Lilover131: Hi everyone! I hope you all liked the last chapter! OMG, I'M SO SO SORRY FOR MESSING UP ON THE ANNIVERSARY DATE. I read that it said the 27th and posted that on the last chapter. Then, somehow I thought I read it wrong and thought it was the 28th. Stupid me. It WAS the 27th! So I'm really sorry for the day-late chapter! Please don't hate me! I've been so brain dead lately. Lol. Anyways, here's chapter thirty-eight of Cry of a Wolf!
Cry of a Wolf-Chapter Thirty-eight: Family History
Slowly, the door of the house creaked open. A figure stood before Syaoran, Sakura, and the bodyguards. As the light from outside illuminated the person, it was revealed to be a woman. The woman appeared fairly old, but not too old. She had straight silver hair down to midneck, and her eyes were a dark shade of blue. She had very few wrinkles in her pale skin and wore white and red robes. She was gorgeous. Sakura could see much kindness in the woman's smile. Her smile only brightened when her eyes drifted to Syaoran.
"Syaoran!!" the woman suddenly cried out as she embraced him tightly. The boy was caught by surprise, and he let out a gasp before muttering out a word.
"G-grandmother…" he said quietly. Sakura's eyes widened in shock.
'That's Syaoran's grandmother? She seems so young…' she thought.
"I missed you, Syaoran," the woman said. The boy lightly returned her embrace.
"I missed you too…" he said. It was a few moments later that the hug was broken. Syaoran's grandmother then took notice of Sakura, Ai, Lin, and Shui.
"Ah! You brought guests! Who might these pretty girls be, Syaoran?" she asked. The boy blushed bright red.
"These are my bodyguards, Ai, Lin, and Shui," he said gesturing to the three sisters. And then he gestured to Sakura.
"And this is Sakura…my girlfriend," he said a little hesitantly. The woman's eyes brightened beyond what Sakura thought was possible. Syaoran was suddenly embraced tightly again and swung around like a rag doll.
"Ah! My little Syao finally got a girlfriend! And a cute one too!" Sakura laughed and blushed at the same time. Finally, his grandmother released her smothering hold on him and ushered the group inside the cozy home. Syaoran sighed in relief that he could breathe again before entering the living room of his grandmother's house. Sakura could smell a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen close by, and the other rooms smelled of calming potpourri. The rooms were decorated in dark blue furniture and mahogany wood tables. Antiques and trinkets surrounded the area, and the walls were a light sky blue color to add to the calming effect. A large mirror lie over the fireplace mantelpiece. On the mantelpiece were many candles and family photos. Sakura was utterly fascinated by the home.
"Please make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in a minute with tea and some treats," said Syaoran's grandmother. Syaoran sighed. She may have seemed happy now, but he knew he would see that saddened look sooner or later. Sakura and the bodyguards were quick to sit on the couches, which were more comfortable than the average one. The emerald eyed girl could not help but notice her loved ones nervous look.
"Syaoran, are you all right?" she asked. He nodded.
"I'm all right," he said as he walked around and gazed at the items in the room. Each one brought back memories of the past. These memories lightened his uneasiness little by little.
"You're grandmother is so pretty Xiao-Lang-sama!" said the bodyguards. Syaoran gave a light laugh.
"She is, isn't she? She's always been that way. In fact…she hasn't changed much at all, even upon old age," he said with a smile. Sakura grinned at the happy look he had etched on his face. His grandmother obviously meant a lot to him.
'I wonder why he had the sad look on his face earlier though…' Sakura thought. Perhaps she had just imagined things. Sooner than expected, the light smile turned into a small frown again.
'Or maybe he's hiding his feelings…AGAIN!' Sakura thought. She'd have to confront him later. Suddenly, something white flew across the room and onto Syaoran's shoulder. He was surprised, but when he looked closer, he saw a small white bird perched on his arm.
"Ah! Xue (Chinese name meaning "snow")!" Syaoran cried out. He smiled when the bird lightly pecked at his cheeks to say hello. Another light laugh emerged from the tickling sensation the pet caused. Sakura smiled at the adorable scene. The bird looked into Syaoran's amber eyes with its tiny black ones.
