Disclaimer: I do not own ccs or the characters! Although, I wish I did!
Lilover131: Here's chapter two! I hope you like it!
Cry of a Wolf-Chapter Two: The not so happy Birthday Part 1
Yelan and Syaoran walked quietly through the mansion to the large, open kitchen area. The aroma of chocolate chip pancakes filled the kitchen. However, despite the calming and delicious smells, when Syaoran entered, he was soon bombarded with affection from his four older sisters.
"Ahhh! Get off of me!" Syaoran screamed.
"Hello, dear brother! We made you chocolate chip pancakes!" the sisters cheered in unison. Syaoran stared at the pancakes as if there were a label on it saying 'poison'.
"What do you want?" Syaoran asked.
"Nothing," the sisters said once again in complete harmony.
"Then, what's the occasion?" Syaoran asked quite confused. His sisters stared at him in shock, as if he were blind.
"What?" Syaoran asked, wondering as to why his sisters were staring at him like he was ill.
"How could you have forgotten your own BIRTHDAY?" Feimei finally spouted out. Syaoran blinked and walked over to the calendar hanging on the wall nearby. Indeed, it was his birthday…July 13th. He looked downwards to the floor, a little disappointed.
"What's wrong?" Fanren asked. Syaoran stepped out of the room, with his sisters following, and headed to the front door. Looking around in all directions first, he then cautiously opened the door. The moment he did, a giant pile of nicely wrapped boxes flooded into the room, and Syaoran knowingly moved to the side, avoiding the avalanche.
Syaoran pointed to the presents.
"That's what's wrong," Syaoran said with a slightly annoyed look on his face. His eye twitched at the overdose of shiny paper and ribbons.
"Wowwww, you're popular Syao!" his sisters said.
"Every year, it's the same," Syaoran said with a sigh, his fingers gripping the bridge of his nose.
"Come and eat the pancakes we made, Syao!" his sisters said in attempt to cheer him up. However, the boy saw this as somewhat of a trap, since normally when they made chocolate chip pancakes, it meant they wanted something from him. Even so, Syaoran took a bite from the stack on his plate. He had to admit…he loved chocolate chip pancakes. All the sisters could do was smile at their little brother's grin of satisfaction and the small dab of chocolate on the sides of his mouth.
Once he finished the pancakes, his chocolate addiction was fed even further with a warm mug of hot cocoa. While sipping his beverage, he looked outside the window. Outside the pane of glass was the Li garden, which held the cherry blossom tree he had come to adore. The tree billowed in the wind, and his heart unconsciously began to beat at a faster tempo. How was it that every beautiful thing remind him of her?
"Syaoran!" he heard, but not quickly enough to respond before he was tackled right out of his seat. The boy snapped himself out of his daze, crying out in surprise, and glanced to discover that Meilin had been the assailant.
"Get off of me, Meilin!" Syaoran yelled, pushing her gently off of him. Meilin released her death grip on him with an apologetic look on her face.
"Sorry, but you were in such daze, I had to snap you out of it!" Meilin said.
"You were thinking about Sakura again, weren't you?" Feimei asked with a devilish look on her face. Syaoran blushed bright red.
"No, I wasn't!" Syaoran lied.
"Oh really?" his sisters said grinning evilly. The girls surrounded him, their eyes almost seeming to make him feel smaller. They all knew Syaoran was a horrible liar. After all, it was in his nature to tell the truth.
Meilin pulled out a huge box wrapped in metallic green wrapping paper with hearts drawn all over it in what appeared to be red glittery fabric paint. Even though Syaoran had a lover now, that did not mean she still couldn't show her cousin some love, right?
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Meilin squealed with delight as she shoved the big box in his arms.
"Uh…thanks" Syaoran said inspecting the box. The box felt strange and was almost vibrating as if something was moving in it.
"Is this another one of your cake experiments?" Syaoran asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, why?" Meilin asked in confusion.
"Because the box is moving," he answered. The sisters giggled, but Meilin was not amused.
Whatever was in the box was definitely alive. The boy wondered if Meilin was the only person crazy enough to wrap up a living thing. The content wanted to get out of the box desperately, and thus it rammed itself and the box out of Syaoran's hands.
" Hey Syaoran! I don't think the box likes you!" said Futtie both teasingly and a little freaked out.
Syaoran could sense his family's impatience, waiting for him to open the present. He gently picked up the box and opened the gift delicately as to not harm whatever was inside. As soon as he opened it, a gray animal, much like a puppy, jumped onto Syaoran and began licking his face. After the initial surprise of having been jumped on, he observed the features more carefully and was shocked to see that this was no dog, but a wolf cub. The wolf had amber eyes, much like his, and its nose was wet and black as it nuzzled into his neck. Syaoran noticed it had a gold collar with emerald-like stones embedded in it, and its radiant soft coat of fur was like specks of silver. He finally wrenched the little cub off his face and let it lay on his lap as he found himself instinctively petting the gentle animal.
