Chapter 19: The Important Things – Part I
"That's the last of them." Fuutie declared as she took of the bandage covering his arms. " And not a scratch to be found."
Syaoran looked around his body. Indeed, there was no trace of a wound or bruise in any of the spots that had been bandaged up. "It's amazing it's healed this much in only two days."
"That's Mother for you. You can count on her," Fuutie pointed her thumb spiritedly at herself, "and your sisters too, of course! We helped too!"
"Yeah, you did." Syaoran replied sincerely. "Thank you."
Fuutie looked at him in surprise, perhaps expecting an outburst from him, but he had to give credit where it's due. His sincerity got through to her and her shock gave way to a smile. She ruffled his hair gently.
"Anything for my little brother."
At another time, Syaoran would have found the gesture and nickname demeaning but this time he could let it slide. "And what about you? Are you okay?"
She looked at him again in surprise before smiling. "So you heard us that night."
Syaoran chuckled. "Those loud cries were hard to miss."
Fuutie laughed as well. "I guess they were, but I'm fine now, we all are, and one way or another it's because of you. Thank you, Little Brother." She bent down and gave him a kiss on the head.
"Okay! I get it!" Syaoran protested. Even for his current mood, that was a little too much to tolerate.
Fuutie only smiled as he put back his shirt and stood up from his bed. Slowly, he tried to take little step. His legs were initially unsteady from resting in the bed for two days, but he eventually found his footing. There was no trace of pain in them or anywhere on his body for that matter. He took a few more steps to make sure that he could walk normally, which he could.
Now to see if he can move.
"Could you move back a bit?"
"Eh? What for?" Fuutie replied in confusion, but complied nonetheless.
In a swift movement, he leaped upwards and threw a kick with his right leg as he reached the top of his jump, making Fuutie jumped backwards in shock. As gravity pulled him back down, he landed first with his right leg. Then, he used the leg as an axis as he spun around, delivering a sweeping high kick with his left leg.
'Not bad.' It wasn't quite his full strength but it wasn't weak either. He figured he might be back in shape in a few days.
"Hey! No martial arts or magic for a week!" Fuutie scolded.
"Sorry, I just wanted to test my body a little."
"You can do that by walking normally." Fuutie sighed. "You're so stubborn."
A knock came from the door at that moment, and Wei peeked his head in with a bow.
"Pardon the intrusion, Master Xiao Lang, Miss Fudie. Master Xiao Lang, Miss Meiling is here."
Syaoran felt his heart sink. "Thank you. I'll be there shortly."
Fuutie snickered. "Feeling worried, little brother?"
Syaoran gave her a side glare. "Let's just go."
Syaoran tensed as he walked towards the front of their house. He didn't know how his visitor would react, but his gut told him it wouldn't be good.
"Seriously, are you worried?" his sister asked.
"I'm not." Syaoran replied. Despite that, he couldn't deny he was feeling anxious.
He had been forewarned that Meiling had found out about his injuries the day after he returned home, which he knew would make her concerned. True enough, she had been trying to contact him for these past two days. His sisters and mother had held her off and insisted he be left alone during his recovery but due to her insistence they had allowed her to visit after two days, which was now. Syaoran knew he was in for trouble; Meiling was someone who said what she thought, so being unable to voice herself to him immediately meant only that her release would be all the more explosive.
"I can hear your heart beating from here." Fuutie noted with amusement. "Don't worry. She knows you're still recovering so she won't hurt you… much." She finished, giving him a teasing wink.
Syaoran glared at her in annoyance as they finally made their way to the front of the house. He could hear the rest of his sisters chatting In the waiting room couch along with Meiling. However, alongside them was a man's voice which he recognized immediately, and if how Fuutie's face lit up was any indication, she did as well. Before he knew it, Fuutie rushed past him and shouted as she entered the area.
"Uncle Lao!"
Syaoran entered the front of the house a moment later even as his sister reached out to hug the man in question, who had stood up to receive her embrace. Fuutie crashed into him a moment later, though the man stood and took the brunt of it without budging.
