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.
"Why didn't you contact me?" Meiling asked Hanato and Daidouji before class. Syaoran had offhandedly mentioned at breakfast that he bumped into her friends last night who were looking for the youngest Hanato Sister. Sure, they found her soon afterwards and yeah, she was on a dinner date last night with Bo, but she definitely would've gone to help find Honey had she known.
"I apologize," said Miss Daidouji, "There was not enough time to notify you."
"Don't worry," said Hanato. "She's all right. She wasn't possessed this time."
"This time?!"
"Yeah," she sighed. "Mother has been getting her to perform séances and exorcisms for the shrine, so her powers are now really strong. But that means more spirits are attracted to her now."
At Honey's age Meiling was only able to feel spirits. She could see them clearly now, and even communicate with them, but they tended to leave her alone.
"But that's so dangerous especially for a child!" Meiling said.
"That's what we were telling mother, but Honey says that she wants to help."
"But-"
Miss Daidouji interrupted. "We found her and that is what is important."
Meiling sighed. She wasn't going to get much out of them when they were this stubborn. "Where did you find her?"
"She was in Heung Gong Park but by the old wisteria tree."
Meiling knew that tree. At the other end of the park was the lower tram stop and at the other was the scenic flight of stairs that lead to the Peak at the residential side of the park. The wisteria tree was right next to where it started, but it definitely wasn't anywhere close to Honey's school or home.
"What was she doing there?"
"She stated that she desired to assist the spirit," said Miss Daidouji.
Meiling thought for a moment and vaguely remembered that spirit. From memory, an elder mentioned that there was a spirit living there even when he was a young boy.
Hanato sighed. "Honey always wants to help everyone."
Honey was too good for her own good.
The bell rang and students began moving to their seats.
"Tell me next time that happens," Meiling said to them.
They nodded.
Syaoran was walking home when a couple of primary school children ran past him yelling, "We found the goeng-si!"
Worried that they actually found a goeng-si, Syaoran followed them down a few streets into a secluded lane where there was a small crowd of kids, but he didn't see a spiritual creature. Instead, he saw a young girl being pelted with items.
"Don't let her touch you! She'll suck out your chi," someone shrieked.
"Be gone, goeng-si!" a kid, throwing a persimmon that knocked the girl down, burst and covered her in dark orange pulp.
She pushed herself up onto her elbows and spluttered.
A boy threw a talisman at her forehead. "Don't say my name!"
He landed in front of the youngest Hanato Sister with his sword already drawn. The brats took a step back.
"We were only playing with Kohane," said the kid who threw the talisman.
Syaoran fought to keep his temper in check. He really hated bullies especially those with no respect. "I don't believe you have the right to say her name. Apologize to her."
"But we're her friends, right Ko-"
"Don't lie!" he barked. "Apologize."
One of the girls stepped forward and had the audacity to say, "We were just playing with Honey."
"You don't have the right to call her that either."
"But-"
"Apologize to-"
A small hand softly tugged at his sleeve. From behind her long, matted hair, the youngest Hanato Sister looked at him directly. "Stop," she requested quietly. "Let them go."
Syaoran relaxed his stance, but not his glare at the brats, and reverted his sword to its amulet form.
The brats ran away some mumbling apologies and thanks, but he heard one of the girls whispered loudly, "What kind of a weird name is "Kohane" anyways?"
"She should be called, "little ghost" instead."
Syaoran clenched his jaw and put the amulet into his pocket. Now it was only him and the youngest Hanato in the alleyway. She continued to watch him with an unwavering gaze. There were cuts and scratches on her arm and he hoped that was just fruit pulp in her hair. He knelt in front of her, took out his handkerchief and used it to stop the bleeding on her forearm. She barely flinched.
"Do you remember me from the other night?" he asked quietly.
She nodded.
He gave what he hoped wasn't a grimace. "I haven't introduced myself to you before. I'm Syaoran Li."
She bowed. "I'm Kohane Hanato. You write "Kohane" with the characters for "little" and "feather", but most people call me "Honey"."
