Chapter Nine: China
As the sleek, black car drove up the road, two sets of eyes widened as the saw the immaculately kept gardens and lush green rolling lawns, flowering trees and plants. In the distance a tall, white building stood proud against the blue sky. The vision was cut off as they drove past a tall, white wall.
They passed a gold plaque with Chinese writing stating the family name "Li" as the towering gates swung open and the car drove up the long driveway.
"Oh my god! This place is huge!" Caitlin said as she got out of the limo.
"It's a castle." Sakura got out.
"Welcome to the house of the wolves." Syaoran said and the butler opened the door.
"Welcome home Master Li." The butler said in Chinese.
"Hello Mathew. Is mother about?" Syaoran said in Chinese.
"Yes she is. Could you please follow me." The three of them followed him. Sam went to his place. As they walked down the hallway, Sakura and Caitlin were murmuring in awe at the grand design of the place.
Everything sparkled. There was no dust to be found. Maids and footmen walked around dusting and cleaning as they walked by. Every room was richly furnished and many family heirlooms hung up on the walls.
Mathew stopped and opened a door. They followed Syaoran inside.
"Xiao Lang. Good your home." Yelan said. Also in the room were her daughters.
"Little brother's home!" All four of them squealed and they all ran to hug him.
"Get off me." He said.
"You and Shayla could never match up to that." Sakura whispered in Japanese in Caitlin's ear. Caitlin tried not to laugh.
"Well Xiao Lang, are you going to introduce the girls?" Yelan asked.
"Mother this is Ying Fa and Caitlin." Xiao Lang said. All four sisters squealed and ran over to them.
"They are so cute!" Feimei screamed.
"We have to take them shopping!" Siefa replied looking at the shirts and pants they were wearing.
"What's wrong with our clothes?" Caitlin asked.
"Nothing, we just want to take you shopping." Fanren said.
"Girls, they have had a long flight. Leave it until tomorrow." Yelan cut in. They nodded and sat down where they were sitting when they had first entered the room. Mathew knocked on the door and came in.
"There is someone here to see you Master Xiao Lang." Mathew said.
"Show him in." Li said and Mathew left.
Yelan looked at Caitlin. "Caitlin, come and stand in front of me." Caitlin moved to stand in front of her. "What are you feeling at this moment?" Yelan asked.
"Nothing really!" Caitlin replied.
Yelan nodded. "Are you sure? Concentrate."
"I know my sister will ring soon and she won't stop, until she speaks with me." Caitlin replied, looking at her watch.
"I told Shayla she could ring here." Xiao Lang said as Sam walked through the door.
"Which wasn't a very good idea." Sam stated.
"Just because she tried to kill you." Caitlin replied smirking and went over to hug him.
They were interrupted as the phone rang. Yelan walked over and answered it.
"Hello."
"Aunty Yelan?"
"Hello Meilin, how are you?"
"We're doing great."
"How's Chan?"
"I'm fine." Chan answered. (Yelan was on speaker).
"Aunty Yelan are they there yet?"
"I'll just put you on speaker." Yelan replied pushing the button.
"Hi everybody." Meilin said.
"Hi Meilin." They all answered smiling.
"Come on Shayla, the phone won't bite." Meilin replied turning to Shayla behind her. " Shayla wants to speak to Caitlin and Tomoyo wants to speak to Sakura."
"Hi Shayla." Sam taunted cheekily.
"Bite Me." Shayla snarled and Caitlin hit Sam.
"Ouch Caitlin, that hurt." Sam said and Shayla giggled over the phone.
"Hi Shayla, I see you don't hate me anymore, what's the matter?" There was a pause as she was reminded that she wasn't talking to her sister for brutally leaving her behind, and then she said:
"Why is he there with you and not me?" she sulked
"Because he lives over here."
"That's so unfair, I am your little sister and you have school. I don't see how you can just leave me over here and expect me to go to school while you're off having a holiday with your boyfriend."
"Shayla you do know its school holidays don't you." Sakura spoke up trying to ease the tension between the two sisters.
"We might as well leave. This will take a while." Li said quietly.
"We heard that Xiao Lang." Meilin's voice said.
"Hey I'm not finished yet." You could hear Shayla being dragged out of the room and the door being locked.
"Is Tomoyo there?" Sakura asked.
"Hey Sakura."
"What's she doing?" Sakura asked.
"Recording the conversation." Meilin said. You could hear her rolling her eyes.
"What? This is so cool." Tomoyo said. Everyone sweat dropped, except Yelan and her daughters.
"Tomoyo did you want to talk to me?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, could you please get me some Chinese silk while you're over there?" She asked.
"We could do that for you." Sakura replied smiling.