As the man came into view, Syaoran could see him clearly. He was wearing a light-blue shirt, which highlighted his muscular figure, and long, light-gray pants. His black hair was short on it's sides but long on the top, which he fixed to his left side. His eyes were sharp, which reminded Syaoran of his own mother's eyes; fitting due to their family ties. Even so, it was pretty much the only thing similar between their features, especially highlighted by Lao Wang's slightly more yellow complexion compared to his sister's pale one. His chiseled jaw, covered in a short layer of stubble, carried a smile which Syaoran would rarely see him without.
"It's good to see you too, Fudie." he replied warmly.
Fuutie released the hug. "I didn't know you were also coming here!"
'Well, your mother wanted to talk to me, and since Meiling wanted to come here anyways I wanted to pay a visit to you girls." He ruffled Fuutie's hair. By the way, I've already worked out a schedule with your mother so you can still work at my store while not missing your magic studies."
"Really?! That's great! You're the best, Uncle Lao!"
He smiled and turned his black eyes turned from Fuutie to the boy standing on the entrance to the front. "Hello, Xiao Lang. How are you?"
"Good morning, Uncle Lao." Syaoran replied with a bow. "I'm doing alright now, tha-"
"Xiao Lang?!"
The loud, familiar, and undoubtedly angry voice that came from behind his uncle sent shivers down Syaoran's spine. True enough, Meiling emerged a moment later, choosing to leap from the back of the couch from where she sat instead of standing up normally. Her blazing, crimson eyes met his brown ones immediately.
"Xiao Lang!"
Syaoran moved back instinctively as his senses told him danger was coming. A part of him wanted to flee but it was too late; Meiling was already charging at him on full speed.
"Oy, Meiling! Wait a mi-" Syaoran braced himself, knowing that it was too late to escape. He could only accept whatever was going to happen, whether it was a slap, a punch or kick.
Meiling collided with him head on, crashing her body with his hard enough to knock some air out of him. Syaoran barely stopped himself from toppling over. As soon as he regained stability, her arms wrapped around him and she put her face on his shoulder.
"I-I was so worried…" she said, her voice quivering.
Syaoran stood still, confused at what he should do. He had expected the yelling and anger but he hadn't expected the hug or the tears that were dampening his shoulder. It hadn't occurred to him that Meiling would mostly be worried. The moment solidified what she had always told him countless times now but he always dismissed: She loved him, and for all her anger she was only concerned for his wellbeing. It was only now that he could empathize with her; he knew he would be as worried as her if not more if Sakura was in danger.
Syaoran sighed. Even now, he was still hopeless when it came to understanding feelings, whether his own or others. However, he could at least provide his cousin with reassurance that he was alright now.
Hesitantly, he put one hand on her head and patted it gently if not awkwardly. "You can stop crying. I'm alright now. Sorry for worrying you."
Nobody said a thing as Meiling continued to sob into his shoulder. Eventually, Syaoran felt the sobs on her chest die down. Feeling a bit relieved, he parted the hug and looked at his cousin's face, which was a mess of tears.
"See, I'm okay now." Syaoran reassured.
Meiling nodded weakly and wiped the remaining tears away on her sleeve. She then looked at Syaoran with red, swollen eyes. However, there was a small smile on her face.
"Okay." she spoke.
Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief. 'I'm glad-"
He didn't get to finish as Meiling put both her hands on Syaoran's cheeks and cupped them with her palm.
"Meiling?" Syaoran questioned. He looked at her face which in turn was looking at him with a serious expression of sadness and worry. A wet shine shimmered in her eyes and a blush tainted her cheeks. "What are you-"
Suddenly, the expression contorted to one of anger. The next moment, Syaoran immediately felt pain as Meiling used her surprisingly large grip strength to pinch the flesh of his cheeks.
"Ow, ow ,ow!" he repeated in pain.
"This is what you get for not telling me anything and making me worry!" Meiling yelled angrily as she shook her hands back and forth, causing more pain to Syaoran with each move.
"Ah, I knew that was coming." Fuutie remarked.
"I'm surprised she didn't start with that to be honest." Shiefa added.
"Still, Meiling's also changed a lot, hasn't she?" Fanren commented. "I don't imagine the old Meiling would've been able to hurt Xiao Lang in any way."
"Well, she's had to hold back a lot these last two days; something she isn't used to." Lao Wang explained. "She's been wandering around the house for the past two days being restless and ranting to herself. It was actually quite funny to watch."
"You're horrible." Feimei commented.
