More Than Enough

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Author Thanks to my reviewers! I am flattered by the feedback I've gotten and I really hope I can live up to it. J Here's the first chapter! Whew! It's a lot longer than the first one. I'm gonna see if I can keep up the length. It's exciting! It may get a little bit confusing with the changes in POV, but I'd rather not interrupt the flow of the story with a 'Sakura's POV.' People may disagree, but I want to see if my writing can speak for itself (o-0). Also, just to let you know, the rating may change over time. Enjoy…

Disclaimer I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura. The only characters I do own are Keijii and Rina. I like Kei better though.

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Chapter 1: Taking a Stand

I was happy. I had a magnificent life. I had a wonderful husband, Li Keijii, who owned a very profitable company and a sweet, smart son, Syaoran. My small family was all I needed in my life and I wasn't going to give it up easily, but nothing can be perfect. Not even my family.

Keijii was a generous man. He ran his toy company himself, and loved nothing more than to make children happy. Every New Year, he sent handmade toys to every children's hospital in Tomoeda and invited about 50 underprivileged boys and girls to his buildings for a day. He spent time with them and gave them gifts. Many a child's first smile could be credited to my husband. If he was nice to these children, he was even nicer to his only son.

Syaoran didn't mind, obviously. I didn't even notice at first. I thought it was so sweet that Kei wanted to spend so much time with our son. I was happy that he was such a dedicated father. I thought it was too good to be true – one of Japan's wealthiest business owners taking a day off to volunteer as a chaperone for his son's field trip – and in a way it was. Kei continued to spend time with Syaoran, but I started to notice a change in my son. He loved his father, and I would even dare to call them friends rather than father and son, but as Syaoran grew up, he didn't put much effort into anything. His grades didn't suffer – he had always been a bright kid – but I saw no special interest spark in his eyes. He did what he had to, but didn't seem to be going any where with his life, or getting anything accomplished. He was content with his life and acted as if he'd already retired in splendor. I didn't like the direction this was going – they boy had become lazy. I tried to bring this up before with Kei, but it never changed. He was just ecstatic because his little boy's college let off at the perfect time.

Father and son had a tradition, dating back to when Syaoran could just barely walk. Early summer every year, they went out to pick strawberries in a large field on our land. I didn't even try to understand why they spent so much time on strawberries, but there they'd be, for about half of the day picking the small red fruit. They had a system for classifying them. It was all beyond me. They were out there at that moment, Syaoran hadn't even stopped at the house since he'd come back. I sighed.

It was just getting to be too much…

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"A charter plane!" Otou-san had exclaimed, nearly dropping the box of strawberries he was holding. I winced internally. I had been meaning to break the news to him gently. It hadn't worked. The only reassurance I could draw from the situation was that it was dad here and not dear mother. Still, this would be a hard one to get out of.

My father was not an unreasonable man. I could only hope that I could make him understand – it wouldn't be too hard. After all, this was my Otou-san, but still: what could I tell him that he hadn't heard before (from me)? Two of my friends and I had been planning on going to Tokyo by plane for a …concert – and we just couldn't be late… it had sounded better in my head.

"I know, 'tou-san, I know." I said, trying to sound remorseful. I was regretting it a little, after all. "It was just that … we missed our first flight." I hesitated. When I saw him open his mouth to reply, I blurted out my final excuse. "And, well, I did promise them they'd be there in time for the show." I saw my father tense up, but then he smiled at me.

"Well, if it was a matter of keeping your word, I can understand." I relaxed. I'd had nothing to have been apprehensive about – as usual.

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I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My son had spent hundreds of thousands of yen – and in one night too – and Kei was alright with it. It wasn't the money I was upset about, although I had to admit it was a lot. I was upset about how irresponsible my son had to be to do something like that. I was also upset at my husband's lax attitude about it. The boy had used up more money in a few hours than some people made in a year, for god's sake. It was just too much to handle.

"A charter plane?" I repeated weakly for the third time. "Kei, this is not something to be taken lightly. Syaoran –" Keijii cut me off.

"What else could he have done, Yelan? He made a promise to his friends." I struggled not to roll my eyes. So the boy had used that excuse again. "You know how much it means to me that he's keeping his word."

