So here I am. Starting with a clean slate. Still being a sadistic cow, though. Yes, cliffhangers are lovely, aren't they? XD

Rundown: Remain trapped forever, or lose his life? When Syaoran renounces his title and position, the Elders can no longer trust him with classified information. They want him dead. Now Syaoran Li's only chance of survival lies with the woman whose heart he broke more than eight years ago. 

But how far is Sakura willing to go to help a friend in need? And how far are the Elders willing to go to get what they want in the end?

~~~~~~~~~~ Character change

-------------------- Gap in time but same character

We're leaving here tonight
There's no need to tell anyone
They'd only hold us down
So by the morning light
We'll be half way to anywhere
Where love is more than just your name

                - Origin, Evanescence

He stood at the altar, watching with baited breath as the bride glided slowly forward in time to the triumphant march, swathed in smooth crimson silk trimmed with gold. She looked breathtaking, her usual odangos replaced with lustrous raven curls cascading onto her shoulders, her sparkling ruby eyes matching the colour of her Chinese-style dress.

Her smile was radiant throughout the whole ceremony – he'd honestly never seen her shine so much in his life. She was glowing as she made her vows.

"…And do you, Li Meiling, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, for rich and for poor, in sickness and in health, 'til death do you part?"

She met his eye – a fleeting look really, but one that held volumes. One that radiated gratitude and said 'thank you with all my heart' – before she took a deep breath.

"I do."

= = = = = = = = = =

Fall From Grace

Great Expectations

= = = = = = = = = =

  By the light of the moon, he wandered into the crisp night air, taking in the sweet fragrance of peony and lotus that lingered among the bitter stench of regulation. Tinkling laughter and melodious music drifted toward him from inside, filling him with that familiar sense of dread, before soft, slender fingers covered his line of sight and he visibly relaxed again.

"I didn't think you'd come," he murmured, her fingers falling away as he turned to stare into her breathtaking, emerald eyes, feeling familiarity well up inside him.

"And why wouldn't I?" she teased, placing her hands on her hips haughtily before pecking him lightly on the cheek. He inwardly winced as her lips met cheekbone, where the cane had hit him. He honestly didn't know how long the Elders would tolerate his refusal of marriage, but their patience was certainly wearing thin. "Caterers have been in and out of here for the past few weeks."

" And here I thought you actually cared about me," he pouted in mock-hurt. 

She laughed that unrestrained laugh that he loved. "Oh, I do," she assured him. "You know they'd never let me in there. And besides, this is how we met, remember?"

He remembered.

  Kim Hall had been breathtaking, as if it had come straight out of a fairy tale.  Little fairy lanterns hung from sturdy branches, casting an ethereal glow amongst the vast expanse of lush greenery. The marble cherubim, in all its modestly naked glory winked down at him from atop the gushing, ornately carved pillar, as if it held a secret within its lifeless form. Watching as the moonlight shimmered against the water's surface, dissolving now and again as the water rained in a downward torrent, he could only nod in uncomfortable acknowledgement to the other guests and wait for the night to end.

And then he'd met her, who had been much more – so much more – than the spoilt, conceited heiress he'd envisioned. It had been her eyes – eyes like those had ensnared him once before and they'd done it again.

They were fringed with long, red lashes and regarded him with an impish twinkle. "Go on," she'd encouraged. "I'm supposed to come here and charm you with my sex appeal, and you're supposed to fall head over heels in love with me and woo me with misused Shakespearean words."

Minh Ji Kim, he'd been told, was as brazen as she was beautiful. Completely improper and rebellious, despite her respectable upbringing.

He'd merely chuckled, not knowing what to think of this unorthodox introduction, and at the same time feeling drawn to this strange person.

Just like he was drawn to her now. Even stripped of her wealth, her title, her home. Even then, she was his, no matter what anybody said. He'd lost somebody he'd loved once before – and he damn well wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

"If they catch us," he murmured, his eyes darting toward the brightly-lit window in case anybody was watching them. "We'll be in deep shit."

"I'll be in deep shit," she corrected, the bitterness – although she tried to hide it – evident in her tone. She'd lost everything for him. Why couldn't he do the same for her? "Nobody could ever think wrongly of the future leader of the Li Clan."

The snub hurt him like a dagger through his heart. If he could, he'd move mountains for her, but if he left…there would be no stopping them from taking what was rightfully hers. An image of soft, chin-length auburn hair and laughing, emerald eyes flashed through his mind before he banished the thought away.

Never, he reminded himself silently.