"Oops! I guess he really wanted to get out," Meilin said.
"You put a baby wolf in a box?" Syaoran said.
"Don't worry, it's only been in there for five minutes, and I poked holes in the box so it could breathe!" Meilin assured. She did not want to be blamed for making an animal suffer or anything. Syaoran looked the wolf in the face, and the little wolf, unrestrained, began licking his face again.
"It seems the little cub has taken a liking to you," Syaoran heard his mother say.
"It's sooooooooo CUTE!" the four sister's squealed in delight as they attempted to pick up the wolf. Unsurprisingly, the cub seemed frightened of them and leapt out of the boy's arms to hide behind his leg. Syaoran knelt over the wolf and began petting it gently to soothe its nerves.
"Thank you, Meilin. I'll take good care of it," Syaoran said with a grateful smile.
"That's only one part of your gift," Meilin said with a wink.
"Eh?" he muttered in confusion. Why was it that his cousin had to always go over the top with things?
"Yep. But it won't get here till later tonight," Meilin said.
"Thank you for the gift, Meilin. Syaoran needs to get dressed now," Yelan said with a grateful look of her own.
"All right, Aunt Yelan. See you later tonight!" Meilin nearly sang as she bounced out the door.
Syaoran, following his mother's command, walked up the stairs to his bedroom, with the wolf following. It was not difficult to pick out a comfortable outfit, and he changed out of his green pajamas. As he did so, he could not help but notice the faint scar along his arm. The scar was a constant reminder of the day his father died. However, he could barely remember what really happened before he woke up after the incident. Syaoran's thoughts instantly trailed to the awful memories of that day…
Flashback
A young 4 year-old Syaoran awoke on his bed to feel a throbbing sensation in his arm, which he saw had been bandaged up with care. Across the room, he could faintly see his sisters sobbing uncontrollably in their mother's arms.
"Why… is everyone crying?" the dazed boy spoke. No one uttered a word, and the room was filled with silence.
"What happened?" Syaoran asked quietly. Still no answer.
"Where's father?" he asked, noticing that his father was not in the room. The girls appeared pained by the question, which only made him more curious. Before he could ask again, they finally responded.
Yelan drifted over to her son. The woman looked broken, and the young boy was truly frightened at what could have made his mother wear such a face. Before she told him the heart breaking news, the tears that threatened to spill were no longer held in. Syaoran had never seen his mother cry before, which came as quite a shock.
"Your father…" Yelan started as she placed her hands on his shoulders. Her grip was shaky as she struggled to get her words out.
"…Isn't coming back…" she finished. Before she could say anything more, she placed her head in her hands and cried until she could cry no more.
Syaoran's eyes widened from shock. He struggled to get up off the bed and ran stumbling to where his father had been, hoping to convince himself that he was still alive.
'No! Otousan can't be dead! He can't!' Syaoran thought to himself as he ran through the mansion. Despite his family's cries to return back to the bed, he continued to run. He opened the door to the Li garden, and ran through the pouring rain to where his father had last been. When he did not find him, he rushed over the soggy earth back into the home and into his father's bedroom, his feet staining the carpet with dirt.
His father was dried off of rain, but he was unmoving, cold, and his eyes closed as if in a deep sleep. However, when he did not wake, the boy came to a grim realization. His father was gone. Syaoran collapsed to his knees. Yelan and the sister's watched Syaoran as tears spilled and flooded over his cheeks. His sobbing surpassed the sound of the low rolling thunder. Not able to bear it any longer, the girls all ran into the room and embraced Syaoran tightly, trying their best to comfort him.
End of Flashback
Syaoran was believed to have turned cold hearted after his father's death, and thus focusing on training and his strength. Unfortunately, he remained this way around people other than his family…at least, until he met Sakura. She filled the gaping hole inside of him and gave him so much more. Not only did she turn him into the kind, warm, person he used to be…but she also captured his heart.
Syaoran knew that his journey through life was far from over. He was still so young, and the opportunities were opening wide. With this thought in mind, he and his new pet left the room quietly, wondering what more was in store for them today.
Elsewhere
"So, are you ready to see him tonight?" Meilin asked, speaking to a person on the other line of her phone.
"Am I ready? I'm so excited, I can't sit still!" said the voice. Meilin smiled.
"W-What if…" the voice started.
"What if, what?" Meilin asked.
"What if…he doesn't have the same feelings for me anymore?"
"Are you kidding? He sits by that cherry blossom tree every day, thinking about you!" Meilin screamed.
"Really?" the voice said sounding a tad embarrassed.
"Of course! He's madly in love with you!" Meilin assured.
"T-Thank you."
"See you tonight, Meilin!" the voice said.
"See you tonight, Miss Kinomoto," Meilin said before hanging up the phone. She grinned at the thought of how happy Syaoran would be to see Sakura again.
End of Chapter Two...
Lilover131: Another chapter down, like a bazillion to go! How was that chapter? Please send reviews! Stay tuned for the next chapter! ^^