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Lilover131: Another chapter! I hope you like it! Oh, and thank you to the people who sent reviews! You guys are the greatest!
Cry of a Wolf-Chapter Three: The not so happy Birthday part 2
Syaoran stood by an all too familiar gravestone, his expression sorrowful as he read the engraved letters that read his father's name. It was difficult to visit sometimes, since he could still smell the fresh earth that had been dug on the day of his burial. The wolf cub that he had recently received as a gift nuzzled against his leg, staring at the grave with great intensity. The teen smiled and sat down in front of the stone, beginning his occasional conversation with his father.
"Hey, Otousan...I guess it's been a while since I came to visit..."
As he spoke, it was hard to not be reminded of the funeral.
Flashback
Syaoran watched his father's casket being lowered into the ground, and his sister's at the sight of their fallen family member. Yelan had tried to remain strong during the funeral, but even she could not hold back all her tears. However, no matter how sad Syaoran was, he could not find the will to cry. He made a promise that he wouldn't cry over him, not only to his father, but to himself as well. Perhaps it was not fair to be asked such a thing, but it was only natural that Kyo would nto want to see him in pain. Unfortunately, he could not hide the pain in his eyes, even amongst the blank expression on his face. He showed no emotions, although he felt many.
There was sadness and grief for the loss of his father, and he also felt anger towards the man who killed him. All these emotions were conflicting within him, but above all, he also felt determination to become the best leader the Li clan had ever seen. He wanted to make his father proud. He started training by the side of his cousin, Meilin, and over the years, he learned how to turn his sadness and anger into determination. He needed all the motivation he could get if he wanted to be the best.
These emotions made him seem a little more cold and unfeeling, since he grew distant from other people, however he kept many of his emotions hidden within his heart and botttled up, except on rare occasions.
For example, Syaoran and his guardian Wei were walking one evening when they heard the low sound of thunder and someone crying…
The two went to get a closer look to the source of the sobbing, and when they found it, they realized that it was Syaoran's cousin, Meilin.
"What's wrong?" Wei asked with a concerned look etched on his face.
"T-The bird," mumbled Meilin pointing to an empty birdcage.
"I-It flew away… I loved it… my aunt gave it to me!" Meilin said as she broke down crying. Syaoran watched his cousin cry, and he felt an all-new emotion. He felt…pity…pity for his cousin Meilin. When he approached her, she almost appeared frightened until he handed her his handkerchief. He felt a pang of guilt that he had made her afraid like that, but he hated to see tears even more.
"Don't cry," Syaoran said in attempt to cheer her up. Meilin took the handkerchief slowly, her eyes wide with surprise at his sudden show of kindness. Once she seized her crying, he ran off into the distance, knowing what needed to be done.
"Master Syaoran! Where are you going?" Wei yelled after him.
"I'm going to go look for it!" Syaoran yelled back without stopping. He ran past the Chinese buildings at quite a speed with only one thought in mind: find the bird. As impossible as it seemed to find one specific bird, especially in Hong Kong, he felt he knew exactly where to find it. It was a bizarre moment… he couldn't understand it. Then, it began to rain…and Syaoran continued to run, skimming a branch with his shoulder and tearing his shirt along the way.
'What am I doing?' Syaoran thought to himself. Despite the thoughts that lingered in his head, he continued his search. Even when he tripped into the cold, wet grass, he got back up and continued to run again.
Eventually, he finally stopped to catch a breath and was startled as he heard a chirping in the tree he was resting by. Alarmed by the sound, he reacted quickly. He climbed the tree like a wild cat, and finally spotted a bright red bird. Although he had never actually seen Meilin's bird before, he could sense that this one belonged to her, and Syaoran gently grabbed the bird, covering from the rain with his hand. Once he was ready to run again, he began his long trip back to the Li residence with the bird sheltered in his hands. Upon his return, Meilin was waiting there for him in the pouring rain.
The girl quickly approached him, without fear or hesitation. With the rain still dripping off of his small form, he opened his cupped hands to reveal the once lost bird. When Meilin smiled, the feeling of pity slowly washed away. He felt satisfied at having helped his cousin, and the sensation left him feeling warmer than he had in a long time.