"Besides, I'll just tell them I was whoring around with the gardener."

He squeezed his eyes shut, shocked at her words. Sometimes her bluntness could be painful.

"It's the truth," she murmured, her indifferent façade giving way to a much more fragile, breakable Minh. One he longed to take into his arms and hide from the rest of the world. "That's all they'll ever think of me now, isn't it Syaoran? All I'll ever be now is a filthy slut trying to sneak her way into the Clan. All because of that one freakin' night…"

Her words petered out and she clamped her mouth closed, regretting the words the instant she saw guilt wash over his face.

"God, I'm sorry Minh. We should – I should have never…"

"No." She shook her head forcefully, knowing that their wonderful evening had come to an end. "I don't regret it…and I hope you don't either."

Although she tried to fight them back, tears began to prick at her eyelids as she let him embrace her once more.

"Meet me at Dermott's – tomorrow at two," he whispered into her ear. And then she was gone, leaving him grasping nothing but air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"…and with all the strength she had left, she leapt over the chasm separating her from her one true love and into his arms. The End."

Kokoro yawned sleepily, her eyelids drooping no matter how much she fought to keep awake. "And then what happened?" she persisted, eager to hear more about the magical girl and her mysterious cards. "It can't end there! What happened to her best friend, and her brother, and her special stuffed animal?"

 Sakura toyed with the end of the small yellow plushie by her niece's bedside and hid a small sigh. She'd had a stuffed animal like this one before. It would stay asleep for years to come, trapped in the old, magic-bound book inside her desk. Trust Tomoyo to bring back old memories. She'd always been one to drop clever hints, but nothing would ever change Sakura's mind. The Cards were part of her past now. As was…

"Once Hope came, they all woke up from their slumber. And everything changed back to how it had been. Now go to sleep, or your father will have my head." She kissed Kokoro's forehead affectionately and reached over to turn off the light. "He used to be very protective of me too."

Her niece's small hand grabbed her own as she turned to go. "What happened to the Cherry Blossom and the Wolf?" she demanded. "Did they get married and have children?"

For a moment, Sakura let herself wonder what could have been.

"Yes," she whispered. "They grew up and got married, and had lots of wonderful children."

Satisfied with her answer, Kokoro succumbed to the call of her sleep and Sakura shut the door behind her, the truth echoing tauntingly in her mind.

The Wolf was called back home with a promise to the Cherry Blossom that he would come back for her. But he never did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Don't look so innocent, Mister!" Meiling hissed, digging her deep red claws into his forearm and steering him away from the crush of swooning women and out of listening ears.

For somebody who was six months pregnant, she sure as hell still had a lot of fire in her. Wasn't she supposed to be hurling tonight's Duck l'orange into the toilet bowl by now, Syaoran wondered.

"Aunt Iewan has been looking for you for the past half hour! Where have you been?" she demanded, hands planted firmly on her hips.

The confident smirk hid the panic in his heart. "I went for a bit of fresh air," he answered smoothly. "Too much perfume." To emphasize his comment, he fanned himself with his hand. It was true. It really was stuffy in there. He'd just neglected to tell his cousin a few little details.

"Bullshit," she seethed. "Don't think I didn't see you holding What's-her-face and being all lovey-dovey with her."

He frowned. "If you knew the answer already, why'd you bother asking me?" he demanded, clearly annoyed. "I'm 21. Not some little baby that needs everybody poking their noses in my business. What's it matter to you, anyway? At least you can marry whomever you wish without so many huge arguments."

Meiling sighed, her features softening.

It had killed him each and every day to know that Sakura would hate him more and more each passing year. Even if he didn't show it even if he tried to hide it for the sake of his family.

"Syaoran. I know you still have feelings for her. But you did the right thing. For her, for yourself…for everyone." It was all she could do. All she could say, because she didn't believe it at all. Didn't believe the bullshit that was coming out of her mouth. If it had been right, why was Syaoran so miserable? Why were they so restricted from each other?

"No." He shook his head stubbornly. "Maybe I'm beginning to accept that fact. I've already lost her. I can't lose Minh.  I'm fighting for her 'til the end." His eyes blazed with determination – something she hadn't seen in such a long time – and it frightened her to see the reckless passion that burned fiercely in his amber orbs.

"The Clan went all out," she observed, steering the subject away from anything that could trigger reckless ideas. "I wish I'd been able to have one. Look at all that food!" Her eyes gleamed as she eyed the buffet table like a predator eyes its prey and was gone in a second.