"Caitlin I'm not done yet!" Came Shayla's voice in the background.
"I thought I locked you out?" Came Eriol's voice in the background.
"That's my fault Eriol. I taught her how to pick locks." Caitlin said sheepishly.
"Caitlin how could you leave me?!!" Shayla exclaimed.
"Eriol, tie her to a chair and gag her." Caitlin said.
"Caitlin just got on a plane and left just like that." Sam replied smirking, and then there was the dial tone.
"What happened?" Asked Yelan confused.
"Shayla pulled the phone cord out." Caitlin and Sakura said in union. They looked at each other and giggled.
Back in Japan...
"What did you do that for Shayla?" Tomoyo asked looking at Shayla who was swinging the phone cord around.
"Because I felt like it." She replied, dropped the cord and left the room. Meilin and Chan followed her out.
"It's so peaceful here." Shayla said.
"I agree with you." Chan said.
"It's just because Sam's not here." Meilin smirked.
"Do you hear that?" Shayla suddenly asked. Chan and Meilin looked at each other.
"No." Meilin said.
"That's because there's an ocean between me and Sam." Shayla replied happily.
"You do know that Caitlin is with him, don't you?" Meilin asked.
"Spoil my dream." Shayla spat and walked off. A few minutes later, Eriol and Tomoyo walked in.
"You do know Shayla's in there calling a travel agency?" Stated Eriol.
"Oh God! Stop her!" Meilin cried, and dashed out of the room.
"Aren't you supposed to be her guardian Eriol?" Chan asked. Shouting and screaming could be heard seconds later and then a mad Shayla went storming past up to her room. Meilin shortly followed.
"God, what did you do to her Meilin?" Eriol asked. Meilin showed them what she had behind her back. She swung the phone cord around.
"She can't get anywhere without this."
"Oh! A girl after my own heart." Tomoyo replied.
Meanwhile in China Sakura and Caitlin are up in the guest room being measured up for the Li sisters dress making.
"Oh! We have just the right size Kimono for the both of you!" replied Fanren. Sakura gulped and Caitlin prayed.
"Why'd I let you talk me into this? Give me a soccer ball or something. I'm going to go mad!" Caitlin threatened. "Maybe I can use one of Li's sisters as a ball. Do you think Li will miss them?"
"Probably not, but don't be so mean." Sakura whispered.
The two girls are in the kimonos and the guys walk in.
"You look nice as a porcelain doll Caitlin, but you can't go rock climbing in that." Said Sam. Caitlin growled and lunged for Sam before she trips over the hem of the kimono.
"Does that carpet taste nice down there?" taunted Sam. A muffled reply can be heard to the effect of: "I'm going to kill you when I get up."
"If." states Li smirking. "If you get up."
Sam turns to Li. "If. If is good." Sam states, smiling back. Sakura helps Caitlin up and Caitlin hitches up the hem of the kimono.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Is all that could be heard as Caitlin chased Sam down the long corridors.
"You know I was joking! I didn't mean it!" Sam begged. Caitlin cornered him and he couldn't go anywhere.
"I'd take back what I said 'IF' I were you." Caitlin snarled.
"Umm. I love you?" Sam inquired. Caitlin motioned for him to come closer with her finger. He walked over to her warily and she grabs his collar.
"It's nice that you love me and all, but don't do that to me again. Next time, love won't save you. Also pray that I won't take away certain activities." She hisses. With that she hitched up her kimono and walked back down the corridor, the way she had come.
Yelan stepped out from the room she was in, and having witnessed the whole episode, prayed to the heavens for strength and walked back into the room with a headache and wondered about her son's sanity and where it had gone.
Back in Japan Shayla was rebelling against the entire household and dressed as rebelliously as she dared. She opened the window and climbed down to the garage. She pulled the cover off Caitlin's bike, revved it and took off.
Inside Eriol watched the whole thing on camera, along with Meilin and Tomoyo.
"Anyone call for a rebellious teenager?" Meilin cut in. "Come did anyone, hands up please if you...."
"Shut up Meilin." Tomoyo said.
"Who's going to go after her?" Tomoyo asked.
Eriol sighed. "I'll go." He got up and put the tracker on.
At a club Shayla danced to the beat of the music and smirked as every guy turned to look. She flirted, she swung her hips, and she even coaxed every guy, pushing them away quickly when they tried to kiss her or got too close. Eriol watched and frowned.
"Jackal, Jackal, Tiger, Fox, Tiger, Panther . . ." He looked at all the guys on the 'outskirts' of Shayla.