"But, Kei," I hesitated, unsure how to say what was on my mind. I knew what I wanted to say. I knew what I had to say.

"Syaoran is going to be of age soon." I said softly. "He's going to graduate next year. He'll be turning twenty-one in only a few weeks." I paused, searching Kei's golden eyes for any hint of emotion. He seemed utterly lost as to what I was hinting at. I sighed in frustration – inside at least.

"He's going to have to become more responsible, Kei. We can't have the heir to Li Enterprises flying around in charter planes to get to wild parties all over the country."

"He's got to have a little fun, Yelan." Keijii gave me a smile. "After all, he's still a kid."

"What do you mean! You said so yourself that you wanted to see Syaoran take over the business when he turned twenty-one. He's not a child any more. You have to realize that he is no longer your little boy! How is he going to manage a business as large as ours with his attitude? How is he going to keep up our work with how lazy he is now? I don't see it happening. I really don't. He can't expect to become dependent on us for the rest of his life, Keijii. What is he going to do when we're gone?"

I watched as he flinched at my tone, and immediately regretted raising my voice. Kei was so laidback, despite being a competitive businessman; it made you feel guilty to even frown around him. I was sad to say that I had yet to gain immunity to his effect on people.

"We had to work to become what we are today." I began on a calmer note. "We had to plan, we had to take risks and hope everything would turn out well. You think we're doing Syaoran a favor, spoon feeding him his entire life? He's too careless right now. He hasn't even had a descent relationship in his entire life. He hasn't held onto a girl for more than a few months at most. How can we expect him to get married; to bring up a family?" Keijii remained silent. It was an uncomfortable silence, and I found myself speaking again before I knew it. "Maybe, Kei, if we could just…tell h–"

"No, Yelan." He snapped. "I know what you're going to say, but I will not let Syaoran hear of it."

"But, if only you'd tell him maybe he'd assume some responsibility." I pleaded, though I knew my attempts were futile.

"No. That's it." He'd never looked so intimidating to me before. He was only a few inches taller than me, but he made me feel so small and insignificant in his presence. There was a hard glint in his eyes and I knew there was no way I – or anyone for that matter – could sway him from his decision.

I hated that fact.

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Yelan was right. About a lot of things, but I still couldn't bring myself to say anything. Whether it was pride or fear, I just couldn't tell Syaoran what I knew. It would just make his life harder.

If I couldn't do that though, I knew of something I was ready and willing to do. "Yelan?" I saw her glance up with a rather relieved look on her face. I gave her a reassuring smile. "What do you say me and you try our hands at a little matchmaking?" I couldn't help keeping a teasing tone out of my words as I raised my hand out in front of me. I saw my wife smile tentatively and agree, taking the hand lovingly into both of her own. The tension was gone, for the moment at least.

We'd take this one step at a time.

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After our talk that morning, I helped my dad bring back the crates of strawberries that we hadn't already eaten back to the house. I'd eaten a quick lunch, telling my parents about my classes and how I was doing. After that I'd given my mother a peck on the cheek, and driven away before dad could give her the details of our interaction. It may have sounded like the cowardly thing to do, but this was Li Yelan we were talking about.

And besides, I hadn't seen Rina in a while.

Rina and I had hooked up during a New Years party at my friend's house. I had wondered why I hadn't seen her before. She was beautiful. Rina had long black hair and gorgeous grey eyes. She had seemed so exotic to me when we'd first met. So different. I knew then that she was a girl I definitely wanted to spend time with. Turned out that party had been during her first week in Japan.

Rina came from a wealthy French-Japanese Family, and I knew my family would have no objections to me dating her. I just hadn't gotten around to telling them yet. It felt so refreshing. She was my secret.

"Syaoran!" She murmured happily before pulling me in to give me a kiss.

"Hey, Rina." I said, my hands in her hair. I absolutely loved the way she could make me forget everything else that was going on. I absolutely loved that she was with me.

