Author's Note: If you people are missing the action, do not worry. The next one will be full of action. The story still has a lighter shade to it, I noticed. If anyone wants to give it a darker tone, please tell me. Enjoy the chapter everyone.

Disclaimer: I gave it a thought to buy the original CCS story and its characters. Regretfully, it is not possible so sadly I write this. I do not own CCS or its original characters.

Chapter 24: Dangerous Women

Lian entered the exquisite diner she frequented mostly for business purposes. The clock showed 8 o'clock. She was on time. Lian felt slightly nervous at the idea of meeting with Eva after such a long time. Eva was the woman that she respected a lot. Yelan was closer to Eva but Lian had been good friends to her as well. She was almost an older sister figure to her. Lian felt excited to be able to meet Eva after she had disappeared years ago for unknown reasons.

An old man approached Lian as she entered and bowed politely.

"Mrs Ming. We have been waiting for you. Please follow me to your reserved table." He spoke respectfully.

Lian replied, "I did not reserve any tables. I am here to meet someone."

The man smiled, "That someone has reserved the table for you and instructed me to take you to it on your arrival."

Lian figured that Eva must have done this for the meeting. She followed the old man. The diner was as busy as usual. She spotted several important people from the society present at the diner. Very few were sorcerers though. The rest were simply big names in their own fields. Everyone glanced at her and bowed their heads slightly in greeting. Lian greeted them the same way. He directed her to her table at the other end of the diner. It was by the window so she could had a brilliant view of the Quan's personal garden lit with lights in decoration.

"Please wait here Mrs Ming. Your companion will be here shortly. Is there something I can get for you in the mean time?" He spoke respectfully.

Lian sat in her place, "Just water for now."

He bowed again and left. Lian looked around. She felt even more nervous now compared to when she had arrived. Eva would be here soon and the prospect of meeting her was exciting her. Lian was trying to distract her mind to anything else and calm down. It was not working much. She had much audience and everyone was watching each other's moves carefully. They all were very stiff and careful. Lian was failing miserably to relax and calm her nerves.

"If you worry so much, you will get wrinkles too early in your life." A female voice spoke from behind her.

Lian did not turn around. She frowned, however, at the woman's insulting tone.

"I fail to see how it concerns you." Lian replied with offense audible in her tone.

The woman chuckled, "It does not concern me. I just could not help tease the great Lian Ji. Oh. Forgive me. It is Lian Ming now."

Lian raised an eyebrow, "No one has called me by my maiden name in long time."

The woman chuckled, "You will have to forgive me. The last time I spoke to you, you were still Lian Ji. You were dating Zhuge at that time and I remember beating the crap out of Yuan Li as an example to the boys of what would happen if they hurt my precious girls."

Lian's eyes widened. Yuan Li was Syaoran's deceased father and the only woman to have defeated him when she was still dating Zhuge was... "Eva!"

The woman chuckled, "Took you long enough to figure that out."

Lian was very happy. She was about to get up but realised that she was glued to her seat. It confused her.

"Do not worry. If anyone sees you being close to Queen's assistant, words would spread and it could be problem for both of us. There is one person that has seen me with Queen and he is not known for keeping his mouth shut."

Lian was disappointed that she could not properly meet Eva. However, she was still glad that she could talk to her. Her voice had changed and her way of speaking had remarkable difference from how she remembered it. Eva's voice dripped with maturity and experience compared to the one with traces of arrogance from years ago.

"Fine. No one will know that we are interacting. I will mind my business. You mind you own." Lian sat straight with that to put on a fake show.

"Much appreciated." Eva replied.

Lian signalled to the waiter. He arrived in haste, "The usual please. It seems my companion for tonight bailed out on me."

The waiter bowed and left.

"I did not bail out on you Lian." She chuckled as she spoke.

Lian smiled, "A few people heard it. They will spread the word that someone dared to do so."

"You are still as devious as ever Lian. Even back then, you had Zhuge among many people dancing to your tunes."

Lian replied, "It is a part of me. What about you Eva? You had all of us girls dancing to your tunes. Even Yelan used to follow you around like a lost puppy."

Eva sniggered, "True. And Yuan would follow her around like a lost puppy. I still remember all those nasty things Yelan made him do before she agreed to go out with him. Poor Yuan."

