FF VII: Interrupted by Fireworks

ONE FROM FIVE
Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction
By MEE-NA	meen@asiaaccess.net.th

     Acknowledgment: 
Special Thanks To : 
     *  CLAMP 
     *  Wong Si Yuan: For very helpful suggestion
     *  All Home pages that give me the chance to post my fiction in.
Very Special Thanks To : All readers
-------------------------
All events in this fiction referred to manga only thus all characters form animation 
or movies would not be reserved  
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Part Two: Thinking
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The sun lingered up from horizon as every morning, shining its golden light was 
the sign of a new day began.  Living things was wakening by the sunlight.  Birds 
started to stretch their wings out for flying from their nest.  They used their sharp 
angelic voices they had, uttered in enchanting rhythmical, as if they were singing 
a song of nature. 

Tomoeda was immersed with the brightness of a new day as usual.  Someone 
was waking up as the light traveled to, while someone would be weaken up later.

Even so Shaolan did not wake up since he had not slept last night.  He just lied on 
his bed and viewed out the window in his bedroom.  He waited for a new day in 
Tomoeda was tardily created.

Shaolan sat on his bed, stood up and walked to bathroom.  He took a bath, 
brushed his teeth, practiced morning training.   All his is activities in this morning 
still like every morning, but after his eldest sister had told him he had to go home 
next week?no, six days, made all things dissimilar to him.

He clothed a light yellow apron, for preparing breakfast.  The boy's emotional 
states almost soften when his eyes snatched a piece of paper on dinning table 
that noted a concise massage to him.

     [To My Dear Brother;
      If you hungry in mid-night, your Ramen is in refrigerator.
      And please don't be so sad
               Love Fuutie.]

Shaolan respired, his knew his eldest sister worried about him.  He did not ever 
want his family to worry about him, but every time he tried to hide his sadness, his 
family also knew every time as well.

After the meals were prepared, Shaolan walked to, now, Fuutie's bedroom, in favor 
of calling her to ate breakfast.  When he opened the bedroom he saw his sister 
was sleeping comfortable on her new bed, with Shiki-chan which its stomach was 
encountering the ceiling of the room, lied more than comfortable beside its 
master's pillow.  

Seeing his sister and the magic creature were resting so well, he closed Fuutie's 
bedroom door.  The kindhearted boy did not want to disturb them. 

When Shaolan finished his meal?.not really finished by eating the meal, he 
finished it by staring and playing his meal to full.  He washed his plate and picked 
a piece of pager, wrote some note.

     [To Fuutie-oneesan;
      I am go to school.  If you wake up your breakfast is on dinning table.
      Don't worry anything about me, I'm fine.
               Shaolan]

He placed his note on the dinning table, grasped his school bag and opened the 
door in the main room.  Blocked Shaolan looked at the damaged door bolt.  He 
thought, 'I have to fix this bolt. '  He paused woefully, 'For the new tenant who'll 
live here after I leave. '  He gentle closed the door, went to school, which ending 
semester was coming in three days.

Sound of closed door woke Fuutie up.  She sat up sleepily, gazed through closing 
door of her bedroom and then Shiki-chan, which was ignorant sleeping.

Fuutie smiled, trickled its obviously seen stomach.  Her smile became a grinned 
when it did not wake up. Instead, it trundled itself like a rolled bucket.  When she 
gave the trickle attacks again, Shiki-chan also trundled its round body again.  
Sleeping Shiki-chan want to get away from something annoyed its happy sleep.  

At last, she gave up, allowed the drowsy magic creature performed its happy sleep.  
Fuutie stood up, stretched out her arms and opened her bedroom door, rode to 
the main room.  She picked a note Shaolan left to her to read the massage.

Young woman's face saddened after she read the note.   

Fuutie closed her eyes to think.  She had to take him back.  Everyone in family 
missed him.  'Li' clan needed him to go back and he knew he must.  She did not 
expect the situation to be like this.  When she had arrived here she had not told 
him the reason why she came, she wanted this news was surprised, the happy 
surprised for him that he could go home as his all duties had done.  

Yes, this news surprised the little boy, as she wanted to.  Only surprising that she 
got?

Since she realized that someone, who was in Japan, bounded her brother's heart, 
she was hesitated to take him back.  For Fuutie's point of view, she still thought that 
Shaolan should go home.  He was only a ten years old boy, even he acted as if he 
was not.  He stilled was a kid that should go home, go back to the clan, go back to 
their family. 

She sighed, put the note down on the table, gazing at the door that her little brother 
had left.  She shook her head to clear her thought, reached to her handbag.  
She plucked two piece of paper note.  One noted Shaolan's dwelling in Japan.  
Another one was noted an address she was going to go.  