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I had decided that I would tell Syaoran the news during our jog. That was the time both of us felt most at ease, and I knew it would be best to tell Syaoran right away. Yelan had discussed quite a few prospective wives with me before we'd agreed on the few we'd felt that all three of us would like the most. We'd decided to meet first with the family of the girl we'd known all our lives. Syaoran and I joked as we ran, laughing until we almost had to sit down, panting. I noticed that I was breathing a lot harder than he was. I suddenly felt as if this was the only chance I'd get to tell him. It was now, or never.

"Syaoran." I said seriously. He must have noticed the sudden change in tone, because he looked at me intently. "You know: I'm getting old." I hadn't meant for it to come out so … bluntly. At that moment, Syaoran gave me a smile I would always remember. It was gentle and reassuring even though I could sense some strain behind it.

"Never." He said in a low voice. "'tou-san, you'll never be old. I doubt you'll be old eighty years from now." I couldn't help but smile at his reaction.

"Nonetheless," I continued, "It's time we prepared you for the rest of your life."

"Isn't that what you sent me to school for? All those years…" Syaoran tried to lighten the conversation. I was happy he did to.

"Anyway," I said in mock exasperation. I straightened up for the next part. "I – that is your mother and I think it's time you got married in preparation for taking over Li Enterprises." Syaoran's eyes widened.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I am. Your mother and I know how fond you and Mei Lin are of each other, so we thought you might like to consider her." My son's eyes just stared back at me blankly.

"Married?" I filled him in on the details.

"Yeah. We've arranged a meeting with her as well as her mother and father to discuss the possibility. It's not all that bad. You can always disagree. You will be there right?" Syaoran gave me a weak smile.

"Anything for you, 'tou-san." We'd been running the entire time, and I suddenly noticed that my breath was coming in ragged gasps. Syaoran looked at me with concern.

"Are you alright?" He finally asked.

"Yes. Yes. I'm fine. I think I've gotten out of shape while you were away." I said lightly. I noticed that Syaoran's face still wore a look of alarm. "I guess I'm also excited that you agreed."

"Ha! As if I could have ever said no to you, Dad. I swear, some day it will be my undoing." I smiled tightly,

"Maybe we should stop … here today." I struggled to keep my breath. He nodded his consent, and we turned around to head back home.

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I didn't want this to be happening to me. Just when I had my life exactly as I wanted it, it was falling apart. I liked Mei Lin. I really did – after all we had grown up together, she was almost like my best friend (although I'd never let her know that). I just didn't like – no love – her the same way I loved Rina. It was just impossible for me to say no to my father. I had to do something about it – indirectly at least.

"What's wrong, Syaoran?" Rina whispered into my ear. "Are you not feeling well."

"I, uh, I came to talk to you something Rina." I said dismally. She wrapped her arms around me tightly and her eyes narrowed. "My dad arranged …meetings… with some girls he wants me to consider …marrying."

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"Li-san," Mei Lin's father approached me. "When did you say your son was coming?" I could feel myself flush, and I hoped it didn't show. I shared a look with Yelan.

"I'm sure he has a good reason for being so late." I tried to smile. "How do you feel about the possible engagement, Mei Lin?" I turned to the pretty dark haired girl. Mei Lin knew that I was stalling, but she answered my question with an understanding smile. If any one knew Syaoran, she did.

"I'm actually not sure what to think." She said slowly. "I mean, Syaoran and I have known each other forever. I guess I'll just be lucky to marry someone I know so well already."

I gave Mei Lin a grateful look, and glanced in surprise at my cell phone, which had begun to vibrate. "Please excuse me." I glanced at my watch. We had been expecting Syaoran for over two hours.

"Syaoran!" I exclaimed into the phone. "What's been keeping you?"

"Wha?" The voice in the earpiece said in surprise. I ignored it.

"We've been waiting for you all this time."

"Ah – but, wait. Sir, um, what do you mean?" It took the man about five minutes to get out that sentence.

"What? Is that so?" I feigned surprise. "Is it okay now?" No answer. "That's good to hear… Are you sure you're fine taking care of it yourself?" The man gave me an incoherent reply. "Er, okay, Syaoran. Take care." I pressed the end call button and turned back to the Tsen family and my wife.

