1.1 --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/dearsakura-23.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,249 @@
     1.4 +Dear Sakura
     1.5 +by Amazoness Duo and G.P.
     1.6 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
     1.7 +pearsong1954@yahoo.com
     1.8 +
     1.9 +Waiting for the taxi to take him to the airport, Syaoran worked up
    1.10 +the courage to tell his mother about the trip. Since he was a small
    1.11 +child, the Illustrious Head of the August House of Li had frightened
    1.12 +him. He grew up secretly envious of his sisters, whom Ieran indulged
    1.13 +extravagantly. His portion of love seemed meager and sparse, and
    1.14 +nothing he did could satisfy or please her. Her training in the
    1.15 +martial and magical arts was harsh and exacting. Though not so
    1.16 +thorough as to enable him to beat his cousin, he thought through his
    1.17 +pain with a wince. Once he had asked her in tears why she was so mean
    1.18 +to him. For a brief instant he saw her face soften with pity, but
    1.19 +then the aloof and impassive countenance returned. She told him he
    1.20 +was the successor to the House of Li, the most noble and powerful
    1.21 +family in all of Hong Kong. Therefore, he must be strong, or the
    1.22 +House would suffer when he rose to lead it. At first he had hated the
    1.23 +training, and the pain, and the constant sense that what he did was
    1.24 +never quite enough.  Why couldn't he be like his sisters, enjoying
    1.25 +the tender affection of a Mother, instead of a scorned and neglected
    1.26 +son? In the end, he realized that only by measuring up to her lofty
    1.27 +standards could he please her, and win her love. So, he dedicated his
    1.28 +young life to perfecting the requisite skills to become the most
    1.29 +powerful of sorcerers. When she sent him to Japan to investigate the
    1.30 +presence of Clow Reed's long lost cards, he went determined to
    1.31 +succeed. But did not. He had failed.
    1.32 +
    1.33 +Looking at the bed he shared with his wife, he felt a spasm of pure
    1.34 +anger. She had bested him, capturing the Cards with ridiculous ease.
    1.35 +A girl. A Japanese schoolgirl had turned out to be the successor to
    1.36 +the mightiest magician in the entire world. Nearly overmastered by
    1.37 +his fear of failure, he dreaded returning to Hong Kong. But instead
    1.38 +of rage he met indifference, as if she regarded the turn of events as
    1.39 +unsurprising and trivial. Indeed, when the girl showed up in Hong
    1.40 +Kong his mother treated her as an honored guest, even bestowing a
    1.41 +farewell kiss. It shocked and irritated him, but he knew enough to
    1.42 +see that his mother now recognized the girl as Mistress of the Cards.
    1.43 +Before leaving again for Japan, he asked her why she had conceded so
    1.44 +much to such a silly girl. She looked at him with a rare fury, and
    1.45 +for a moment he thought she would actually strike him. Angrily she
    1.46 +told him never again to show such disrespect to the Mistress of the
    1.47 +Cards. He was fortunate beyond his worth to act as her servant, she
    1.48 +said, and from now on should remember his proper place. Crushed at
    1.49 +first, he came to accept his role as Sakura's helper, and even found
    1.50 +himself attracted to the girl. His love for the mysterious, fair-
    1.51 +haired Yukito waned as he and Sakura captured and transmuted the
    1.52 +Cards. The more the two Cardcaptors were together, the stronger his
    1.53 +love waxed. It pleased him that she accepted his help, and he gloried
    1.54 +in the knowledge that without him she would have failed time and
    1.55 +again. It was obvious she needed him, and her frantic race to deliver
    1.56 +the teddy bear before he flew back to Hong Kong showed her love as
    1.57 +well. 
    1.58 +
    1.59 +As love grew across the distance, he felt for the first time in his
    1.60 +life the power he had always desired. Unlike his mother, Meiling, or
    1.61 +even his teasing older sisters, Sakura depended on him. Yet it wasn't
    1.62 +until the Daidouji girl mentioned marriage that the thought of making
    1.63 +her his wife occurred to him. She was right, of course, for they were
    1.64 +meant to be together. With that, the Mistress of the Cards was his,
    1.65 +and everything came full circle. This marriage was right, despite
    1.66 +what Meiling and their Grandfather and even his Mother thought. H had
    1.67 +captured the heart of Clow Reed's successor. This was the mark of his
    1.68 +true power. Of course, it had still been, well, difficult to break
    1.69 +the news to his Mother. Thus, the marriage took place in Japan, with
    1.70 +no notice given to his own kin. After a month's honeymoon, he
    1.71 +returned to Hong Kong to face his Mother's wrath. Surprisingly, she
    1.72 +showed no sign of anger; seemingly regarding what was done as done.