Lao Wang chuckled. "Well, Meiling's an outgoing girl, so it won't do a lot of good to try to restrain her. "It's better to give her space to vent out in times like this."" He turned to his daughter's passionate display of emotion as she continued to pinch and shake Syaoran around, yelling out all her frustration. "All the same, I better stop her now." He moved forward and approached his frenzied daughter and placed his hands on her shoulder.
"Okay, Meiling. I think you've made your point now."
Meiling didn't reply. Instead, she tightened her grip on Syaoran's cheeks for a moment before forcefully letting go with an angry huff. Syaoran seized the chance to immediately rub his cheeks; he was sure that they were red as apples. Meanwhile, Meiling crossed her arms and pouted indignantly.
"Now, Meiling." Her father chided as his hands massaged her shoulders lightly to relax her. "Xiao Lang's already apologized; don't you think that's enough?"
"Hmph!"
"Meiling." Her father spoke again, with a gentle but sterner tone this time. "Don't you have something else you wanted to talk to your cousin about today?"
"I know! I know!" she puffed in irritation for a moment before taking a deep breath and relaxing her face. She turned to her father. "And you'll talk with Aunt Yelan right?" she asked, a hint of uncertainty ending her question.
Lao Wang ruffled his daughter's hair. "You can count on me!"
Meiling smiled. "Thanks, Dad!" With renewed vigor, she approached Syaoran, who flinched defensively in response. She disregarded it and grabbed the arm that was trying to block her. "Come on! We're going to your room!"
"Eh? What for?" Syaoran asked in confusion, but Meiling ignored him. Instead, he found himself dragged away from his uncle and sisters. Meiling spared a look of confidence and a thumbs up towards her father as she disappeared to the corner. Meanwhile, Syaoran gave a look of confusion and pleading to his sisters before he disappeared from both theirs' and their uncle's sight. With no other choice, he followed Meiling as she led him all the way back inside his room.
"Geez! Look at this!" She said, pointing to the bandages that were still next to his bed. "You had all of this wrapped around you?!"
"It's not as bad as it looks." Syaoran reasoned. "Most of the injuries were just bruises and small cuts. Mother and my sisters did a good job of healing me. Look, no injuries." Syaoran replied, rolling up his sleeves and showing the back and front of his arms.
Meiling pouted. "Don't try to fool me! I heard from your sisters. They say you fought to your limit until you barely had any magic left in you! Do you know how frustrating it is to not know anything these last two days, knowing only small, horrific details like that?! Now you're going to tell me everything that happened immediately." she finished angrily, her fists seemingly armed to strike.
"Alright, I get it! Calm down, I'll tell you everything."
It took Syaoran a few minutes to get her up to speed on the events that transpired, from the events that lead up to his fight with the other kids all the way to his defeat and timely rescue. The things that happened afterwards such as his talk with his mother was left out; they were irrelevant to the discussion. He only mentioned that Fang Zhi had a grudge against his mother which was why he acted outside the Elders' orders. Meiling, for her part, had been transfixed by his account that she had not interrupted it. By the end of it however, she vocalized all the built-up emotional reaction to his story.
"JUST WHO ARE THESE KIDS?! GANGING UP ON YOU LIKE THAT?! COWARDS! I'D LIKE TO SEE THEM TAKE ME ON ONE AT A TIME! I'D BEAT THEM TO A PULP! IN FACT YOU SHOULD GO BACK AND DO THAT! SHOW THEM WHO'S BOSS! AND THIS FANG ZHI GUY WAS A MOLE OF THOSE OLD LOSERS?! DAMN IT! I WANT TO BEAT HIM UP TOO!"
"Shhhh!" Syaoran hushed with his fingers in a panic. "Please calm down!"
"NO! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR SHUTTING ME OUT FOR TWO DAYS. I HAD TO HOLD BACK FOR TWO DAYS AND YOU EXPECT ME NOT TO GET ANGRY AFTER HEARING SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! AND THEY HAVE THE AUDACITY TO TAKE AUNT YELAN'S TITLE LIKE THAT?! RGGGGHHHH! THOSE OLD FOOLS! WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE, CONTROLLING OUR LIVES LIKE WE'RE JUST PIECES ON A CHESSBOARD?! I HATE THEM I HATE THEM I HATE THEM I HATE THEM!" She ended with a high yell. Afterwards, she began to collect her breath and returned it to it's normal pace.