"I'm sorry, but Syaoran got caught up in something in the manufacturing department. Some machine malfunction or another." I laughed weakly. "Said he had decided to take care of it himself rather than worry me. That boy…"

"It's too bad he couldn't make it then." Said Mei Lin. "I guess we'll just have to do this again some time. I had a great time, Li-san. The food was great." She stood up and hugged Yelan goodbye. She gave me a quick hug too. "Don't worry, I'll sort him out." She whispered discreetly, giving me a playful smile. I couldn't help but smile back. After saying our farewells and escorting the Tsen family to their car, I was seething.

I also had to remember to call Toji back.

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"Rina, you have to understand." I told the sobbing girl pleadingly. "I just couldn't tell my dad no. You had to see him, I can never say no to him." I gingerly put my arm around her.

"Get off me, Li!" she said between bouts of tears. She jerked my arm off of her shoulders. "Go to that Mei Lin of yours. I bet – I bet she can even make your coffee every morning." She choked out. "You don't want a pampered brat like me."

"It's not that Rina. That's not it at all. Mei Lin comes from a family every bit as wealthy as yours." I could tell I was treading on delicate grounds.

"So it's money you're marrying for." Rina glared and I could feel my irritation despite myself.

"No it's not! Both of you are on equal grounds there!"

"Mei Lin…Of course! She's Chinese, isn't she?" I winced. I hadn't even thought of that.

"I always wondered why you never would tell your parents about me. Are you really that shallow, Li?" She screamed. "They want a perfect Chinese girl don't they. A pretty, petite girl who will do whatever they want." I could've almost laughed there, imagining Mei Lin listening to whatever I said, but I decided it would count against me.

"Rina…" I stopped, unsure of what to say. I felt so lost and utterly confused about what we were talking about.

"Go!" She screamed, taking her head in her hands and hiccupping now. "Leave me alone! Marry your quiet Chinese gem!" She beat at my chest with her small balled up fists. I caught her arm easily.

"Damn, Rina! It's not even arranged yet! I came here because I don't want to marry anyone but you!" I shouted.

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This was the ultimate humiliation.

"How could he do something like that to us! Just wait 'til he gets home!"

"Yeah, so you can fawn all over him." Yelan broke out from the sofa on which she'd been sitting quietly for the last half-hour. "Syaoran, where were you son? Are you alright?"

"Funny, Yelan, but I won't. I can't even begin to imagine what he thought was more important than this."

"Maybe he forgot." Yelan piped in sarcastically. She had every right to be angry. Both of us did. That had been one of the most embarrassing nights of my life.

"How could he have forgotten? If I don't give him exactly what he deserves, I–I'll–I'll–" I turned around in frustration. "I don't know. I just can't believe he'd not show up!"

"I'll be surprised if you do anything." She remarked. "Given you and Syaoran's past history."

Syaoran came in at that moment. Yelan and I turned towards him. I opened my mouth to reprimand him when I saw the look on his face. He looked dazed, as if he wasn't sure of his surroundings. He staggered.

"Syaoran!" I went over to him in alarm. "What happened to you? Are you okay?" Yelan smirked, but I could see a hint of worry in her eyes. I helped him into a chair.

"Where were you?" Yelan asked. "Have you been drinking?" Syaoran just shook his head.

"Dad…Mum…I think I've just done something I shouldn't have done…"

"What!" I was surprised in the least. I couldn't understand what was going on.

"I just helped a friend…elope." Yelan's eyes widened. "Elope – no" Syaoran was mumbling to himself. "That's not the word. She didn't really get married yet…"

"Who eloped?" I found myself whispering.

"No – not elope" Syaoran repeated. "She, uh, didn't elope with me. I mean – ah – she um…"

"'tou-san, 'kaa-san…" he looked up at us for the first time, his face bemused, or maybe even stunned, "I think – I think that I've just gotten engaged."

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"The word 'no' is a great time saver. Say no to anything that is not the highest and best use of your time."

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Author Dun…DUN…dun. I know, I know, but I promise Sakura will come up really, really soon. Just trying to set up the scene for her to arrive in. -sigh- I love S&S. Yep...

Sooooooooooo...let me know what you think. Ciao.