    1.73 +She treated Sakura with the same cold aloofness as her son, which
    1.74 +was, he thought, a fitting and proper relationship for a mother-in-
    1.75 +law and her unworthy daughter-in-law. All seemed well until that
    1.76 +meddlesome Daidouji girl had come and upset everything. The
    1.77 +nondescript girl was at everyone's center of attention, and even
    1.78 +merited a grander banquet than his own bride. Not that his clueless
    1.79 +spouse would care about such things, he brooded. When he asked his
    1.80 +sister why Mother had put on such a splendid banquet for some little
    1.81 +rich girl from Japan, Fanren looked at him with a shocked contempt he
    1.82 +had never seen her show. She said that Mother had done a long and
    1.83 +complex water prophecy, and that the woman was of overwhelming
    1.84 +importance to the House of Li. She asked him sharply that if Mother
    1.85 +had so determined, did he think she deserved any less? He snorted his
    1.86 +derision, remaining baffled by his family's treatment of a mere
    1.87 +friend of his wife. But now he wondered about her importance, because
    1.88 +it seemed she was at the root of his flighty wife's sudden
    1.89 +disappearance. That would cast her in a new light entirely, for
    1.90 +whoever stood in the way of the Heir to the House of Li was an enemy
    1.91 +to be struck down without mercy.
    1.92 +
    1.93 +The righteous anger he had worked up vanished like a morning mist as
    1.94 +he stood on the threshold of his Mother's study. Swallowing his fear
    1.95 +as best he could, he knocked softly. After informing the idiotic
    1.96 +flying teddy bear that he had to tell his Mother he was leaving, the
    1.97 +so-called Beast of the Seal laughingly promised to rescue him if he
    1.98 +didn’t return in half an hour. From deep within he heard his mother's
    1.99 +silken, iron voice answer his knock,
   1.100 +
   1.101 +"Come in."
   1.102 +
   1.103 +Syaoran entered, eyes adjusting to the dim candlelight that
   1.104 +illuminated the windowless room. She was hunched over a yellowed
   1.105 +scroll etched in odd, shimmering characters. He felt his stomach
   1.106 +tighten with the realization he was interrupting her research.
   1.107 +Clearing his throat, he managed to stammer out,
   1.108 +
   1.109 +"Sakura is gone."
   1.110 +
   1.111 +His Mother slowly turned to face him, taking off a pair of delicate
   1.112 +spectacles as she carefully regarded him. In a calm, quiet voice that
   1.113 +demanded attention, she asked, "What do you mean, gone?"
   1.114 +
   1.115 +He looked at the floor, feeling the helplessness of childhood wash
   1.116 +over him again. Trying to sound like a concerned husband baffled by a
   1.117 +hopeless wife, he answered, "I don't know for sure, but I think she
   1.118 +went back to Japan. I think it has something to do with the Daidouji
   1.119 +girl."
   1.120 +
   1.121 +He peeked up and saw his Mother smiling at him. Like a snake ready
   1.122 +to strike, he thought, and felt anger and fear at his helplessness.
   1.123 +Smiling, she purred, 
   1.124 +
   1.125 +"Yes, I know."
   1.126 +
   1.127 +Startled, he blurted out, "Then why didn't you tell me? Why did she
   1.128 +go like that?"
   1.129 +
   1.130 +Gazing at him like a long-suffering teacher with a particularly
   1.131 +dense pupil, she replied flatly, "As for the latter, I don't know,
   1.132 +exactly. As for why I didn't tell you, it is for the good of the
   1.133 +House that you not interfere. And for your good, too, for that
   1.134 +matter."
   1.135 +
   1.136 +His anger overmastered his caution, and in a demanding voice he shot
   1.137 +back, "How can she do this to me? She can't leave me like this."
   1.138 +
   1.139 +His Mother regarded him silently, letting his anger surge, and then
   1.140 +dissipate, leaving him flustered and faintly ridiculous. She spoke in
   1.141 +a neutral tone, again the patient teacher, "Syaoran, she should never
   1.142 +have been here in the first place. If that woman can undo the damage
   1.143 +you have wrought, a thousand banquets would not suffice for my
   1.144 +gratitude."
   1.145 +
   1.146 +Syaoran starred with wide eyes and open mouth. Utterly at a loss for
   1.147 +words, he slumped into the nearest chair, forgetting the etiquette of
   1.148 +standing in the presence of the Head of the House. Had he not been so
   1.149 +stunned, the trembling young man might have detected a trace of pity
   1.150 +in her voice as she continued,
   1.151 +
   1.152 +"You thought you never asked for my permission to wed because I
   1.153 +would have said no, as indeed I would have. But you yourself also
   1.154 +knew it was wrong, or you would have stood up to me for what was
   1.155 +right. That is how I raised you, and for all your flaws that is how
   1.156 +you are. Your courage comes from doing what is right, but you married
   1.157 +secretly, like a coward. That in itself doomed you both, but it was
   1.158 +even worse than that. You were graced by fortune to be servant to the
   1.159 +Mistress of the Cards. For someone of your meager strength, that was
   1.160 +a far better portion than you deserved. But you wanted more. You
   1.161 +lusted for power you could not have. That explains your attraction to
   1.162 +Yue in his false form, and your selfish desire to make Clow Reed’s
   1.163 +noble successor your humble wife. All this without a single thought
   1.164 +of the consequences for her, or this House, or even yourself. It is
   1.165 +said there is nothing more dangerous than a weak fool. You have
   1.166 +proved the sage wise by your reckless actions."
