used the momentum and lowered his body to the ground. He positioned his arms beneath him and hunched his entire body to spring as the boy approached him. A second later, he pushed at his opponent's direction as hard as he can, propelling his entire body and extending it fully. His left foot, which was fully extended, connected squarely with the right-half of the boy's face. The impact sent the boy a distance away and put him on his back. Meanwhile, Syaoran used the energy that propelled his body to get back up on his feet. With one opponent down, he turned his attention towards the others only to see a balled-up fist blocking his view.

Syaoran's hand reflexively raised to block but it was too late. The blow connected squarely with his left cheek and Syaoran tasted blood as his teeth cut against the inside of his mouth. He could barely make out the left-most boy grinning in dark satisfaction at his success through his disorientation. The remaining two were nothing more than blurred shadows but Syaoran could tell they were close; he could feel the hostile aura encroaching on him. Again, he moved instinctively. Syaoran put his weight on his left leg and grabbed the arm that had punched him. Using the momentum of the attack, he spun his body around his assailant's back at the same time kicking the right leg joint. As his assailant's body collapsed, Syaoran came full circle and delivered a solid chop to the left shoulder. The boy screamed in pain at the attack and immediately went limp on the floor.

Syaoran was about to turn his attention to the two remaining assailants when he felt their weight thrust upon him. Both of them had tackled him hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. Their combined weight was too much for him to withstand and finally knocked him down. A moment later, he felt his body being propped up.

"Quick, restrain him!"

The boy quickly did as Su Bao told him and held Syaoran from the back, restraining his hands. Syaoran struggled to break free of the hold but was immediately subdued by a punch in the gut.

"I've been waiting a long time to do that." Su Bao gritted through his teeth. He followed through with a second punch. Waves of pain shot up through Syaoran's head. He could barely hear the voices of the others reacting to the riot they were causing. Some of them were chanting, others were telling them to stop. He could see some of the instructors coming to break them up, but they weren't there yet and Su Bao relished the time that he would get. The boy was quite bulky and his punches were strong enough that when they connected they sent waves throughout his body, weakening him.

And the grip of the boy restraining him.

As Su Bao came for another punch in the gut, Syaoran quickly moved with the leeway he had and jumped. The punch missed him but connected with the boy behind him, which made him release his grip immediately. At the same time, Syaoran shot his feet forward towards Su Bao, hitting him in his torso and face. All three of them hit the floor at the exact same time. Ignoring the pain throughout his body, Syaoran got up on his feet before the other two could do the same. This was it. He was going to end this pointless brawl now. His hand went for the pendant on his neck and snapped it of it's rope as he poured his magic onto it, summoning his sword. As Su Bao got up with a bloodied nose, he put the sword point facing the boy.

"Stand down."

Su Bao glared at him then smiled menacingly and raised his hands in surrender. "Guess you can bite after all. Fine, I'll admit it. We're no match for you." He gestured his head to something behind Syaoran. "But you're no match for him."

"BOY!" came the familiar shout of his instructor from behind him.

"And you just made him angrier than ever."

Syaoran glared at Su Bao before taking the sword of the boy. He looked at his teacher, who was now approaching him with maddened hurry. "I arrive here ready to train you only to find you fighting like some street dog! Have you fallen so low?!"

"They attacked me first, Teacher. I was forced to defend myself." Syaoran spoke indignantly.

"More excuses! Is that why you're pointing your sword at an armless opponent?! Are you so desperate for victory?!"

"I was only trying to-"

"ENOUGH! As your teacher, it falls upon me to discipline you. If you want a fight, I will show you what a true fight is. To your post!" Fang Zhi rushed past him towards their training court. Su Bao and his cronies was already up and about and receiving their own earfuls from their instructors, but the former spared a glance at Syaoran to once again give him a mocking grin. Syaoran clutched the grip of his sword tighter. Su bao had got what he wanted, a front-seat ticket to his beating. He picked up his bag and went to his training court. Sure enough, Fang Zhi was already prepared to start when he arrived.

"Ready yourself, boy."

"Teacher, with all due respect, I am not in a condition to train effectively." Syaoran reasoned. "I will take whatever punishment you have but I risk myself if I continue."

