Li Syaoran
A/N:
my 100th fic as a writer since 04-23-01! and proudly dedicating this special fic status to syaoran.
on this special day 13th July, let us look back upon the times when we first fell for this boy, and our journey and memories along with him as we watched him grow.
last but not least, happy birthday, syaoran-kun!
you mean the world to me.
mysterio000
Dearest Li Syaoran-kun,
Time sure flies, doesn't it? In a twinkling of an eye, one year has already flown by seemingly without effort. Moments are most cherished when I am at the sofa with my little sister, watching intently over you and your silly, cute, and very adorable and poignant antics.
You may not have known it, but my first impression of you was not very nice. I remembered you firstly as just another boy in love with Kinomoto Sakura. You were Mr. Average, someone who merely blushed in the presence of Kinomoto Sakura, someone who merely was the little descendant of Clow Reed, someone who was merely the fighter and warrior in green robes and the yin yang symbol etched across the chest.
Yet, slowly, gradually, somehow in some ways, I found myself falling for you and your one-of-a-kind personality. Seemingly as though you had a torch shone over yourself, I saw you in a different light there and then. From that selfish boy who only wanted the best benefits of oneself, you grew up to be the boy who gradually underwent the pains to learn what it was like to love, the boy who eventually realized the value of friendship, the boy who slowly became the protector of everyone around.
To me, you became more than just a warrior.
You were not very kind at first. When you appeared in the earlier series, you always had a grouchy look on your face, and your amber eyes seemed to be ready to gobble up anyone anytime (particularly Sakura at that time). You only wanted to be the Clow Cards Master, and would stoop at anything to be at one. Yet all this changed, we know, because we were there to witness your all.
You learnt kindness through understanding. You were that patient man seated on the throne of what you thought was unrequited love - but of course, you did not know better of the outcome. Initially, you tried in avail to suppress the blushes specially caused by Sakura. You repressed the emotions she stirred in you, you ignored the strange sensations she gave you. But we know there is no logic behind all this as you try to push them to the blame of having bad hormones. We know you just do love her.
Revelation came, of course you knew. You finally gave in to your feelings, and openly admitted them to your friend Daidouji Tomoyo. And then we see the harsh and reckless image of you disappear in here, and once more, we get to truly learn who Li Syaoran is. There, we watch as you awash yourself in the lights of first love, and we continue along with your journey as you continue to come clean with your own feelings.
Yes, you were slow to admit your feelings, but you learnt eventually. In the process of falling in love, there were always torrential periods. You gave us your comical moments when you got peeved at Hiiragizawa Eriol when he flirted with Sakura-chan openly before your very eyes. We watch with glee as animated steam explodes from your fuming head. But we all know you really just do care. Somehow, still, you prefer to savor the moments of watching the girl intently from a distance.
Then there was Tsukishiro-san. You understood plainly, yes, you accepted it simply. She loved him, and perhaps there was even this possibility that he returned her feelings. But you stood strong despite knowing this, many a times looking away pretending it does not hurt your feelings. But we all know your pain, and how time seems to be the only factor that keeps you going and waiting. When Sakura-san casts a glance at Tsukishiro-san, your longing gaze that sweeps across her flawless cheeks makes us wonder however can CLAMP create a character so tender and patient?
You got stronger physically ; mentally. In where you used to flaw in your rationality, you became possibly sane once again. You learnt quickly from the people and friends around you, the importance of staying calm, of thinking twice before acting. Suddenly, the warrior we see in green robes is once more cloaked with determination and steel willpower. Unforgettable moments where you would simply rush forward out of nowhere, hands extended out in a symbolism of strong protectiveness towards any of your close friends, your orbs of auburn afire with determination similar to those of a knight's, your silver sword thrust out, glinting under the blue sky.
You fight like a warrior, and you are one.
You learnt to become a friend. Through falling in love and knowing what it was like to be in love and not be returned, you shared it quietly with that sturdy friend of yours that stood by like a pillar for you to lean back in troubled times. Daidouji Tomoyo, that is her name, is it not? Countless times we have watched intently and with utter warmth swirling in our hearts, as the two of you are once more three steps behind Sakura-san and Tsukishiro-san, walking side by side, footsteps matching each other.
Usual conversations, yet it strike us still like no other can.
"Have you told her you like her yet?"
