Disclaimer:

I have no affiliation with Cardcaptor Sakura or any other of CLAMP's works. Also any similarities to real life events or people are unintentional unless explicitly stated.


Meiling scowled at the girl with the ugly puffy hair. The hairstyle made her look like she had three ugly heads.

No.

Meiling had to focus. There were only seven seconds after the referee blew the whistle and she was down by a point. It was the last match of the day. Her lungs were gasping for air and her muscles were so painful she wanted to rip them out. But first she needed to wipe that smug sneer of her opponent's face, with her foot. She only required one clean attack for the golden point round, unless…

The whistle blew.

Meiling charged in with her a rapid series of attacks. Her opponent blocked them. Meiling jumped and side kicked to the girl's stomach with more force than she thought she had left. She knocked her opponent out of bounds.

The referee blew the whistle and the sounds of the cheering crowd hit her.

She checked the scoreboard and it read one more point in her favour. Meiling landed a clean kick and knocked her opponent out bounds scoring two points to win within seven seconds.

Meiling bowed and shook hands with her opponent, who was glowering.

She turned to smile at her supporters and was alarmed to find the closest ones bounding towards her. Meiling was surrounded by her teammates in a sweaty and tight group hug, all laughing and rejoicing.


Their festivities continued on to their celebratory dinner in the town. Along the way Miss Daidouji was showing her and Miss Kinomoto the photos she took during the competition. Most were of Miss Kinomoto, but there were some nice images that Meiling liked of herself.

"Congratulations to you both for winning your competitions," said Miss Daidouji.

"It's really because of Meiling's advice I won my final's match," said Miss Kinomoto, smiling at her. "And she was the reason why everyone else did so well today."

Their teammates cheerfully agreed. They were a stark contrast to the group she arrived to at training the day after the Bartitsu Club captain's funeral.

Meiling was worried that they would hate her after she started yelling at them to start training seriously. But they all seemed to be in high spirits now.

"Thank you, everyone," said Meiling, touched. "I knew you all had it in you. All I did was shake you a little bit for it come out."

"A little bit?" laughed someone.

She also shoved a few of them.

"And you were so busy helping to make the cures to be distributed amongst the healers," said one of the juniors.

"And I heard that you were getting paid to do so too," said another.

Meiling had been working with her mother, Miss Kinomoto's father and the teachers to make and further develop the Ko cure. During her last magical research period, she found out that the dissolvable version they developed broke down and became useless if it was heated above boiling point of water. If she kept working at it, she might be able to beat Miss Daidouji's research project this year.

She had also hunted Ko with Syaoran to spend a bit more time with him. She merely lasted a couple nights before everything became too tiring despite her magical energy drink. He continued on as he was one of the few people who could identify the parasite.

Meiling spotted her fiancé chatting with some of their classmates. As if by fate, he turned his head at the exact moment.

The junior girls squealed, and he turned away alarmed. He was so shy.

"Syaoran Li just looked this way," said the first, fanning herself.

"He's so good looking," said the second, fanning the first.

"And smart."

"And good at sports."

"And really kind," added Miss Kinomoto.

"Watch it you three," warned Meiling, "or I'll make you do wall sits for an hour."

"Hoe!" said Miss Kinomoto, hands up defensively. "I didn't mean that-"

"We were only joking, Meiling!" laughed the first junior.

The second junior member said, "We know that you two were meant to be together."

Meiling believed that Miss Kinomoto would have no interests in her fiancé, but as for the two juniors…

They weakened under her glare.

"Please forgive us, Senior Li! We're sorry! We were just kidding! We won't even look at him," they cried.

Meiling chuckled and patted their heads. "Okay, no wall sits. You're lucky I'm in a good mood," she said. She was the Bartitsu Champion, had a first place winning research presentation, and the perfect fiancé. How could she not be in a good mood?


Meiling was starting to get on Syaoran's nerves.

Since she doesn't see him much outside of school because he was busy helping the law enforcement and healers identify Ko victims, she had been attempting to spend every free moment they had together. She would bring lunch to eat with him, even if he had packed his own. She would cling to his arm as he walked to class, despite being in different ones. And she would look as if she would cry if he suggested he wanted to do something without her.

He was exhausted.

"Meiling simply misses her fiancé," said Sakura Kinomoto after he briefly mentioned the reason for his exhaustion in science class one day.

Syaoran and Meiling were merely betrothed as long as there wasn't anyone that he liked more than her. It was true he didn't like her more than family, but then again he never knew what it was meant to be interested in someone that way. The betrothal never really bothered him. It was tradition.

"Try telling her what you told us," said Sakura Kinomoto. Daidouji nodded in agreement.

"I don't know," he said. "I've tried."

"Try again," she said. "Everything will definitely be all right."

The bell rang signalling the end of the period and the students were packing up or leaving the classroom for recess.

"You're both so busy, you don't see each other as much anymore," she said, swinging her bag over her shoulder. "Don't you miss her?"

Syaoran shrugged, he was too tired to miss anything besides his bed these days. "I guess."

"I guess?!" Meiling's screech pierced his ear.

He didn't realize that she was standing behind him.