Lian smirked, "You did not make it any easier for him. You beat him to his next life as a trailer of what would happen if he hurt Yelan. Besides, Yelan loved him all along. She was always thinking about him."

Eva spoke with sadness in his voice, "Yes. It was a great tragedy that he had to leave so young."

Lian grew sad as well, "Yes. Yelan was devastated. However, she had five children and she handled herself well. I respect her for that. I do not know what I would do if I lost Zhuge, ever."

Eva replied, "I know that. But it could not be helped. The four of us had no other choice."

Lian became alarmed with that, "What do you mean? Do you know something about Yuan's mysterious death?"

Eva mumbled, "Ah shit. I slipped." Lian heard that very well since her ears were focussed at her voice now. "Yes. Nevertheless, I am not the right person to say anything. When the time comes, the secrets will be laid bare to Yelan and the world. The four of us will tell everything."

Lian knew there was no use pursuing that topic any further, "Who are the four people? Queen, you, Michal and...?"

"Not Queen. Michal, me, Nadeshiko and one other person."

Lian was shocked, "Sakura's mother is a part of this!"

Eva chuckled, "I thought that was obvious with how she is always with him. Naturally, she will know many things."

"That makes sense but..."

"You are thinking too much. Let us drop this topic. No use discussing it any further."

Lian nodded, "Why did you disappear?"

Eva chuckled behind her, "I thought you would ask how I met Michal."

"That was my second question."

Eva took a deep breath, "A day before I entered college, I met Michal for the first time. We met in a cloth shop. He was a foreigner, a Japanese. I was surprised to see him in China. He had strong magic and my competitive senses wanted to challenge him. But it was a public place and I could not just challenge him there."

"Did you challenge him?" Lian was interested now.

"I stalked him around. I wanted to catch him at some isolated place. He was good though. He managed to confuse me with a simple magic and caught me red-handed. I confessed that I wanted to duel him. He just laughed and accepted. However, he said it would be a waste of the wonderful day if we fought. He had to leave soon as well. I was dejected to have missed a great opponent but he promised he would battle me the next time we meet."

"When did you meet him next?"

Eva replied, "A few months later. I received a magical job to defend a town against some sort of supernatural threat. When I arrived at the town, I found that Michal had come to investigate the supernatural threats. We agreed to help me defend and I would help him investigate. We realised that we were a good team. I realised that he held more power than I initially realised. I knew I was no match for him at that point."

Lian was surprised, "He was that powerful! It is hard to imagine him more powerful than you back then. I mean. You were ranked more powerful than even the teachers when we arrived to college."

Eva chuckled, "I know what you mean. But I was a year senior to you people. I already trained hard in my attempt to surpass him for half a year. Well after his investigation, we parted ways. I promised him that I would fight him when I would be confident in my skills. We stayed in contact since then. He was a great person and very loyal to his friends. I envied his best friend Nadeshiko back then whenever he would talk of her. He adored her and I felt a bit jealous."

Lian smiled, "Your feelings for him I believe."

"Yes. Without realising it, I was falling for him. He always studied various forms of magic from around the world and figure out their weak and strong points. He wanted to create an entirely new magic from the knowledge. He gave me many tips and advices for my trainings. He never minded sharing his knowledge with me. He was caring and trusted me. In my final year, he proposed me one day. I was rendered speechless. I never realised that he had developed feeling for me as well. Of course I agreed instantly. He asked me to keep it a secret because he wanted to surprise everyone. I agreed since it would be fun to tell you all about it."

Lian grew stern, "You never told anyone."

Eva spoke apologetically, "We did not get the chance to. After I finished college, I began to help him with his research in my spare time. I wanted to see his goals achieved. You got married to Zhuge, Yelan married Yuan, and other girls got married soon after. We kept a low profile and our magical prowess a secret. We did not want to paint a target on the heads of our close ones. Things took a different turn a year before Sakura was born."

Lian grew intrigued, "Will you share with me the details? That is when you disappeared on us."