Syaoran blinked. She trusted him with that information. "That's similar to my name. You write my name with "little" and "wolf". Most people just call me "Li"."
There was a hint of a smile.
"Why did you ask to let them go?" he asked. "They should've apologized to you."
"You shouldn't hurt others," she simply explained.
"I wasn't going to touch them. Can you hold this?"
She reached up to hold handkerchief in place.
He rummaged through his bag for his sports towel and water bottle. "But, you know, you shouldn't let others bully you either."
"They're just playing."
Syaoran grimaced as he wiped away some of the muck away from her arms. He noticed some old scabs on her elbows and some deep purple bruises.
"They're my friends," she added determinedly.
He shook his head slightly. He then asked her, "Well would you like to be friends with me?"
Her eyes slightly widened and she nodded.
"You're name," she said after a moment.
"What about it?"
"Is it all right if I call you by your first name? Friends do that."
"Umm…" Syaoran ran his hand through his hair. "I told you my True Name… But I'm fine with anything else."
She thought about it for a moment. "How about, "Big Brother"?"
His shock was replaced by a small smile. "Do as you like. May I call you "Little Sister"?"
She nodded and returned with a small smile of her own.
Syaoran took out his chronophone and asked, "Can we exchange traces?"
She nodded laid her chronophone over his until it chimed.
He stood back up and picked up her school bag. "Come on. We need to take you to the healers."
She shook her head.
"Why?"
"Because they will ask questions, and they will get into trouble."
Syaoran thought that they should, but he said truthfully, "No one will make you answer any questions. The healers just want to make sure you get better."
She shook her head.
"Little Sister, what if those injuries are more serious than what they appear?" he insisted. "You don't want to make your family to worry, do you?"
She gave a little sigh, stood up and swayed. He caught her by the arm before she fell. He took he bag and slung it over his shoulder with his bag. He knelt with his back facing her.
"I'll carry you," he said. She fastened her arms around his shoulders and he shifted so he was carrying her securely. "Don't worry, everything will be all right."
"My cousin always says that."
He faltered for a moment. He was pretty sure he knew which cousin she was referring to.
"Well, it will. I promise."
Tomoyo and Sakura wore the white robes and scarlet pleated pants that the shrine maidens wore and knelt facing the audience in the Hall of Worship with the other shrine maidens.
Kohane sat straight backed hidden behind a gilded folding paper screen painted with a flowering peach tree. The Hanato Family crest marked the jacket she wore over her shrine maiden attire and her long hair was tied low with white cloth and a floral headdress sat above her forehead. She still wanted to participate in the séance despite everything that had occurred recently.
They should have realized that she was being bullied. Children could be cruel if they did not understand something. How long did it escape their notice?
From her position she spotted Meiling with her gold coloured hair and Li sitting in the second row of the audience in their ceremonial attire.
Li was the one who contacted Sakura on her chronophone that afternoon to let them know that he was taking Kohane to the hospital to treat the injuries caused by the bullies. The new chronophones that her mother provided them were powerful enough to receive connections even inside the school grounds.
The hall was heavy with incense. When the hall was filled with attendees, Cousin Toya and Uncle Hyogo, the priest sealed the room. They placed lit candles in the four corners of the room, and returned to their positions at the front of the hall. The audience hushed.
Cousin Kotori, bowed to Kohane, and then shuffled so she was facing the audience. "May the first petitioners come forward and state their request."
A couple sitting by the wall bowed and moved in front of the screen where they bowed again.
"Last month," began the woman, "my child disappeared and a couple weeks later her body was found buried under some hydrangeas. I want to contact her to know if she is resting in peace."
"What is your child's name and birthday?" said Cousin Kotori.
In response the lady handed Kotori a folded piece of paper with both hands, who then handed it to Kohane. The youngest sister whispered the characters and instantly the candles in the four corners of the hall were ablaze but somehow the room seemed darker. Kohane's shadow on the screen morphed.