You always shake your head. "No."
But we are caught by surprise when you finally admit one day and say, "I cannot tell her my feelings. Sakura knows how it feels like to love someone and not to have those feelings returned. If I tell her my feelings, she will only feel sad and confused. That is why I cannot tell her."
From here, we truly see you for who you are, and are reduced to a mass of infinite tears just for you, Syaoran. Your words are like the lightest touch of feather - pure, untainted, and very much beautiful and devoid of humanity. Those words were too kind.
You became the shoulder for everyone to cry on.
When evening came that day, and the sun was fast approaching, sinking into the blue line of horizon, we saw you and Sakura-san heading towards Penguin Park. You have a worried look on your face, and we know Sakura-san has not been in her lightest and most playful moods of her time. You, being the sensitive one always, know it immediately, and we can see your shoulders hunch in sheer worry.
Time seems to cease its journey, and the swings in the Penguin Park come to a standstill. There is only you and her, and if you are worried, your eyes do not say it, only reading sheer calmness and the comfort anyone would pay to have to cry into your shoulder. The trust in your eyes are the best assets one can have.
Sakura begins to pour her emotions out. Our hearts go out to her, but not as much as so when you suddenly enter the screen once more and say:
"Daijoubu."
A blue and white striped handkerchief being held out, and for once, we see that beautiful boyish smile on your face that suits that perfect pair of eyes flawlessly. Your tendrils of amber hair tickle your eyes, and we cannot help but notice how charming you look then.
You promised Sakura-san she will find that hero and boy one day. You never gave hints that you were malicious, jealous, or menacingly plotting revenge behind her back. Your words are simple and clean, but the meaning underlying it is clear.
"You will find him one day, I'm sure."
Yes, you believed it was unrequited love, we all know. But deep down inside our hearts, you have already become the hero that is to us.
Looking at you with a more brighter perspective, you were that gullible boy who seemingly had only reached childhood a few months ago. When Yamazaki cracks a joke, or tells yet another lie that we all cannot help but cock an eyebrow and roll our eyes, we take pleasure in seeing you looking bemused and amazed, as if not believing such wonders can happen in the world.
"Hontou?" Your question that goes along with that confused, boyish look of yours.
Of course, who can put aside the time when you practically rolled down the ski slope when Class 5-2 went to the ski slopes for a class excursion? Your antics are always funny, but your courage to try, and the ignorance towards humiliation, wins our hearts all the time at the end of the day. Your vexations, your frustrations, are ebbed in our minds day in day out. They are always this hilarious. You make them all possible.
Those countless blushes we see when Sakura gets a mile closer in your range. There are more than ten thousand versions of them. Sometimes, the degree of your crimson blushes gets extremely red, like the flesh burst of tomato juice. Sometimes, they are just tender pink sprinkles on your cheeks, out of sheer warmth in your heart, or being poignantly touched once more by Sakura's passionate actions.
Sometimes, you would exaggerate them. Turning around with your face flashing white to the tip of your hair. Sometimes your hair would be blown haywire in all directions in a manner of either anger or too much embarrassment and anxiety around Sakura-san. Either ways, we love you for your cute antics.
So you see, Li Syaoran-kun, the many personalities that you are, the many qualities we see in you. The warrior, the friend, the boyfriend, the patient lover, the protector, and everything else under the sun that can describe the boy who changed our lives once and forever! Your external looks make you the charmer, your undisputable qualities are unmatchable by any sheer animated characters who compete against you.
Your utter gullibility at times, your boyish blushes, your patient heart, your magnanimous gestures of protectiveness, the aura you emanate that makes everyone around you feel safe, the comfort and trust in your eyes that makes everyone want to reach out to you, the warrior, the fighter, the Syaoran that is everything you are.
That is why, Li Syaoran-kun, on this special day, I would like to take this chance to say a very big Happy Birthday! You have colored my life in the most wondrous ways possible and have shamed my flaws and placed my imperfections in the light.
For teaching me all that is to love is to cherish, for teaching me such invaluable lessons, hontou ni arigatou, Syaoran-kun!
I love you for who you are, and everything that you are.
Keigu,
Mysterio000-san
A/N:
review, in the love of 13th July and my 100th fic celebration. If you don't know what day that is, knock yourself with a baseball bat. XD
cheers,
mysterio000
