Once Upon Another Lifetime
Chapter One
"There is a letter for you son." Yelan said tapping lightly on the door to Syaoran's room.
The boy promptly jumped out of his bed and swung the door open to reveal his tall, lovely mother on the other side with a letter in hand.
He bowed to her respectfully, "Goodmorning mother."
She smiled, handing him the letter and then turned from the doorway sweeping down the hall to let him read. Syaoran tore hungrily at the envelope, he knew exactly who it was from and he had been awaiting a response for what seemed like ages.
Flinging himself on the bed, his heart beating wildly he read the letter.
Dear Syaoran,
Thank you for your last letter. I am glad you are still thinking of me all the way in China. I'm sorry I could not respond earlier, things around here have changed. Touya moved out with Yukito a month ago. Father has fallen ill and Tomoyo has been helping me take care of him. There is more.. I don't know how to say this but, I don't think we should continue writing to each other for a while. You see, it has been 3 years since we have seen each other, Syaoran, and you confirmed in your last letter that you couldn't come to visit this summer..again. I can't continue waiting, like I promised so long ago. I only found out a week ago from Chiharu that Tomoyo is in love with me and had been for years. Why didn't anybody tell me this? I confronted her about it, she told me everything and now..well.. now, we are together. She has been a big comfort for me, during our time apart and during my father's sickness..I owe everything to her and I only felt it fair that I should tell you now. I have enclosed in this letter something for you to remember me by..
Syaoran searched in the envelope and pulled out the Hope card.
..It was the last card we made together, and I only wish it's light never fades in your hands. Please forgive me Syaoran, I'll never forget you, and I'll always be here for you..I can promise at least that much.
Take care,
Kinomoto Sakura
Syaoran hung his head in the darkness of his room, as his grip around the card tightened.
"Don't be silly Xiao-Lang! I broke our contract, I'm not going to go back on my word, you know how I am about things like that." Meiling said crossing her arms later that day in the garden courtyard.
"You know mother will push it, she wants to see me engaged..the family line continued.." Syaoran sighed blowing off a fallen cherry blossom from his nose.
Meiling blushed suddenly as if remembering a past memory. Syaoran's eyebrows raised curiously.
"What? What is it?"
"Well..how could you have continued the family line if you were attracted to Yukito back then?" Meiling smirked.
Syaoran's jaw hung open in thought, a warm breeze blowing in the silence.
"Good point, but I was young and stupid in those days..I have to take this sort of thing seriously now." he lectured.
Meiling pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed, "I suppose it was just the curse of the Clow blood in us."
Syaoran shifted in his seat, "Curse of the Clow blood? What do you mean?"
Meiling pulled both her hands over her mouth in sudden realization of what she said. Syaoran shot up off his seat and crossed the distance between them. Resting his hands on her shoulders he shook her softly.
"Meiling Li..you're hiding something from me.Tell me, what did you mean by that?"
His cousin shook her head, her eyes wide. He pried her hands off her mouth.
"Tell me!"
She finally shrugged her shoulders in defeat, motioning for him to follow her. Before long they were standing in the extensive library of the Li mansion.
"What are we doing here?" Syaoran said eyeing her oddly.
She pressed a single finger to her lips and pulled him in-between two shelves.
"Shhh..I couldn't tell you about this in the garden where one of your sisters might have been listening. Now just hold on, let me see here.." Meiling said turning her attention to the shelves and running her fingers along the spines of several books.
"Encyclopedia..encyclo...pedia.." she murmmered shuffling sideways on her feet and up on her tiptoes looking through the rows.
"Aha!" she exclaimed as she skipped between encyclopediea's pulling books out in turn.
"C.." she said pulling out book C halfway, "L..O..W!"
When the last book was pulled a tapestry on the far wall rolled up and revealed a secret door in the section of wall underneath it.
"What the hell?" Syaoran exclaimed as he watched the door open and Meiling climb through it.
He had no time to wonder as he found himself instantly follow her in. They climbed down various dark steps. Torches on the wall lit themselves as they approached and passed them.
"We must be hundreds of feet under the mansion!" Syaoran speculated.
Meiling only nodded trudging on. Before long they reached a wide bricked room, circular in design. In the middle stood a pedastal of stone mysteriously lighted to showcase a single thick book. She walked around to the face of it, pulling Syaoran along with her.
"Diary?" Syaoran said as he read off the cover of the book.
Meiling nodded, "I found this room when I was searching in the library for books on Clow's past."
Syaoran gave her a quizzical look.
Meiling elaborated, "Well, you know I have always been interested in magic, always searching for a loop hole or something that would help someone of Clow's indirect lineage to possess some kind of magical skill."
Syaoran nodded urging her to go on.
"Well...I became even more interested in Clow himself after meeting Yue, learning about Eriol, and Sakura becoming the Card Mistress. So..I looked up as much info as I could and eventually, rummaging through the library with a mishap or two, I found this room and then this..his diary."
"So what does it say?" Syaoran said studying the book from afar.
Meiling took the thick book from it's pedestal. She looked down at it, studying the cover of it closely as if she was thinking something over in her head. Then with a confident smile she turned to Syaoran and held it out for him.
"I think it's time you read it for yourself and then maybe..you might understand who you are a little more."
The game had just gotten interesting and there was no way he was going to let this chance go. A chance to get into the head and life of his idol and a chance to discover things about himself in the process was too good to pass up.