   1.167 +
   1.168 +Syaoran burned with humiliation at his Mother's words. He stared at
   1.169 +the floor, and replied in a voice laced with anger, "She loves me.
   1.170 +And I love her."
   1.171 +
   1.172 +The cold fury of his Mother's rejoinder shook him, "Don't speak to
   1.173 +me of 'love'. You have no conception of what you are saying. Sakura
   1.174 +loves everyone. That is her nature. But you love her power, not her.
   1.175 +That “Daidouji girl”, as you call her, could teach you a lesson in
   1.176 +what real love is. She cheerfully sacrificed her life for the one she
   1.177 +loves. What did you sacrifice? Like a greedy miser, you could only
   1.178 +take what you longed for, without a thought or care for anyone but
   1.179 +yourself." 
   1.180 +
   1.181 +Ieran sighed, feeling the mounting weight of years and
   1.182 +responsibilities. Her whispery voice was almost plaintive, "Why
   1.183 +didn't you ask me? You at least owed me that much, though perhaps it
   1.184 +would not have mattered in the end. How can a blind man see the cliff
   1.185 +that approaches?'
   1.186 +
   1.187 +The two sat silent in the near dark for several long minutes.
   1.188 +Syaoran fought back tears as he finally whispered, "I know she loves
   1.189 +me."
   1.190 +
   1.191 +Ieran's voice was surprisingly gentle, "Pray that she knows her
   1.192 +heart at last, and that it is not to late for all of us." 
   1.193 +
   1.194 +Watching her son carefully, the woman rose and walked lightly to the
   1.195 +door, locking it with a heavy metallic chungk. Striding to the center
   1.196 +of the room, she stood in front of a golden bowl filled with water.
   1.197 +Gesturing for her son to stand by the bowl across from her, she
   1.198 +softly began to sing and chant. Syaoran, recognizing the words of a
   1.199 +powerful and dangerous spell, felt a ripple of fear as his Mother
   1.200 +waved her hands above the shimmering surface. The bowl began to
   1.201 +vibrate and sing in odd harmony with her voice. The young man stood
   1.202 +silent, in awe of the magic that billowed through the room. He felt
   1.203 +an odd metallic tang in his mouth, and caught an overripe scent of
   1.204 +something both sweet and foul. His eyes made out vague shapes in the
   1.205 +water, flickering images like projections on a liquid movie screen.
   1.206 +He strained to see the figures as they coalesced, and was startled to
   1.207 +see Sakura dressed all in white, like mourner. Her sudden wailing
   1.208 +chilled him, as if she were some mindless animal in agony. Like a
   1.209 +madwoman she beat her hands bloody on a dark gravestone, and then he
   1.210 +saw himself pulling her away as she keened and sobbed. The image
   1.211 +shifted and blurred, and next he saw the Card Mistress dressed in an
   1.212 +odd, half-finished costume, like that girl used to sew for her. The
   1.213 +Cards danced about her, chained with iron, howling in pain as she
   1.214 +swept the air with her staff. The staff had become a monstrous
   1.215 +scythe, fiery and alive, infused with a cruel and vengeful will. Her
   1.216 +magic roiled and blossomed in an obscene wave of sheer power. The
   1.217 +emerald eyes were blank and dull, but amidst the terrible storm he
   1.218 +heard her lifeless voice,
   1.219 +
   1.220 +"Bring her back to me."
   1.221 +
   1.222 +This vision swiftly gave way to a horrifying vista of destruction,
   1.223 +as the house he had grown up in was torn apart by the furious
   1.224 +tempest. Soon other buildings were swept into the maelstrom, and the
   1.225 +entire City was consumed in a holocaust of wind and fire. The last
   1.226 +image was a graveyard, stones and bodies torn from the groaning earth
   1.227 +and swept into the throbbing, black sky. He fell back, faint and
   1.228 +sick, staggering to the wall where he slumped to the floor and
   1.229 +cowered in fear. His Mother struggled with the spell, and in a
   1.230 +supreme effort banished the awful images to wherever they had come.
   1.231 +Pale drained, she managed to walk imperiously and confront her son.
   1.232 +Her voice was shaky but still commanding,
   1.233 +
   1.234 +"Since your ill-begotten marriage I have lived with this nightmare.
   1.235 +Pray to all the spirits of our illustrious ancestors that it remains
   1.236 +but a dream. Now, leave me."
   1.237 +
   1.238 +As her son walked unsteadily out the door, the woman dropped to the
   1.239 +chair and held her head with shaking hands. Blanketed by the
   1.240 +throbbing pain of a merciless headache, her mind was consumed in
   1.241 +black hatred,
   1.242 +
   1.243 +"Damn you, Clow Reed. Damn you for all you have done."
   1.244 +
   1.245 +Syaoran walked down the hallway, the shock of what he had seen
   1.246 +slowly wearing off. His anger surged anew, fed by a righteous rage at
   1.247 +his abandonment by Sakura, and by the Daidouji woman's stealing her
   1.248 +away. Under his breath the defiant husband resolved,
   1.249 +
   1.250 +"I'll bring her back. She loves me. She's mine."     
   1.251 +
   1.252 +   
   1.253 \ No newline at end of file