Chapter 1- Rebirth

12-18-06

Yay. so i finally updated this story becuase once again, due to an inspiring reviewer, i found my passiong for it. PLease review! And expect updates during the chirstmas break!

It was cold…like nothing she had ever experienced before. Her senses were dim as if she were only half alive. The numbness that poisoned her stale fingers was foreign as was the paralysis in her brain.

Her emerald eyes shot opened and at once water flooded her lungs. She found herself clawing for oxygen within her contained cylinder, grasping frantically at the liquid surrounding her. Spying a minute crack in the opaque glass, she rammed her knee against it, all feelings of pain were temporarily replaced by a sense desperation. She felt the crack give way and the cylinder shattered, spilling its contents in waves of murky green water.

Gasping for air, her first intention was to run. Far away from this dark place. But upon standing up, she felt throbbing pains, shooting up her legs. Crying out from the shock, her expression was beyond horrific when she saw the puny, sand colored limbs that clung below her hips. Her brain was throbbing with unbearable pangs, as a rush of memories came back. The shoot…the proposal…Yuki…the accident. Gasping, she had come to realization what had happened. Skimming her frail, naked body, everything appeared to look normal except for the size of her limbs, which had significantly decreased. The only thing that had changed was a small writing on her wrists. Puzzled, her mind reeling , she tried to make what she could of the code but still, nothing came to mind.

It read

A-17325

Syaoran Li glanced wearily at his girlfriend, Meilin, who was slowly sipping the steaming green tea from the delicate cup. It had been an awkward day for the young CEO of Li Corporations, the biggest electronic manufacturing company in Hong Kong. The morning started off hectic, with consumer complaints, some damn bitch fussing over a busted hard drive and then the staff meeting if anything, was worse. He watched as she set the cup down, staring back at him with her marvelous ruby orbs. She opened her mouth to speak but he spoke first.

"Listen, Meilin…about what happened the other night, I'm really sorry." He said, his words sounding more meaningful than what he actually felt. They had been dating for two years but were not exactly steady. They had had their share of arguments and "alone time" yet the passion that followed these temporary breakups were mildly satisfying. A silence followed his apology.

"I don't understand Syaoran," she said finally, shaking her head in frustration, "You always say you'll be there but you never are. I waited 2 hours!" Her voice got louder. She shot at him with her eyes and he felt his defense let down. He could never win against her.

"Melin…I'm sorry okay? I just had to finish some things at the company and well-" he fumbled for an excuse "and I was busy."

"Busy? Every single time I try to get closer to you, you end up being "busy" ?" she burst, throwing her hands in the air. "It's ridiculous! Last Thursday was our anniversary and you totally blew it off! You didn't even call me!"

He flinched at her words. Does she have to be so harsh? he thought, it's not like I could control it. Last Thursday was a nightmare. The day started off pretty shitty with a new shipment of batteries that were the wrong kind and once that was sorted out, Syaoran didn't finish the important files that were due by 4:00 PM that day so he had to stay behind until past 9:00 when he saw the tiny yellow sticky-note on the corner of his desk. It read: Anniversary Dinner- Tonight at 7:00. Shit.

"Meilin… Thursday was a nightmare. Stuff just came up."

"I called your cell almost twenty times at 8:00! I thought you had died or something!"

"My cell? It was off because I needed it to be quiet- those files, this job, requires more work than you think-"

"Well you know what I think Syaoran?" she said firmly, placing both hands on the table. "I think you love that job more than you do me. Ever since your father made you his vice president you've forgotten that I even exist."

"Mei' c'mon that's not true-"

"Well you haven't proven it." she cut him off. "Listen," Meilin said sighing, "I just can't take this anymore. If you don't have time for me -then I don't have time for you."

Syaoran was silent, staring down at the untouched cup of tea.

"I-I think we should just…" her voice was shaking and he knew that she was about to cry. He felt guilty. So damn guilty.

"Just…stop seeing…each other." she finished and he heard her inhale deeply, trying to stifle the stream of tears.

"Meilin-"

"I don't want to hear it. I just…I love you Syaoran and everything was great before you got that job and-and" the tears were coming too hard, "You just can't keep playing games with me."

He was silent once again. He stared intently at the white napkin on the table. Meilin stood up and stepped into the aisle. She hoped he would say something like "Meilin let's think about this" or something that would weaken her knees. His lips remained closed.

She wiped her face with her hand and forced a small smile.

"I'm- I'm going back to Hong Kong for a few days to visit my family. I'm not sure when I'll be back. My moms very sick and she needs me and-"

"Then go." was his cold reply. The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it yet Syaoran could feel his body rigid with hurt, anger, and sorrow. He just wanted her to disappear right now.

"What?" was her answer. Did he just tell her to leave?

"Just go- back to Hong Kong. You never liked Japan anyways."

"Syaoran? What are you saying! I have a JOB here!"

"I'm sure there are plenty of other magazines you could write for in Hong Kong."

"Syaoran…I could work for the same magazine even if I DID live in Hong Kong. The- the only reason I'm here is because…you're here."

She waited for his reply. Silence.