"Michal asked me to accompany him in search of an ancient artefact. I agreed since he sounded uneasy. I figured it was dangerous and he needed my help. He had researched extensively and narrowed down the possible location. He stood correct. We found it very easily. Perhaps I should say that, the artefact found us. The artefact was for us to use but not in a way it would benefit us. We found several things with it. Things that scared us out of our wits. Together, we formulated a plan to tackle the problem and I had to disappear. He could not do the same he was directly linked to this problem. He had to be there to observe everything very carefully. We brought Nadeshiko in as well since she would prove a great asset to us."

Lian frowned, "You should have told us as well. We would have helped you to the best of our abilities. You called us your precious girls and still keep us in the dark."

Eva chuckled, "It was important that you stayed out of this loop. You all had enough responsibilities and duties as it is. Nadeshiko was sick and the three of us knew that she would not survive long. That is why we told her. She agreed to help Michal wherever she could. Four years later, she passed away but stayed behind as a spirit. Ever since Nadeshiko and Yelan conceived Sakura and Syaoran respectively, Michal and I have kept a close watch on everything around those two."

Lian contemplated everything she had heard so far, "What about Queen? Where does she fit in?"

Eva chuckled, "What do you mean?"

Lian knew Eva was just trying to irritate her, "How did you all meet? What does Michal possess that she listens to him so much? Can you defeat Queen as well?"

Eva laughed this time, "Both Michal and I can defeat Queen any time we wish. For the rest of the details, you will have to ask Queen. Michal and my lips are shut."

Lian frowned knowing that Eva just hid everything about Queen, "How did you two meet her? At least tell me this."

Lian heard sipping sounds from behind her. She ate her dish that had arrived at some point when she was too busy to notice. She hoped that she had acted the usual due to daily practice at least.

"Queen bumped into us during one of our travels together and she sensed our magical powers. Being a stupid woman, she challenged us. I beat her into the ground. This was before I became strong enough to be at par with Michal."

Lian knew that Eva once again hid everything. This information told barely anything about them.

"A few months after you had disappeared Eva, Queen had arrived in the magical council. She defeated everyone very easily. She soon took over the entire magical community. Her power scares everyone. Are you saying that Michal and you actually surpass her?"

Eva snorted, "We do. That is one reason she listens to us so much. We can kick her into the ground anytime we wish. However, she knows that we need her. Therefore, she does what she likes as well. She follows our words when there is no alternative. Otherwise, she does what she wants and we can do barely anything about it. Michal and I just keep things in check for Sakura and Syaoran."

Lian smiled, "She is not as bad as everyone thinks she is. Maybe she is doing it to keep attention off of you two so that you can do whatever you wish easily."

"Or maybe she just loves to do what she does. She is a brat after all."

Lian chuckled, "Somehow, I doubt anyone else would escape her wrath for calling her a brat."

"I call her whatever I like. My role by her side is to make sure she does not end up doing something that would put even her in a tight spot. She is reckless and it always showed in our fights. Anyway, I need to leave now. It was good talking to you after such a long time. Perhaps we could chat more once this stupid war finishes."

"Thank you for saving Zhuge's life Eva." Lian was sincere.

"I did nothing. Queen had already dumped him in her healing spring by the time I got there. He had even healed up considerably. I just hastened the healing process."

"What should I tell Yelan?"

She felt the person behind her get up, "Tell her whatever you wish?"

Lian smirked, "I will tell her that you have many children."

Eva chuckled, "It would not be too far from truth considering that Yelan and you would be two of them."

Lian was surprised for a moment before she smiled warmly. She knew that Eva had already left. She ate silently as she went through all the information she just learned. Eva hid much from her. Lian wanted more information to truly understand the situation but Eva and Michal were being very secretive. Even Queen seemed to be holding back vital information from everyone. Lian wondered if anyone else suspecting something amiss through all this.

Lian reached home and went straight to her room. She did not talk to anyone since she was mostly lost in her thoughts. Everyone could tell that she was thinking. Therefore, no one disturbed her in any way. They knew it must be important. She sat in her chair and stared out of the window with unfocussed eyes. The night was peaceful without any city noises. Her window overlooked the tranquil garden of the estate. The breeze was pleasant.

Her phone rang and she picked it up with a smile, "Hello my son. Do you miss your mom already?"