"Mama, I'm scared." From Tomoyo's position she could see Kohane's mouth move in synchronization with the words, but it wasn't her voice. It definitely was a child's voice however it had a dark quality about it.
"I'm here," said the mother. "Tell me, are you okay?"
"Everything hurts, mama."
The shadow hugged itself.
The mother moved forward but Kotori blocked the way with her hand and the woman's companion rested his arm around on her shoulders.
"Who did it?"
The shadow stood up and pointed to the man supporting her. "He did."
The woman slowly pulled away from him, stunned.
"No, I would never hurt your child," he said.
Kohane sat rigid but the shadow's movements became more erratic.
"Two years ago, step father started coming in the middle of the night when you went somewhere on business. He touched me all over, and told me not to tell you. He said it was a game anyways, a secret game between the two of us."
The man denied the testimony. Whispers flittered amongst the audience.
The voice was angrier, shriller. "I was scared. You loved him, and I was mad at you because every time you whenever you went away-"
The spirit of the girl let out a blood curdling screech that ended as rasping sobs.
"How could you?" the woman asked the man, barely audible.
"I didn't!"
"On the night of the last full moon I told him that I was going to tell you, and he smothered me with my pillow!"
"Liar!" He shouted.
The voice drowned out all sound. "The dead tell no lies."
The woman's sobs pierced the silence. "All this time?! My daughter! You killed my flesh and blood!"
Then, it was if something within her snapped. She lunged at him, but he pushed her aside and lunged at Honey through the screen, but before he could lay his hands on Kohane, Li knocked him aside and pinned him down.
The shadow was torn in two. "Mama, I'm sorry." With those parting words, the spirit dissolved.
Kohane collapsed and the lights extinguished.
One of Tomoyo's bodyguards reacted instantaneously and whisked her and Sakura through to the Offertory halls. Behind her she saw a barrier form separating them from the spectators, who were now pressing against it demanding for the step-father's blood. The man was now being restrained by Li and Cousin Toya.
Uncle Hyogo scooped Kohane up. He and the rest of the procession managed to escape the chaos through the Offertory Hall to the Inner Sanctum.
Sakura and Tomoyo were staying over at their cousins' place to help look after the family until Sakura's mother arrived in a couple days. Aunt Sonomi would arrive as soon as she could get leave from her business.
Things were a little tense in the Hanato household. Uncle Hyogo accused Aunt Saya of exploiting Honey. She said it was to pay for Koe's medical expenses, but he argued that if she had accepted her sister's money they wouldn't be in this mess.
It was such a tangled situation. Sakura found it difficult cheer others up when she needed some cheering up herself.
The door-bell rang.
"Li! Mei-Li!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
The butterflies that she thought flew away were back. Li denied it, but she was sure that he had pulled some strings to make sure that Honey wasn't bullied anymore.
"We wanted to see if you were all okay," said Meiling. They both held a shopping bag. "We also brought fruit."
"T-thank you very much," said Sakura, taking the bags. Those words didn't feel like it was enough to thank them, especially Li, for everything they have done for her and for her family. She stepped aside to let them in. "You are too kind. Come in."
Little footsteps ran towards them.
Li knelt down so that he was eye level with Honey. "How are you, Little Sister?"
She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and smiled softly. "I'm well, Big Brother."
"Where's Big Sister's kiss?" demanded Mei-Li.
Honey gave her a kiss on the cheek too and welcomed her brother and sister into their home.
Syaoran and Meiling left the Hanato household later than what they intended. After dinner they got roped into playing badminton in the shrine courtyard. The school festival was only two sleeps away, and he still had to finalize the shopping lists, prep the food and do the final sound check.
"The whole family is too nice for their own good," said Meiling.
He agreed.
As they walked through Heung Gong Park he heard someone running behind them.
"SYAORAN!"
He turned around and Sakura Kinomoto knocked them both into the ground with a hug.
Author's Note:
- Hi. As I said before that things would become somewhat intense. Sorry. I hope that everything is all right.
