December 1995

Hong Kong

"Xiao Lang, Xiao Shi! Hurry up, Father is here!" Fuutie yelled from the foyer of the Li Mansion as she heard her younger brothers' loud footsteps echoing in the huge hallway.

"We're coming, Fuutie! Wait for us!"

Two identical nine year old boys with messy chestnut brown hair sprinted from the doorway towards the waiting limousine in the driveway.

"Hi Father! So, are we going to visit Auntie Nadeshiko? When did they arrive here in Hong Kong?" Xiao Shi asked Li Xun excitedly as he jumped up and down from his seat. He loves it when little Ying Fa is in town. He likes playing with her because he has always wanted a younger sibling. 'A younger girl sibling that is' he guffawed looking every bit crazy as possible.

"What's so funny, Xiao Shi?" his mother asked him as she tried to fix his messy hair.

"I was just thinking that it would be fun if Xiao Lang is younger than me and if he is also a girl. I would then have a younger sister that is cuter than Ying Fa."

Everyone laughed except for his older twin, who is openly glaring at him.

"That is not funny at all, Xiao Shi. Take it back. I do not want to be a girl. I will be the next gang leader you know." he harrumphed and folded his arms.

"Now, now, Xiao Lang. You know that your brother will be the leader of the Wolves since he is younger than you by 4 minutes. But you, my son, will be the Clan Leader. That will still be nice, right?"

"But I'd rather be the gang leader, Mother. I am stronger than Xiao Shi and nobody else has ever defeated me in both kung fu and swordsmanship." Xiao Lang whined.

"Why do you always insist on that anyway?" his father asked him curiously.

"Because I want to be the one who will watch over everyone's back. I want to be the one who will keep all of you safe and sound. You don't have to worry about anything, Father!" His father gave out a hearty laugh and ruffled Xiao Lang's hair. He smiled back at his Father proudly.

"So a Clan Leader will take over the business, while a Wolves leader will be our protector?" Xiao Shi asked.

"That is the general idea, my son. Your father and I are very happy that we have two strong and brave boys who will grow up to bring the family honor and pride. You have to take your responsibilities seriously okay?" Yelan smiled at her husband and he squeezed her hands.

"What will our sisters do if we are the ones doing the hard jobs?" Xiao Lang asked, looking pointedly at Xiefa.

"We will be shopping and travelling the world."

"Not fair!" The twins shouted at the same time.

Everyone laughed and they continued to discuss about the twins' promising future.

"Goodbye Auntie Nadeshiko! Goodbye Uncle Fujitaka!" The six Li siblings yelled as they get in their limousine. Too bad Ying Fa has fallen asleep in her mother's arms that they couldn't squeeze her cheeks again before leaving.

"Be safe on your way back, Xun and Yelan. Why can't you stay here tonight? I have this uneasy feeling that something bad will happen tonight." Nadeshiko tried to change their best friends' minds. She handed Sakura to her husband as she hugged Yelan tight and whispered "Please, Yelan. Please stay."

"Do not worry Nadeshiko. We won't go on detours and we will drive directly home. We will be safe, I assure you." Yelan gave her a squeeze and kissed both her cheeks.

Xun hugged Nadeshiko too and kissed her on the forehead. He knew she loves it when they do that to her. It calms her down.

"You better let them get going, sweetheart. Or it will be too late for the kids to still be up. You know how they must be exhausted from playing all day with Sakura." Fujitaka told his wife as he too gave Xun and Yelan a hug. Yelan and Xun both kissed little Sakura on the forehead and whispered to her ears, "Sleep well, little Ying Fa. We love you dearly."

The Amamiya-Kinomoto couple waved at the departing limousine until they disappeared from sight.

August 29, 2015

2:30 AM

Tokyo

Syaoran

"NO!"

Syaoran sat up abruptly as he wake up. His heart is beating so fast that he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

"It's just a dream. It's just a dream. Nothing more." He muttered to himself.

He threw off the blanket from him and he saw that he's been sweating so much as if he just ran a marathon. He stood up and headed toward his bathroom where he washed his face with cold water.

Syaoran stared back at his reflection, exhaustion visible in his eyes. He's been having the same nightmare since the start of this month and he's sure it's telling him something. Or maybe it is a someone.

"Xiao Shi."