Jet replied, "You did not call the entire day. I got worried."

Lian grinned happily, "I am so touched. My baby worries for his mom."

Jet sighed, "Is everything alright there? I could not get a hold of you the entire day."

Lian chuckled, "Everything is fine. I have been busy ever since I arrived."

"Why? What happened? You are returning tomorrow, right?"

Lian grimaced, "No. I will have to stay another few days. Your father got himself into an unnecessary mess while we were away and now I need to take care of things until he can return."

Jet sighed, "He did something stupid, again."

"That he did. I need to bestow upon him a grand punishment for this."

"Be gentle with him. Do not worry about me. It is very safe here in this town actually."

Lian smiled, "I know it is. Just have fun in school and make many friends." She knew that Michal made the town safe. "Take care of yourself and I will be back in a few days. I love you my son."

Jet replied, "I will. I love you too mom. Tell dad the same."

He hung up with that and Lian relaxed. She felt better after talking to her son. Fatigue made itself known soon and Lian retired to her bed. Once in bed, she realised that she missed her husband. With a frown, she decided that her Zhuge was in it for big this time for being absent.

The next morning, Lian received some unexpected guests. She sat in the main lobby with the elders of her clan. Her guests comprised of some old men accompanied by some powerful young sorcerers. They all sat opposite each other on the sofa. Lian woke up with a surprise when she received news of the sudden arrival of these people requesting audience with her on some urgent matter. She arrived in the lobby as soon as she could and found the tense scene.

Lian spoke with controlled composure, "It is not everyday a respected man such as yourself comes unannounced along with some veteran fighters at someone's doorsteps. Do speak of your business Elder Soujiro of the Shinohara Clan or we will start to think that you came to have a battle with us."

The most important looking old man sipped his tea without any sign of nervousness. Lian knew her intimidation act would not work on him. He was very experienced and powerful as well. He was a veteran himself in magical arts.

He placed the cup down, "Clan Matriarch. Do not worry. We simply had a long way to travel. It is for this reason that you see these powerful fighters with us. Other than that, they are also my most trusted people in the clan."

Lian nodded, "Why have you travelled all the way here to meet me? You could have met me in Japan in a few days."

The man smiled, "We could not do so. You live in the town of the cardmistress and no member of any clan is allowed to enter that town unless they wish to battle the cardmistress and the Li heir. You should know that."

Lian seemed surprised, "It seems I missed that particular news." She turned to a man on her side, "Is that true Elder Bei?"

Elder Bei nodded, "I believe Lord Zhuge did not mention it to you considering he wanted you to stay with young master Jet. He is all yours when he returns."

Lian smiled slightly at the joke hidden in his last sentence. Soujiro seemed to have caught it as well since he could not stop a smile either. Lian turned to Soujiro.

"What is this about then Elder Shinohara? Let us hear it."

Soujiro nodded, "Do you remember that girl from our clan who was sent to kill the cardmistress at the very beginning of this war? She was the first opponent they faced and she lost that battle."

Lian nodded, "Yes. She was an upstart and inexperienced fighter. She was the perfect opponent for them since they lacked any experience as well. How is she now?"

Soujiro smiled, "Every clan has their share of black sheep and our clan is no exception. We discussed her punishment for the loss and decided on some hard training to strengthen her. However, one of the elders gave orders behind our backs for her execution."

Lian's eyes widened, "No. She is dead! She did not deserve that."

Soujiro shook his head, "No. She is alive. She was unskilled and lacked experience but her speciality lay in spying. She managed to get away from her pursuers and escaped into that town. We do not know how she is doing but we managed to confirm that she is still in that town somewhere."

Lian nodded as she guessed the request, "You want me to find her."

Soujiro nodded, "If I could trouble you with that task, yes. Shinohara clan will be grateful to you. Emi has always been a good kid and she has a bright future ahead of her. I do not wish for the clan to lose such a promising child over the ego of some idiots in the clan."

Lian nodded, "What do you intend me to do once I have found her?"

"We wish you to tell her that we apologise for everything. Tell her that we wish to apologise for our failure in stopping the attack against her. If she could find it in her heart to forgive us, we would welcome her back in the clan. That is all we request." Soujiro bowed his head as he finished speaking. Everyone else followed his lead and bowed as well.