"Okay, I'm calm now."
Syaoran slowly approached her, still anticipating another outburst. However, she looked visibly tired from shouting. Sensing no further outburst, he relaxed.
Meanwhile, Meiling rubbed her temples in frustration. "Dammit, those guys! Why do we have to live with them just because we're born in the Clan?! They're just going to keep coming for you no matter what!"
"I know," Syaoran replied confidently. "but it doesn't matter anymore. They're not going to stop me from achieving what I want."
"Eh?" Meiling looked at him, startled at his words.
"You were right. I shouldn't have let the Elders dictate who I was. I was sure that their disapproval meant I was not worthy to be a part of the Li Clan. Even if it was more Fang Zhi's view than theirs, I let them dictate who I was, but not anymore. I am a part of the Clan and my mission is to return to Tomoeda. I will not sacrifice one for the other and I'll make them accept that."
Meiling looked at the boy before him radiating confidence. It was a far cry from the troubled boy she had seen last time they talked. That Syaoran would not have so confidently stated that he would go against the Elders. It was surprising, but refreshing to see him like that. He had changed but at the same time, he was still the Syaoran she had always known; strong, smart, and resilient. No matter what the problem, he always had the resolve to power through it. It was perhaps his most charming quality, and it never failed to make her heart beat faster, even if he didn't know it.
"So you've got your head screwed back on, huh?" She smiled. "I knew you'd get through it sooner or later."
Syaoran smiled back. "I had a lot of help; mother, my sisters, Wei, and you. Thank you." he said with utmost sincerity.
Meiling felt her cheeks blush. There it was again. If only he had an idea how much his little gestures of kindness it both hurt and made delighted her every time he showed it. Perhaps it was also because she hadn't seen him for a while now that amplified her feelings now. It made what she wanted to talk a lot harder.
Sensing her feelings threatening to overtake her, she took a deep breath and steeled her heart. She would not show weakness even if it was to her own feelings. 'It's precisely why I care that I'm doing this.' she reminded herself. That thought helped calm her down.
Hiding the turmoil that had occurred in her head, Meiling gave him a cheerful smile. "You're welcome! I only wish you didn't have to get yourself beat up to get your head straight. It's always all or nothing with you, isn't it?" She shook her head disapprovingly. "Boys, what are you going to do? Fortunately for you…"
She reached her hand into her pockets and produced two rectangular pieces of paper, which she then extended to Syaoran.
"You have me."
Syaoran looked at the two papers. "What are-"
"Just take them and look."
Syaoran complied and took them in his hand. Upon closer look, he immediately identified them, which made him exclaim in surprise. "These are-"
"That's right! Airplane tickets! Specifically, airplane tickets to Japan! We're going to Tomoeda!"
"Eh?!" Syaoran looked again at the tickets. Sure enough, they were scheduled for 7:00 A.M, two days from now from Hong Kong International Airport to Tomoeda Airport. Even seeing the words 'Tomoeda' printed on the tickets felt surreal to him. "But why-How-?
"See, like I said. It's always all or nothing. Did you think that just because you can't go back to Tomoeda permanently now that you can't see her at all until you got permission to go back there?"
"No, it's not that, but…" Syaoran immediately gave up any attempt at denial. She was right; the thought that he could visit her even if it was for a short time never occurred to him. He had always held to the goal of ultimately being able to return to her indefinitely, so the thought of seeing her before that point had never dawned on him until now.
Meiling sighed. "That's why you're hopeless. You're always too caught up in your goal that you forget the important things. It's a good thing Daidouji and me are here."
The mention of the former piqued his attention. "Daidouji? She's involved in this?"
"Of course! All this Clan stuff was obviously messing with your head. I actually wanted to talk to you first, but since you were so busy sulking I had to take action myself. Luckily for you, it wasn't that hard. Summer break arrives at the same time in Hong Kong and Japan so it wasn't hard to plan our arrival. Daidouji helped us get some tickets through the packed holiday schedule and even got permission from her mother to let us stay for two weeks."
"Two weeks?!" Syaoran yelled out in surprise. "That's quite long! Where will we even be staying for two weeks?"