"It seems that Xue missed you too!" said Syaoran's grandmother as she walked into the room with refreshments. The aroma that had once come from the kitchen now lingered in the living room.
"What's that wonderful smell?" Sakura asked. The woman smiled warmly.
"It's a Western recipe. They are called Brownies," she said. Syaoran's heart beat suddenly rose.
"I smell…chocolate…" he said quietly. Sakura could see his amber eyes glow from excitement. She couldn't help but giggle. His grandmother also laughed.
"I guess I had a feeling you were coming, so I made them especially for you," she said. Syaoran looked to her in surprise.
"..For me?" he asked. He was answered when a plate with a brownie was placed in his hands.
"Now sit and eat," she said. The boy simply blinked at the brownie before willingly sitting down. Plates and tea were handed to everyone before the woman sat down herself. Syaoran took the first bite. The taste was evident due to his wide grin. He did not say a word…he was obviously too busy eating. Sakura took the second bite, which had given off the same effect except for silence.
"Wow! This is so delicious!" Sakura said. The body guards also complimented the chef's skill. Syaoran's grandmother blushed lightly in embarrassment.
"Well, I'm glad you like it!"
Xue stole a crumb off of Syaoran's fork before he could eat it, which left a smile on every face in the room.
"Ah! I nearly forgot to introduce myself! I am Syaoran's grandmother, Li Xueman (Chinese name meaning "snowy grace")," said the woman.
"It's very nice to meet you Li-san!" Sakura said politely. Xueman laughed.
"Syaoran, you have such polite girlfriend!" she said. The couple blushed.
"Where did the two of you meet?" she asked. Syaoran took one more bite of his chocolate brownie before answering.
"We met in Japan," he said. Xueman's eyes widened slightly.
"You went to Japan to capture the Clow Cards, right?" she asked him. Syaoran nodded.
"So this is the famous Card Mistress," she said. Sakura blushed even more before nodding.
"H-how did you know she was the Card Mistress?" Syaoran asked. He had never told his grandmother about anything that happened in Japan. At least not yet…
"Your mother told me all about it," she said with a giggle. Syaoran blushed even more, if possible, and turned his face away to hide his embarrassment.
"Haha! You really are like your father, you know? He would always get so shy whenever I talked about him and girls," she said. Syaoran became calmer before he looked to his grandmother. She had a slightly saddened look on her face that soon turned into a smile again.
'There it was…that sad look. I knew coming here would only make her sad' he thought. Sakura took notice of the moment, and she also noticed Syaoran's uncomfortable expression.
"You know…your grandfather and I met in Japan too," Xueman said. Her grandson then looked to her in curiosity.
"Really?" he said. She nodded.
"We were both studying abroad. We first met when I caught him practicing magic in a forested area," she said. Her mind seemed to drift to the past.
"He was so surprised when he saw my magic too," she said with a laugh. Sakura's eyes widened.
"You have magic too?" she asked. Xueman nodded.
"It's not much…but it does come in handy. Syaoran's grandfather was quite the magician though. After all, he had some big shoes to fill to become the Li clan leader."
"Really? Was he really that strong?" Sakura asked.
"Oh, he was as strong as they come. However, he didn't use his powers very often. He said they were dangerous…" she said. It was then that Sakura had a déjà vu moment.
'Where have I heard this before?' Sakura thought. Suddenly, it came to her. Yelan had said the same thing on the hospital rooftop.
Flashback…
"Is the curse…what's giving him these powers?" Sakura asked. Eriol shook his head.
"I think I may have figured out what it is," Yelan said, grabbing everyone's attention. Eriol looked surprised.
"You know what this is?"
"The reason he didn't realize it was there…I think that these powers are an inheritance," Yelan said. Eriol eyebrows rose slightly.
"That is quite possible."
"Although, WHO did he inherit it from?" Eriol asked. The four sisters suddenly gasped.
"You don't mean…" they started. Yelan nodded.
"Your father…"Yelan said.