Lian looked at everyone for a few moments, "Yelan lives there. You could have contacted her for this."

Soujiro nodded, "We could have but Li clan refuses to let us contact her. They said that they do not trust us enough for it. It is a well-placed concern for such times since she has a direct link to our enemies. Her son I mean."

Lian smiled and then contemplated the situation. Everyone waited for long as she stayed lost in her thought. After a while, she smiled as her eyes lit up.

"Elder Soujiro. If I recall correctly, your clairvoyance skills are unmatched even for Queen. Have you not tried to look into the town yourself?" Emi asked with slight amusement.

Soujiro raised an old eyebrow at her question, "I tried several times but I utterly failed each time. It is as if the town is in an entirely different plane and I can see nothing but darkness. We tried group clairvoyance as well but nothing worked. I am sure Li clan is doing that to protect their matriarch and heir. Why do you ask?"

Lian smiled and looked in her tea. She stirred it and then saw her son entering his class. She smiled to see him smile as he met his friends. Sakura and Syaoran were together in class. Meiling was talking to Tomoyo and Eriol laughed with Yamazaki. Everyone greeted Jet as he entered the class. Lian smiled and figured that Michal was letting her do that since he was trusting her.

"My son is at school." People were surprised as she spoke that without looking away from her tea. "He is greeting his friends in class. Xiao Lang Li and the cardmistress are together. They are speaking to each other and they halted for a moment to greet my son." Everyone realised that she was using the tea-gazing method of clairvoyance. The Shinohara clan was shocked that she could do that. "Clow's incarnation seems to have teamed up with the cardmistress's cousin to tease her about Xiao Lang. Look at how those two blush at the teasing. Everyone is having fun."

She stirred again and it vanished. She sipped it silently and looked at the shocked faces around her.

Soujiro asked, "How were you able to gaze at them so easily when we failed? My clairvoyance is better as you mentioned earlier."

Lian smiled, "Yelan and I enjoy that little privilege. The reason is that both of us have proved it that we bear no ill will towards the cardmistress or the Li heir. However, if someone that has not proved it is watching my clairvoyance, I cannot watch either."

Soujiro grew serious, "Who did you prove it to?"

Lian smiled, "Her guardians." Lian lied without any sign that she did so.

Everyone accepted that since her guardians would protect her at all cost. No one even thought otherwise.

Soujiro asked, "I do not believe her guardians are participating in this war. I thought they were doing something else. It makes sense that they are protecting her from such intruders. It seems I underestimated them thinking they could not stop my clairvoyance."

Lian chuckled, "And Queen would kill you if you succeeded. She has a big pride as a sorcerer and she would not forgive you if you had to use that method to spy on two weak little kids."

Soujiro smiled, "I do not believe them weak for a moment. They have won so far and displayed praiseworthy skills. It is a shame we have to kill them before they become too powerful for a risk of danger to all of us."

Lian smirked, "What will you do if they win this war Elder Shinohara?"

The hall became silent. The air became heavy. Soujiro and Lian stared in each other's eyes for long. Lian felt amused and Soujiro did not seem to like that.

"If they win, our fears would have come true. It would mean that they are too powerful and we should do something before they become too much of a threat for us." Soujiro replied sternly.

Lian nodded, "I understand your reasoning Elder Shinohara. They would have proved all the things everyone thinks of them and their powers. Their magic would be very strong, far stronger than anyone else in the world. To win this war, they will have to defeat Queen as well."

"True. Therefore, we will form an alliance with other clans and battle them together. We will not let such a terrifying power upset the delicate balance of clan powers."

Lian laughed elegantly to Soujiro's surprise, "You might do that Elder Soujiro. However, let me warn you about something for that time. If you decide to make an enemy out of the cardmistress after they have won this war, do not be surprised if half of your own clan stand against you on their side." Soujiro was shocked at her confidence in her words. "The entirety of Li clan and the Ming clan will ally itself with her. As will several other clans from all over the world."

Soujiro knit his eyebrows, "Are you planning on acting against the magic community in their favour? That is treason. I thought better of you."