"You should have thought of that before you started brawling. How effective my training is, I will decide myself, boy, not you. Enter your stance!"

Syaoran looked at the stoic face of his teacher, worn from years of anger and knew that there was no reasoning with him. Begrudgingly, he put his sword in front of him and readied himself. He could taste the blood in his mouth with the pain in his face and abdomen, the latter of which made standing up difficult. He tried to focus his wavering vision on his opponent, the man with the black garb wearing an angry expression. It was a sight he was now familiar with along with the pain and defeat that came afterward. Syaoran spared a glance to his surroundings. The other trainees were now watching him from their own courts. Even some of the teachers spared a glance to his view. In that moment he knew if he lost here, it would be the final blow to his standing in the Li Clan. That pressure seemed to weigh down on his limbs even more. He cast aside the thought as best he could and returned to his teacher, the opponent that lay in front of him.

"BEGIN!"

The sound rang like a gunshot in his ears. He saw it coming; he could see every muscle on Fang Zhi's face tense as if he was loading a bullet, which is a fair comparison, as Fang Zhi immediately shot forward like a bullet with his sword drawn in less than a second after the yell. Syaoran's instincts kicked in and immediately he raised his sword to block his teacher's blow. The impact vibrated through his body, reminding him of the injuries he had already sustained and he let out a grunt. His defense had been instinctive but he had not been prepared for the sheer power behind the attack. Added to that were the bruises he already had which made it harder to stand. Syaoran immediately flung backwards and skidded to a stop in his back. As he landed, he felt the footsteps of his teacher already approaching him and saw that Fang Zhi was still on the offensive. Ignoring the increasing pain in his body, he immediately got up and met his follow-up with his blade. This time Syaoran braced himself just enough to keep their swords locked which allowed him to take a good look at his opponent's face. It was then that he saw something which shocked him. He had expected to see a furious expression on his teacher's face for disobeying him, and the anger was still present in his expression to some extent. However, he had not expected to see a gleeful grin on the man's face.

The grin had startled him out of his senses for a moment, which gave Fang Zhi an opening. In a quick move, he broke the blade lock and delivered a side kick to Syaoran's abdomen, pushing him aside. Syaoran felt like ragdoll as he landed on his side. Again, the pain jolted through his body. He knew that he couldn't afford to keep taking direct hits from Fang Zhi, especially with what he had just learned. He looked to the man to confirm his suspicions and found Fang Zhi looking at him with an expression of hateful glee, the same expression of satisfaction he had seen on Su Bao's face moments ago. The grin had been replaced with a more subdued smirk but it confirmed his suspicions.

Fang Zhi was enjoying this.

Anger surged through Syaoran as the realization hit him. All this time, he had thought the man was being tough on him as it was his way of teaching but the expression told him Fang Zhi had been toying with him. All the frustration he had felt for the last few weeks came back to him, which further fed the fire growing inside him. Syaoran clutched his sword and propped himself up on his feet. The pain he had felt before was numbed. He had only one thing in mind; to wipe the grin off that face.

Fang Zhi seemed to recognize Syaoran's anger which made him smile wider. The smile remained on his hardened face as he gathered his magic. Syaoran recognized the stance and prepared to block the oncoming spell with his own. He threw his casting paper upwards as Fang Zhi prepared to strike. As it had before, the paper landed on the hilt of his sword as Fang Zhi poised to fire.

"GOD OF THUNDER, ANSWER MY CALL!"

Both of them cast at the same time, but only one bolt shot forth; Fang Zhi's bolt struck forward as Syaoran realized that no lightning had come out from his sword. He looked with dawning horror as the stream of light approached him. Instinct moved when his mind couldn't and his hand moved his sword immediately to block the lightning. The bolt struck the blade head on and pushed both the sword and it's wielder backwards. For the third time, Syaoran found himself put back down on the ground again. He looked at his hands, still trembling from the shock of the spell, and felt a stone in his chest. He had gone through the motions and was sure that he didn't get any of them wrong, yet at the moment he had cast, he had not felt magic flow through him as it normally did. It wasn't like last time where it had been difficult to use his magic, this time he couldn't even break through the barrier.