"I should have recognized it right away from the day Naraku showed up. He once had these powers. Although, he never did use them that often. He said that they were 'dangerous' to others," Yelan said.
"He didn't use them on the day Naraku showed up…because he no longer had it. It must have been passed on to Syaoran, which would explain what happened that day with him."
End of Flashback…
'So Syaoran's grandfather had it, then his father, and now Syaoran?' Sakura thought as she gazed at her boyfriend. He didn't seem all that effected from his grandmother's words. She wasn't very surprised. After all, he had been unconscious when the inheritance conversation happened. However, he did seem even more curious suddenly.
"So what happened next?" Sakura asked. Xueman laughed.
"We got married and had our son, who also did the same," she said.
"What happened to your husband?" Sakura asked. The woman gave a slightly saddened look.
"He died of illness. But he was happy till the very end…" she said. The emerald eyed girl smiled.
"I'm sure he was. You have such a wonderful family," she said. Xueman gave a very warm smile to the teenage girl.
"Thank You…"
Back at the Li mansion
Eriol was once again in the Li library restoring the once damaged book. This last line was taking an extra long time to restore.
"Dammit! It's almost like it doesn't want me to read the line!" Eriol yelled in frustration. That last word was precious to the meaning of the line. This one word could possibly tell him exactly what Syaoran was in for. However, the magic could simply not restore it.
'Perhaps there is some kind of magic keeping me from restoring it?' he thought. He recalled feeling a strange magic aura on it when he first found it.
"Could this magic aura be trying to restrain information about the inheritance?" Eriol whispered quietly to himself.
"You are correct," said a feminine voice. Eriol turned around to meet Kohaku a few feet away.
"Kohaku?" he said a little confused. A few moments later, he grinned.
"I figured there was something more about you. You're the balance maintainer, are you not?" he asked. Kohaku nodded.
"Yes. I figured you had already found me out," said XiaoLian.
"And Sakura knows too?"
"Yes. You are quite bright, aren't you?"
Eriol laughed.
"I suppose I am. I have more than a lifetime of experience," he said. XiaoLian giggled lightly.
"You are just like Kyo said…"
This seemed to catch Eriol's attention.
"You are working with Syaoran's father?" he asked. Kohaku's nodded.
"He is concerned for his son. After all, he knows this curse the best."
Eriol became confused.
"Curse? But I thought this was an inheritance…" Eriol said. Kohaku then looked to the book he had been restoring.
"No…this is not a biological inheritance," she said.
"No matter who it is…the Li clan heir will always be the one to obtain the curse."
"If it is not an inheritance, then why does this book and Kyo say it is? If Kyo knows it the best…" Eriol started.
"The book misguides you into believing it is just genetic. You can't fight genetics, right? This a method used to keep the curse from being broken," XiaoLian said.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Well, if you think that it's something that can't be helped, then that would prevent someone from finding the right cure for the curse. They would be heading in the wrong direction."
"And what Kyo said?" Eriol asked. Why would Kyo say it was an inheritance if he knew it wasn't?
"Kyo did not want to get you involved. With such enemies around, he was not sure if you could be trusted quite yet. However, lately he has seen your great attempts to help Syaoran and recognized your usefulness. Therefore, I am allowed to give you this information," she said. Eriol laughed.
"He's quite cautious, isn't he?"
"When the sake of his son and possibly countless other lives are on the line, I think I can understand his reason to be careful," XiaoLian said in a serious tone. Eriol's azure eyes widened.
"…What can we do?" he asked. Kohaku's head lowered.
"I'm not quite sure. Syaoran's curse activated at such a young age. With that many emotions roaming in his body, having the curse active is incredibly dangerous. I have to use all my strength just to keep them stable enough to be fought. Once I run out of power…" she started. Eriol gulped. He had a bad feeling about what would happen if the balance broke. Then again, he already knew. That in itself was enough to worry.
"Until we find a cure…no matter what…we must not let those spirits get control!"
Lilover131: There we go! Finally done! I hoped you liked that chapter! I'm SOOOO sorry for the confusion about the anniversary. I still can't believe I messed up on dates that much! Argh! Anyways, I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can! Until then!