"Bear, Bear, Bear, and Bear." This- for all the guys around Shayla "Great. I just had to get a rebellious teenager, and out of all the clubs in Japan, she has to pick one that's owned by the Bears." He muttered. Eriol went up and called to Shayla, hoping nobody would recognise him. Shayla saw him, but ignored him and moved farther away.
Shayla went up to the bar and drowned God knows what, and then strutted off. Eriol grabbed her arm and pulled her outside.
"What's your problem?" Shayla demanded as the door closed behind them and shut off the steady thump of the music inside.
"Running out in the middle of the night, without backup, dancing recklessly and leading guys on - Bears I might add at that, and not to mention in one of Bear's clubs! What's my problem?!! Take a Friggin' pick!" Shayla glared at him and then put something in his hand.
"Here's a couple of yen. Go and tell somebody who really cares." With that, Shayla got on the bike and took off again. Her long brown hair flowing out behind her in the cold night air. Lightning flashed and rain started falling. Eriol sighed deeply and got back to the car.
The street flashed blue before a huge clap of thunder rumbled through the air. Rain poured down in torrents and pooled on the road and flooded the gutters. Amongst the sound was the peeling of a door bell.
Aiden opened his door and jumped back startled. Something between Shayla and a drenched rat shivering was standing on his doorstep. When he realised that it was Shayla and that she was half drowned, he opened up the door and let her in. He looked up at the clock and saw that it was well after midnight.
"What are you doing out so late, half drowned from the storm, looking like that and with your sisters bike?" Shayla shot him a look.
"Bad question?" He asked.
"V-v-very b-bad q-q-question." Shayla shivered.
"Shayla you're turning blue!" Shayla looked up at him and wondered why she was seeing two. Aiden saw the look of confusion on her face.
"What's the matter Shay- ?"
"Aiden you didn't tell me you had an identical twin."
"What?" Aiden burst out. She held out her hand to his shoulder and swayed.
"Pleased to 'hic' meet you." Then she collapsed in a drunken heap at this feet.
Back in China Caitlin danced on one side of the club while Sakura danced on the other. Half the room watched Caitlin while the other watched Sakura. Up above, Sam and Li both growled with protectiveness and jealousy as they watch the girls dance. Seeing the men stare at them with more what was polite decided them. Sharing a nod Sam raced to the left to go down to Caitlin, while Li raced down to the right to Sakura.
Caitlin noticed everyone watching her.
"What?" They continued to watch her, so she turned away.
Sakura was getting freaked out by all the attention she was getting. The room divided as Li stormed through it and wrapped his arms possessively around her. He shot them all the death glare and they turned away a little reluctantly. On the other side of the room Sam dismissed them and dragged Caitlin off.
Sakura wrapped her arms around Li. "Dance with me Xiao Lang?" she asked.
"Gladly." He murmured into her ear and slowly danced with her.
"I love you, Ying Fa." Li whispered in her ear. Sakura stepped back stunned.
"What?" she asked.
"I love you." Li replied smiling. He watched tears came to her eyes.
"Why are you crying Ying Fa?"
"Because . . . I love you too Xiao Lang. " she cried and hugged him. Then she suddenly stepped back and glared at him.
"What the hell took you so long to confess that to me?!!" Li's mouth hit the ground. Sakura's eyes softened. "I've been hanging on a thread wondering whether or not you cared." Tears came again. Li hugged her.
"I'm sorry Ying Fa. I'm an idiot for keeping you waiting. But it's taken until now for me to be able to tell you." She hugged him.
"You're not completely forgiven, but I love you all the same." Li laughed and spun her around.
Wolves Mansion the next morning.
"Oh I shouldn't have been so mean to her!" Meilin cried. Both she and Tomoyo had been worried when Eriol had come back without her. They've been up all night waiting for Shayla's return and wondering what they were going to tell Caitlin later if she called.
"How could you let her ride away Eriol?" Tomoyo wailed.
"I'd give anything to know where she is!" Meilin cried. Just then Shayla walked past the door and started up to her room.
"Aiden's!" Tomoyo stated seeing Shayla walk passed.
"What?" Meilin asked not seeing her.
"Aiden's." Replied Tomoyo pointing. Meilin, Chan and Eriol looked up in time to see Shayla walking up the stairs, dressed in Aiden's clothes.
"Oh." Meilin stopped crying immediately. " Why that little -! " she began seething.
The phone started ringing as Li walked passed on his way back to his room from training.
"Hello?" He answered.
"Xiao Lang is Caitlin there?" Eriol asked tiredly.
"No. She spent the night at Sam's." Replied Li. "Why?" Eriol sighed.
"No reason. I'll just ring Sam's." Then all he could here was the dial tone. Li shrugged and put down the phone.
"My cousin just get's weirder and weirder." Li muttered and continued on his way to his room.