He was unable to use his magic.

The mocking laugh of his adversary brought him back to reality as Fang Zhi approached him. The man wasn't hiding anything now and he had a look of pure enjoyment as he approached Syaoran.

"What's the matter, boy? You can't use your magic now?" His teacher's approach was now relaxed, like he was taking his time savoring the moment. "It's a shame. The Li Clan is a clan of mages after all." He readied his sword as Syaoran got up to his feet and a smile of hateful delight.

"And there really is no place in the Clan for someone like you."

It took almost four hours for the plane to finally land from Beijing to Hong Kong. From the airport, it was another hour and a half to reach the mansion by car. All in all, it took six hours for Yelan to finally get home. It certainly felt longer, as she spent every minute of it worrying about her son. She had done what she had set out to do but the longer she took to get back the longer Syaoran had to deal with the unfair burden placed on him. But first, she had to stop by her house.

When the car finally entered the mansion driveway, Yelan got out of the car in a hurry. Wei was already waiting for her in the front with servants ready to take her luggage.

"Good evening, Mistress. I hope you are well." Wei spoke with a smile.

Yelan knew him well enough to detect his underlying concern. "Not yet, but I will have some peace of mind soon enough. Has Xiao Lang already left?"

"That he has." Wei confirmed. "Will you be heading there, Mistress?"

It was uncanny how well he can read her. "Yes, I just have to get something from my office."

Wei nodded understandingly. "Then you have accomplished what you set out to do."

Yelan showed him a document. "Yes, it just needs my stamp to make it official. Then I'll head there and put a stop to all of this." She placed the document back inside. "If you will excuse me, old friend, I have something to attend to."

Yelan gave a nod to her butler and left him to unload her luggage. She entered the mansion to rush to her office only to be greeted by her four daughters.

"You're back." Fuutie spoke up.

"Yes." Yelan replied. "I'm going again to-"

"I know. We heard you talking to Wei." Fuutie looked to her sisters looking for affirmation. All three of them gave her a nod. Satisfied, she looked to her mother again. "And we're coming with you."

"Fuutie, I don't have time to argue right now."

"Good, because this isn't open for debate." Fuutie steeled her voice. "Mother, there are no words to express how grateful I am for everything you've done for all of us. I know everything you've done has been to protect us." She paused and took a deep breath. "But we're not children anymore and we can't stand to see you fight alone any longer, so we'll fight with you whether you want us to or not."

Yelan looked at her eldest daughter's determined expression. There was no trace of anger in her face, only a burning resolve which the rest of her daughters shared. It was an expression of youthful determination she had seen so long ago on herself, which is why she knew it was pointless to argue.

"Very well, then. You've made your point. I'll head to the office and then we'll go to the training grounds together."

The four of them immediately relaxed and smiled in relief. "Thank you, Mother!" shouted all of them collectively.

Yelan didn't reply as she walked past them to her office, but deep in her heart, she felt a sense of pride for her daughters and a sense of relief that they were there to support her. Perhaps they were right in saying that she had fought alone for too long, for the gesture touched her more than they knew. Her thoughts then drifted to another person in her family who has been fighting alone.

'Hang in there, Xiao Lang. I'm coming.'

A/N: They say that you haven't created something of worth until you get criticism. In that sense, perhaps this story is now something of worth. Don't take it the wrong way though. I'm glad that people have criticism regarding the story and I look forward to receiving more feedback as I go on. After all, we can't improve if we're constantly getting praise. It would be ignorant of me to not address the ones given to this story so far, namely the lack of Sakura in it despite the story being labeled under pairing. I certainly wouldn't want to be a false advertiser and by my own admission, the romantic aspect of this story is certainly one of my weak points. The best I can say is that the time for Sakura has not shown up yet, since the current timeframe preludes the Sealed Card before Sakura. Since this story is Syaoran-centric, those who come here looking for SyaoranxSakura moments may be disappointed. There is a place for Sakura in the story so you can look forward to that as the story goes on, but if you do find the lack of such moments disappointing, I don't blame you and understand if you stop following the story. For those who continue to follow the developments until now, I offer my deepest gratitude for your patronage and I hope I can continue to entertain you.