He watched as Tan Wen sidled up to his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist before earning a playful swat from her as he teased her about how heavy she was getting.

For the first time, he let his jealousy consume him. He would give anything to be able to have what they had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One double mocha. One latte.

Table 6 took a sip of his double mocha, unaware that a pair of intense, ice-blue eyes watched him like a hawk, observing his every move behind a strategically placed day-old newspaper.

"Sir."

Table 9 almost jumped out of his skin and turned to glare irritably at the young, blonde waitress.

"Sir. You've been sitting there for the past half hour. I'm sorry, but strict policy is that if you don't order something, you should get out. We're a very busy café and other people want to sit down too."

"Fine, fine," he grumbled, annoyed at the interruption. "I'll have a cinnamon donut."

She jotted down his order and bounced perkily away, relieved that she hadn't had to deal with an impossible customer.

2:15. She was late.

Seconds later the bell jingled, signaling the entrance of a new customer. Table 6's lady friend. Finally.

Her eyes roved the café, searching, before they finally landed on the auburn-haired man toying absent-mindedly with his cup. With a cautious glance over her shoulder and purpose in her stride, she made her way to the table.

He leaned in to hear, wishing he'd picked a closer table.

Their voices were hushed and he could only make out a few words.

"Clan…leader…position…life…"

"Can't…home…family…"

"Us…new life…leave…plane…Japan…"

"Stay…good …friends…"

"Can't…need…out…sacrifice…for…you…"

"Sakura…"

"Help…"

"Life…together…sacrifice…everything…"

Table 9 leaned in a little closer.

"Think…together…one week…nearest airport…midnight…go…forever…"

Bingo.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Think about it. Our chance to be together. I'll give you one week to think about it. Meet me at the nearest airport at midnight.  If you're not there, I'll go. Out of your life forever.

The words echoed and re-echoed in his mind, haunting his every waking moment – perhaps his sleeping ones too. Her soft vanilla fragrance, the vulnerable look in her eyes, the unspoken words that had hung in the air between them – since when had he allowed these things to cloud his better judgment?

It was not for the first time that the irrepressible feeling churned in his gut; so familiar – he had tasted it time and again. Guilt. Regret. Remorse. But it had been the first time this feeling had been a result of his own wants.

God, what had he done?

All those years of suffering – had they been in vain? Had he lost Sakura only to have the Cards torn away from their rightful owner anyway? If so, what right had he, then, to expect her help in return?

Hadn't he promised – vowed to come back for her?

And now what?

Would he return to Japan and show up with somebody else on his arm, as if nothing but friendship – nothing at all – had transpired between them? As if…as if she had never meant anything to him.

--------------------

The car slowed to a halt by a small, dilapidated garage and Syaoran slumped against the seat, aware that somebody might have been following him throughout the seven and a half hour drive. It had taken him twice as long as the original route, but he'd doubled back more than twice for safety measures.

Squaring his shoulders he slammed the car door behind him

Dust rose into the air as the shambles of a metal door grated open and Syaoran breathed in the faint musty smell of mothballs and cigarettes. He sucked in his breath and surveyed the area around him. To be frank, it was a craphole. The peeling walls were covered in age-old graffiti, and glass lay in small shards on the floor where beer bottles had landed after somebody has angrily flung them across the room. So this is what Tan Wen's life had been like before he'd been converted into a honourable, upstanding citizen. Originally his brother-in-law had been adamant against giving him the address – something about not wanting to defy Meiling – but eventually he had reluctantly given in.

"Can I help you?"

He jumped and whirled around. A girl of about nineteen stood before him, her loose cargo pants hanging loosely against her hips. She crossed her arms, revealing a fiery dragon intertwining itself again and again around her right arm.

"There must be some mistake – I'm looking for a Lu Fow. Tan Wen said he'd be here."

The girl wiped her greasy hands on her pants and swore under her breath. "That fuck. Always giving me bullshit." She eyed him curiously and stuck out a hand to shake. "Lu Fow. As in Luann Fow. How can I be of service?"

He took a deep breath. There was no turning back now. "I'm willing to pay as much as it takes to get myself and my girlfriend two fake ID's by Friday."