Lian smirked, "That I do not Elder Soujiro. I plan to make sure no one in my clan holds back anything during his or her battle against those two. When my turn comes, I will battle to kill those two. They do not deserve our alliance if they cannot even win against us with their own powers. We did not give the Queen any advantage. Why would we give them any? No Elder Soujiro. The Li clan and Ming maybe rival. But we have a huge ego of the same nature. We will never ally with anyone that does not prove himself to us. Yelan and I plan to make the two clans the two hands of the cardmistress if she wins this war. We are willing to sit together and leave our enmity in the past for her."

Soujiro and everyone looked at her with critical eyes. Ming elders knew about Lian's intention and her recent words explained it further. If Sakura wins the war and she attains such a huge support and Lian claims she would, then the prospect of a clan becoming one of the two hands to her would give that clan immense power in the magical community. For something like that, Li and Ming could forget their rivalry.

Soujiro spoke, "You do know that Li clan will always have more power since the cardmistress is seeing the heir. In addition, he will be just as powerful as she is so he will have equal in everything."

Lian smiled, "That is not something I worry about. Li Xiao Lang will not mix his girlfriend and the clan together. The Li clan will never be able to enjoy that privilege since Xiao Lang himself will shoot the prospect down. If you doubt my words Elder Soujiro then you have to do nothing but watch. Talk to those about the two who have fought them. As you learn of them, you will know what I am trying to say."

Lian got up, "I will find your girl. Perhaps cardmistress herself could help find her. I will ask for her help."

Soujiro got to his feet as well, "We would be grateful."

Lian spoke, "Keep a broad mind Elder Soujiro. You taught us amateurs once about not judging a book by the words in the market. Perhaps you should do the same for those two. There is a great chance that someday you and the Tsubaki elders will be sharing a tea together in her presence."

Soujiro smiled, "Tsubakis will die before that happens."

Lian laughed as she walked away, "Mings would too but I know they will gladly share tea with Lis if cardmistress is victorious. I can bet on that."

Soujiro laughed, "I will take you on that bet Ming Matriarch."

Lian stopped by the door to look at him, "What should be at stake then?"

Soujiro replied, "It is your call."

Lian took out her fan and hid her lips behind it with shining eyes. All the males instinctively knew what that meant and sweat-dropped. The women in every clan were the same it seemed.

Soujiro mumbled audibly, "I have a feeling that I will not like this."

Lian replied from behind her fan, "If I win then you will let your heir marry the girl he wants to marry. You will not interfere with who his younger sister would want to marry."

Suojiro went pale, "Wait a minute Lian! How do you even know about the first part?"

Lian laughed her evil-witch laughter to make chills run down everyone's spine, "I have a very keen nose for scandalous love affairs. No one can keep such things hidden from me."

Soujiro took a step back as if afraid of her, "The young mistress is not seeing anyone at the moment."

Everyone knew that he had no idea on how to tackle the first part. That was why he just jumped at the second one.

Lian laughed again, "Not yet, I know. The girls will be so glad to hear that we have some new preys."

She looked at her guests and instantly regained her elegant hostess looks, "I bid your farewell. I have much to do in Zhuge's absence. Stay as long as you wish."

She left with that and everyone fell on his or her chairs. Soujiro stared at the ceiling with a defeated looks. The women were all giggling like crazy since they had a topic of discussion for weeks now.

"All experience, all wisdom, even age factor itself has no meaning for a man when against a woman. They are so scary that we men have no hope of victory. They can manipulate us all so easily."

Elder Bei spoke, "Agreed. If the cardmistress grows up to be like this, I can sympathise with the Li heir."

Everyone sweat-dropped at the idea.

Soujiro spoke, "With Yelan and Lian as her two hands if she wins the war, I heavily doubt she will turn out any different. Therefore, there is no 'if' involved Elder Bei. She is definitely becoming the same if not surpassing these two women if she survives this war."

His words rang true and everyone said a silent prayer for Syaoran. He had no idea what sort of future awaited him and he was willingly plunging into the said future.

Michal stopped his work in the staffroom and looked outside the window. He smiled softly.

"Time to get my adorable students ready for their next battle. This should be interesting." He whispered.

End of Chapter 24.

Read and Review everyone. Forgive me for mistakes and tell me what you think.