"It's this bird, right?" Syaoran asked. How could Meilin be happy if it wasn't the cherished bird she loved? Suddenly, she began to cry again, and her arms hugged around his neck tightly. It was obvious that he had found the right one, but he was incredibly confused about Meilin's reaction.
'If her cherished bird has been returned…then why does she still cry?' Syaoran thought. Wei, his humbleg guardian, came quickly with an umbrella and covered the two from the drenching rain, and the boy nodded to him out of gratefulness. He was certainly cold, but he was more worried about his cousin to care about his own self.
'Could she have been…worried about me?' Syaoran realized. When she had started her crying, he found himself asking her if she was in pain, but he had trouble understanding the depth of her emotions towards him. As she continued to cling to him, Syaoran could do nothing but stare into the rain.
End of Flashback
Syaoran was so deep in thought that when his mother called for him he nearly jumped.
"Syaoran! Come inside! It's almost time for your party!" Yelan shouted to her son. Before Syaoran responded to her command, he placed a single peony by his father's grave and a prayer of thanks. Every year that he lived, he liked to thank his father by visiting his grave and placing a peony by the stone. The little wolf he had received as a birthday gift followed Syaoran back into the house after making a silent prayer of its own.
When Syaoran arrived in the building, his four sisters shoved presents in his face, which were all wrapped in different kinds of green paper.
"…T-thank you," Syaoran said. The first gift was opened with care, and inside were green pajamas with wolf paw prints on it. The second gift also revealed the exact same kind of pajamas, as did the other two. The boy stared, his eyes examining what differences there might have been between the clothes, but he could not find any.
"Wow, we have great taste!" Feimei, the eldest sister said winking. Syaoran laughed a bit, amazed that his sisters could pick out exactly the same thing for him. Meilin sauntered in with a grin and gave her dear cousin a gentle, yet suffocating hug before the special cake had been centered on the table. The chocolate morsel was beautifully decorated, and Syaoran felt his mouth water.
Decadent chocolate icing covered every inch of the cake, and drawn on the cake with yellow icing were moons and roses. Around the base of the cake was Syaoran's name written around the edges and lined in green. And to top it all off, the traditional birthday candles were already placed and lit.
Syaoran flashed a grateful smile towards his family.
"Thank you, everyone. I appreciate everything you have done for me," Syaoran said bowing in respect. Yelan took the opportunity to reveal her gift and placed a wooden box on the table, adorned with gold chinese engravings.
When he opened the the lid, hidden within it was a gold medallion with the recognizable Li clan symbol. It may have seemed like an ordinary medallion, but there was much more to this golden symbol than what could be said in words. Syaoran recognized it almost immediately, and his eyes were like saucers at the sight of it.
"This is…" Syaoran started.
"It's the medallion your father used to wear…he would want you to have it," Yelan finished. Syaoran could only smile, since this gift was very precious.
Unknown to the happy family, Kyo's spirit was watching as well. Although, Kyo could feel that he was not the only one watching them. Kyo did remain happy for long, and he glared through the darkness of the woods nearby, spotting a pair of petrifying red eyes. However, as quickly as Kyo had seen them, they had disappeared.
Kyo, realizing that the presence was now gone, turned his attention back to his family. He smiled as they sang 'Happy Birthday' to Syaoran and laughed lightly in amusement as Syaoran blushed in embarrassment. When the song was done, they eagerly awaited for Syaoran to blow out the candles.
"Make a wish!" Meilin yelled. Syaoran closed his eyes, focusing on what to wish for. As a thought came into his head, he made the wish and knew exactly what he truly desired this year.
'I wish Sakura was here...' Syaoran thought as he made the wish.
He blew out all fourteen candles effotlessly in one blow.
"Happy fourteenth Birthday, Syaoran!" the whole family said in unison.
"Now, before we all eat cake, it's time to give you the second part of your gift!" Meilin said. Syaoran watched carefully as Meilin walked out of the room, wondering what it was that she had kept hidden from him until now.
He then saw her walking back in, but she did not come in alone…the whole room gasped in surprise. The person who walked into the room was…Sakura Kinomoto.
End of Chapter Three
Lilover131: how was that chapter? And the big question is "What will Syaoran's response be to this? And there will be a lot of stuff coming up, so keep reading! Please send reviews!