She raised an eyebrow and grinned. "No problem. You got yourself a John Smith and a Jane Doe. Cash upfront, please." He handed her several bills and she whistled, removing a couple from the bunch and handing it back to him. "You've got the looks, so I'll go easy on ya. Tell Tan Wen if he ever wants to come back to lil ol' me he's welcome anytime. But then, last I heard he was getting lucky with some rich bitch. Kudos to him."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date of Departure

On a night like this one couldn't help but gape in awe at the splendour of Kim Hall. Pity she'd never really appreciated it when she'd had the chance. Perhaps she was only seeing its beauty now that she was leaving it forever. No more going back. She checked her watch. 11:15

She had forty-five minutes to make it back to her apartment, gather all her belongings and head to the airport. Her footsteps were quick and filled with purpose and as she fumbled with the keys to her apartment she couldn't help but feel the excitement well up inside her.

Syaoran and I for the rest of our lives. Together, forever were her happy thoughts before her mouth was covered by a gloved hand and a gun was pointed at her head.

"Minh Ji Kim. Come with me."

-------------

She'd never thought she could hate anybody so much in her life, but as she lay on the cold hard floor, her screams and threats muffled by a gag, staring up at four equally cold hard faces she knew that if she was given half the chance she would blow all their brains to hell.

Fuck you, she wanted to scream. Go to hell.

The grandfather clock chimed its first chime of midnight and she felt the tears well up in her eyes.

Twelve

Syaoran will think I didn't want to go with him.

Eleven.

It's too late.

Ten

I hate them. I hate them all!

Nine.

They ruined everything…everything

Eight.

My family…

Seven.

My friends…

Six.

My life…

Five.

Syaoran…

With the tears blurring her vision she didn't see – couldn't see the revolver pointing steadily at her. And perhaps, even if she had, she wouldn't care. It was a very  broken Minh who lay on the floor that cold, dark night.

Four.

How I wish I could be with you, Syaoran.

Three.

I love you…

Two.

Always.

One

Silence

The face above her twisted into a cruel smirk. It had pleased him to rid the world of the foolish bitch. She had only herself to blame for getting herself into this mess, even when they'd warned her – multiple times – not to get involved with Syaoran. And she had only herself to blame that he would be next…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miles away Li Syaoran alias Nakago Yuuki boarded the 12:05 plane and left his life forever…

@/------^-----

Just a few notes:

In the very first paragraph (the very first one – the one with Meiling getting married) the aim was to get you to think she was marrying Syaoran. What she actually meant by that look was that she was thanking him for breaking off their engagement, because if they hadn't she wouldn't be marrying Tan Wen. See?

Both parties – the one at Kim Hall as well as the one at the Li Manor – were coming-of-age parties. This doesn't have to be accurate or true, but the way I figure it is that when somebody of high rank turns 21 the families hold a massive party and invite all eligible females/males for the person to choose from if they haven't found somebody by that age yet. Since Syaoran and Meiling broke off their engagement, Syaoran had to go through this, whereas Meiling states that she wished she could've had one because she was married off to Tan Wen beforehand.

Oh, and to claims that I've just created yet another cringe-worthy Mary-Sue, let me tell you something, Buster: I guess I have. I mean, not only is Minh pretty, but she's witty, rich, yet unaffected by her money, rebellious, follows her heart, can do some kick-ass fighting. One catch though – I killed her off. ^^ And that makes all the difference in the world. But maybe, just maybe she'll make some kind of reappearance. How does a redhead rock sound to you? Hmmmm? Don't you worry, guys. Minh serves only as a reason to fuel Syaoran's own desires to leave the clan. And as some kind of barrier between Sakura and Syaoran, of course, but what's a good relationship without some good fighting now and then?

Also, in the café Table 9 is a spy for the Elders who is watching Table 6 (Syaoran and later, Minh). With his refusal to marry the Elders sent someone to make sure Syaoran didn't do anything rash.

Have a say – take this poll and tell me what you want to read!

Where should Syaoran go next?

a) back to Japan, because he feels a strong connection with it. And of course, Sakura's there!

b) to England to find Eriol and seek his help

c) somewhere like…let's say Australia (I'm not biased, I swear!) so he can lie low and live his life incognito.

d) stay in China and face those damn Elders like a man! (which would pretty much ruin all the nice action-y parts I'd planned, but whatever…)

e) kill himself. Seriously. He could just be like, 'there's no point to my life. I can't take all this bullshit so I'm ending it now!' But where's the fun in that? ::pouts::

f) stay in China, be a complete wuss and get his position back as Future Clan Leader and Doormat of the Year.

Keep in mind that whoever picks the last three will get a long pole shoved up their ass and be roasted slowly, ever so slowly, over a spit.

- Spring