She pointed a finger forcefully into his chest. "I've stuck with you as long as we were kids! I'm the person who loves you the most! We've been separated for two years and recently you've become so busy that we don't get to see each other at all. And what you say when asked if you miss me is "I guess!?""

"Wait-!" said Syaoran in the Zhonguo language.

"If you have something to say, you can say it in the local tongue."

"Okay then, hear me out."

He glanced at his cousin's friends and they nodded in encouragement.

"Well, what is it?" Meiling tapped her foot.

"Meiling," he began, "you can't keep going out of your way for me."

"But we hardly get to spend time with each other anymore."

"I know, but-"

"But what?! I can't help it if-"

"You're not listening to me!"

"I am so!"

"No you're not! You only listen to or do things when it suits you! You're being selfish, Meiling!"

He didn't realize that he was yelling until he saw the terrified expression on his cousin's face. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Syaoran, you idiot," Meiling ran out of the classroom, the crowd parting to let her through.

"Why did you say such a thing, in front of everyone too?" said Sakura Kinomoto, quietly. She and Daidouji left to follow their friend.

The once silent crowd started whispering. Syaoran glared at them and they dispersed.

He sighed, packing away his things into his bag and went in search of quiet place where he could focus on practicing his forms. He was just following their advice.


Sakura ignored the crowd and knocked on the entrance to the girls' toilets on the ground floor. Water seeped from the gap at the bottom of the door and she could hear the sound Meiling crying over the sound of rushing water. She had locked herself inside with her magic and was in there alone.

"Go away!"

"Meiling, it's us, Sakura and Tomoyo." Her cousin was busy persuading the spectators to give them some privacy and to use the toilets at the gymnasium instead. "Please let us in."

"No!"

They were alone in the corridor now except for Ms Mizuki, spell dispeller bell ready in her hand.

"I'm sorry," said Sakura. "It's my fault. I was just trying to help." Tomoyo placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Why are you apologizing for?" said Meiling, she opened the door a crack. "It's not your fault."

"But I was the one who encouraged him to let you know that he was feeling tired from hunting Ko at night, a-and then he went and said those horrible things."

"Hey, don't cry," She came out and gave Sakura a hug. "It's not your fault. He did have a valid point. I was being a little selfish."

"But-"

"What do you think, Miss Daidouji?"

"I think that this issue is solely between Meiling and Mr Li, but I believe that neither of them is solely to blame," she said. "It is my opinion that they both have valid arguments and I am glad that Meiling is maturing and considering his opinions."

"See, Miss Kinomoto?" Meiling handed Sakura her handkerchief. "Don't blame yourself and stop crying already."

She was supposed to be comforting Meiling, not the other way around. "Sorry, I'm such a cry baby."

"Stop apologizing already!"

The three of them laughed.


Syaoran didn't expect to see Meiling that evening when he arrived home late. She'd been known to hold long grudges. After the argument she didn't talk to him and avoided even glancing in his direction. Her friends hardly talked to him either, maybe out of some strange girl code of honour.

But there she was there at the dining table with a meal in front of her, waiting for him.

She stood up when he entered, and gestured for him to sit. A plate of food was served in front of him.

"I'm sorry for making you angry today," she said, softly. The parents were asleep upstairs. "I understand that you've been stressed because you're out every other night on a Ko case."

"You should be asleep by now," he said. "It's late."

"Didn't you hear me?" She grimaced at her own sharp tone and said, "Sorry. I wanted to apologize in person with this dinner I prepared."

He eyed the meal suspiciously. He was still irritated by her and she normally doesn't talk to people she's arguing with until the other person apologized. Something felt off.

"You don't have to forgive me, but can you please try some?" Meiling held out the eating utensils to him. She looked as if she was about to cry.

He took the utensils warily and ate some. It was warm and the heat spread throughout his body. "It's good," he said.

"Really?" her eyes became brighter.

He nodded, eating some more.

The only sounds in the room were of Syaoran eating the food Meiling made.

"Can I feed you the rest?" she said after a while.

He thought about it. It was probably easier to agree with her. The quicker he finished the earlier he could rest.

He passed her the eating utensils. "Do as you like."


Tomoyo saw herself kneeling next to a distraught Sakura who was holding Mr Li's bleeding hand. His leg was bent at an odd angle.

Sakura raised her head. Tomoyo followed her gaze and saw a distant figure. She recognized Meiling by her signature hairstyle.

There was a spirit standing before her, larger and more solidified than anything she had seen before.

It raised a sharp claw.

"Stop!" she cried, shielding Meiling as the talon fell. She shut her eyes.

Tomoyo did not feel the impact.

"Everything will definitely be all right." Sakura's words came as a whisper and as a shout from nowhere and everywhere at once.

Tomoyo opened her eyes and her eyes met nothing but darkness. She turned. There was Sakura in clothes she'd never seen before and holding a pink staff topped with a star and wings in her hands. She was smiling.

As Tomoyo ran towards her, Sakura dissolved into a haze of cherry blossoms, and Tomoyo fell backwards into her bed. The birds greeted the morning with their song.


Author's Note:

- Thank you to all the reviewers, followers, people who favourited this story and all you readers. =) Part 2 will come soon. (I really like reading your speculations.)

- I actually witnessed a match like Meiling's one. The girl who won was from our team. It was the last match as well and it was THE best way to end the day's competition.