"Goodbye Meilin." Syaoran cocked his head towards the side so that only his right ear faced her.

And with grief too great to be expressed with words, Meilin grabbed her black purse and fled out of the café. Syaoran stared after her unsure of whether or not to call her back. Once again they had entered the off stage of the relationship. All she needed was time. So he didn't.

She struggled to her feet, her nails digging into the plaster wall for support. He legs felt like rubber, dragging her down than actually helping her to limp. Breathing was difficult. Her breaths came out in sharp awkward bursts of air that made her chest wheeze. Her head was spinning as if she had been twirling around in circles for what seemed like an eternity. Peering ahead, she spotted a staircase with a hatch at the top. It was closed but light still seeped through the cracks. She threw herself on the first step and began crawling up the flight. Only 20 more to go…
Drinking was the solution to everything. At least that was the way it was for Syaoran Li. So, as he had done for the past two years, every "off time" required ten Heinekens at Al's Sports Bar. Now on his eleventh one, he realized he must've been stressed out more than he knew it.

"Man, you gotta stop. Dats your eleven' one aint it?" asked the bartender, a plump pudgy man with squinty beads for eyes and a head full of grease for hair. A small golden employee badge read Frank.

"Hit me." Syaoran replied, setting down the empty glass mug.

"Whatsit this time? More girl trouble?" Frank asked as he began to fill up the cup with the yellow liquor. Syaoran nodded wearily. The beer was beginning to take over. Frank passed the glass back and Syaoran took note of the silver ring on his fourth finger.

"You married?" Syaoran asked, glancing at Frank's hand.

"Aye I was. For a year too. Then bitch started seein sum rich asshole with an ego so big it coulda eaten 'im alive."

"Sucks huh?" was the only thing the CEO could manage. Glancing at his watch, he realized that both gold hands were directed on the 12. Reaching into his backpocket, he pulled out his wallet and fumbled for a moment, then handing Frank four twenty's.

"Keep the change," he said groggily as he stood up to leave. Frank muttered some response but Syaoran paid him no mind. The room was beginning to spin around him.

"Hey man- you be careful eh? Come back to visit 'kay?" Frank's tiny voice resounded inside Syaoran's head. One too many… he thought lifting a hand to signify that he had heard the bartender's farewell.

The streets of Tokyo were somewhat quiet today, a big change from the usual noise. Cruising in his new Mercedes- a majestic black AMG Cabriolet convertible- Syaoran began to relax a bit. Traffic had died and there were few cars on Tokyo Avenue. The beer was beginning to take effect and he felt his body lighten. I need to get home. NOW. Grimacing from the urge to puke, Syaoran made a sharp left turn and despite a few honks, began to speed down a backstreet that was a shortcut right to the highway leading to the Blue Ridge Condominiums, a luxurious neighborhood that awoke to the crisp blue Atlantic Ocean. But before the scenery could be a slight bit enjoyable, the backstreet led through a series of deserted factories and dumps. Syaoran rolled up the cover of his Mercedes. There were too many homeless people in this area. Better safe than sorry.

She grunted each time her fist pounded against the rusted metal door atop her head. Each pound sent a waterfall of dirt and debris onto her hair. But it was loosening. Giving it one last effort, she heaved her limp body into the metal and with a stubborn creak it gave way. A triumphant cry escaped her dry lips and with muscles that she did not use for a while, she pulled herself out of the hole and into the cold night. The first breath of fresh air was rejuvenating but the freezing coldness that followed was intense. Her body was still soaked from the liquid and the chilly night air nipped at her through the thin lab coat. I need to get out of here… Trying to maintain her balance, she gripped tightly onto the wired fence, maneuvering her way to an exit. Two beams of light donned onto her form.
Syaoran felt the car accelerate as he pressed hard onto the gas pedal. He needed to get away from here fast. After that old man that practically rammed into his car begging for money, this place was definitely not safe even at this late, or perhaps early hour. Almost there…

She opened her mouth to cry out to the light but her throat was too dry to utter a sound. Stumbling into the path of the car she flailed her arms in desperation, moving her lips, praying that at least one word would slip between the purple lumps that stuck to her face. The light grew at a rapid pace and she felt a large, hard shelled beast smack into her torso.

He couldn't slam the break fast enough.

"SHIT!" cursed Syaoran feeling his car slam into a foreign object. He prayed that it wasn't dead. He immediately threw the door open and ran some hundred yards ahead to see what he had hit.

A scraggly girl with a stained lab coat was unconscious in a cloud of dust. She twitched slightly. Syaoran let out a sigh of relief. At least she was alive.

"Shit…the police will really be on my ass." muttered Syaoran under his breath. There was only one solution. He would have to take her home with him. Praying that she was some dipshit that he could pay to put a sock in it, he lifted her into his arms, surprised at her almost weightless appendages. Tossing her like a doll into the backseat, he sped off and made a quick turn onto the highway, glancing every few seconds at the unmoving form in his backseat. Pulling up to the gate that led to his private estate, he punched in the security numbers quickly and sped through the iron structures before they had even fully opened. He was safe. At least for now.

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