Meiling waved her hand in dismissal. "Don't worry! It's all taken care of. We'll be staying at Daidouji's house. She's already got permission from her mother. I told her that we'd be okay to stay at another place, but Daidouji insisted we stay at her place for when we were there, and you know how persuasive she can be. As for the duration, we both figured we give you both enough time, since you both can be so slow." she finished while rolling her eyes.
Syaoran looked again at the ticket. It was all a lot to take in. "I still can't believe you did all this…"
"Believe it! Don't worry about anything. It's all been planned out! I've even made a list of activities with Daidouji where we all could hang out. It's perfect timing, too. Tomoeda is having a festival and there's even a new amusement park that just opened so we have that to look forward to. The four of us will have a bunch of stuff to do. Of course, we'll also give you and Kinomoto some room to finish your… unresolved affairs." she finished, giving a wink and playful nudge.
"Wow…" was all Syaoran could utter. He looked at the ticket again and thought of the times he had felt warm and happy when he wrote her a letter. Now, in his hands was something that would bring them closer than their words could. Just the thought of seeing her again made his heartbeat spike. "I…don't know what to say. Thank you."
Meiling smiled triumphantly. "You're welcome."
He looked again at the ticket again, scheduled for Tomoeda in just two days. His mind was now racing. There was a lot he had to prepare; two days after all was a very sudden. He had to prepare his clothes, his travel documents and bring some gifts from Hong Kong. Perhaps he can ask his mother about-
A thought dawned on Syaoran, one which immediately swept all excitement away. "Meiling, when did you buy these tickets?"
"Hmmm?" she uttered, a little taken aback at the question, "Let's see… I think it was Thursday last week."
"So it was before I got injured."
"Yes." Meiling nodded.
"So within these two days I've been recovering in my house, there was no way any of my family would not tell me about this if they knew."
"Ahh." she said, understanding where he was headed.
"Have you asked my mother about this?" he pressed.
"Hehehe…" she giggled out. "No."
Syaoran felt his heart sink to his stomach.
"It's not that I didn't want to!" Meiling replied in a panic. "But when I tried to contact her, Wei said she was away on business, so I decided to buy them anyway. Please understand, me and Daidouji had already planned this, so it was a waste to cancel the whole thing."
"It will go to waste!" Syaoran yelled. "Mother hates it when people act behind her back, especially when it's something that involves her! She won't approve of this at all!"
"Don't worry!" Meiling smiled confidently. "I already thought of that. That's why Dad is here today."
Her statement surprised him. "That's why Uncle Lao is here? To convince her?"
"Yep! He also has some other stuff to talk to her about but he told me he was going to convince her, so you have nothing to worry about! Besides, he's done this before."
"He has?"
"Yeah. It was back when I wanted to go to school with you in Tomoeda. He got me in Tomoeda Elementary and got permission from Aunt Yelan."
"Really?!" Syaoran had not known this. If this was true, perhaps he could rely on his uncle after all-
"Wait, did he ask Mother first before enrolling you or was it the other way around?"
"Eh?" Meiling looked in surprise. "I don't know, I mean…" she rubbed her temple as she tried to recollect her memory. "I… guess he enrolled me first. I remember when he told me that I was enrolled that he would talk to Aunt Yelan later."
"So, he talked to Mother only after he got you enrolled, when what she said would've been unable to affect the outcome?"
Meiling put on a dumbfounded face.
"And now he's going to ask her for permission again, even though he has a history of acting behind her back? And it's well within her power this time to deny his request since it also involves her child, not his child?"
Meiling scratched her head. "Um, when you put it like that..."
Syaoran put the tickets down and cupped both his face with his hands.
"She is not going to let us go."
A/N: Hello, I'm back. I suppose I've been gone a long time. Long story short, it was mostly an issue of time and other factors that made writing almost impossible even in minute amounts. Soon enough, I'd stopped writing for so long that I didn't know if people would still read this, but this story had always been in the back of my mind and with it the itch to finish it. So here I am again, with more time now thanks to the worldwide pandemic. I'm still getting used to the pace again so updates might be slow, but I've already got another chapter in the works so at least that should go faster. Other than that, hello again I guess. I hope the old readers are still there, and new ones will come and you enjoy your time here. Thank you.