She walked to bathroom for taking a bath, she thought, it was time to wake sleepy 
Shiki-chan up to go out with her to find the traces of the place she was going to 
go, made sure she would not get lose.


* * * * * * * * *     


Shaolan was walking lazy on street side; it was the way to go to school.  He looked 
at the side of the path he walked to school every day.  Trees ornamented all along 
the path, all it was cherry-blossom trees.  

He remembered, the first day he had walked through this path to Tomoeda 
Elementary School, he had not much paid attention to it.  He, on the contrary, 
had had a strong attempt that he must gather all Clow cards as quick as possible.  
For preventing the disaster that would occur if the card scattered, because he was 
'Li', Clow Reed's relative.

When the first time he had met the girl who had been card capture, he had 
coerced her to give all cards she had at that time to him.  Coercing girl was a 
thing he never wanted to do.  

But since capturing the cards was the really dangerous task, for certain if she still 
had doing it, the cards might injure her someday.  He had suspected what 
Cerberus though, why that guardian had chosen a girl to do such a dangerous 
thing?

If he had hesitated, and the cards had showed up, the girl might be in dangerous.   
Indeed the reasons had driven coercing seemed to be the best choice, for making 
the girl gave Clow cards to him as quick as possible.  For a stranger girl's safety, 
if she had hated him for coerced her, he would have to accept.

But the girl's big brother had darted in the way.  The guy made his plan failed.  
May be, it was the starting point that phlegmatically brought the boy's attention on 
the girl who had been the captor of Clow cards.

For many times that she had nearly been injured by capture the cards, what would 
happen if he had not been there at that time?  

But the girl had not seemed to dread of several dangerous she had faced. He did 
not understand, even today; whether she was a stubborn girl or due to Cerberus 
instigated the girl.  

He guessed it might be last one.  

For him, could not only stand and looked a girl was in dangerous, even that 
person was a stranger.  It was an automatically reaction, as a male, that he had to 
protect this stranger girl.  

Subsequently many things had happened, drove his mind to consequence of 
unknown slowly changing.  From protecting the stranger girl as it was male 
responsibility, maturated to yearn, by his volition, to protect this girl?

He did not know when she had started to encircle his heart.  However since he 
had known his heart, his feeling for her became so much stronger than he could 
ignore them.  

As something arose in his heart, for now, Shaolan always gazed at the cherry 
blossom trees whenever he passed them.  He could not help, but the trees made 
him thought of the girl.  The girl who had been the capture of Clow cards. The girl 
who was the master of Clow card.  The girl, who was named alike the name of 
flower of the tree.  The girl named Sakura.

Once he could regain his mind again, he found himself was going into the 
school's gate.  Abruptly, A boy whose eyes were appeared to be curved lines on 
his face, Yamazaki, calling him, cut off Shaolan's commemorations.

"Good morning, Li-kun.  You come so early today."  Yamazaki approached him

"Um," The chestnut hair nodded.

"Ah," black hair boy inhaled morning fresh air. "I love morning," he turned to Shaolan 
as they enter the school's building.  "You know, the ancient Egypt said children 
have to wake up in the morning, because children need power to survive from the 
god of sun.  Do you know why?  It because of children in that era was so easily died 
if they got a disease.   Their parent believed that if children could get power form 'Ra', 
which was the god of the sun, in the morning, they would not died if they got a 
disease.  So that was why children have to come to school in the morning."  

While babbling boy was saying the story, Shaolan was only starring at his friend still.  
He did not listen.  He would always curiously listened, as well as totally believed 
what Yamazaki often told him, in case of he had a nothing to think. 

He thought back that Yamazaki was the first one who offered friendship to him.  
As friend, Yamazaki always took care of him, when he earlier was a student of 
Tomoeda Elementary School.  Besides Yamazaki always told him many interesting 
things, and he enjoyed to listen the stories. Yamazaki genuinely was a good person.  

Not only Yamazaki.  Tomoyo and all in class also was good person.  Before 
Shaolan came here, he never had a chance to make friend with others kids in his 
age.  When he had a chance when he was in Japan, nonetheless he did not 
know how to react with them, how to make friend with them.  It was entirely new to 
Shaolan.  

On the other hand they seemed did not care, they walked to him, asked him to be 
their friend voluntarily.  This was the first time he had a friend who not fear of him 
like persons he knew in Hong Kong.

He would miss all his friends and everyone in Tomoeda…a lot.  

Then he decided that he would used this three days before summer vacation, 
before he went home, to be an ordinary kid.  To talk, to smile, to laugh, joined with 
his friend before the chance with them left him.

When Yamazaki ended his bubbling, he noticed that his friend did not listen to him 
but thought something, gazing at his face.  Black hair boy send suspicious looked 
to Shaolan.

"Hm? What Li-kun?" Yamazaki asked.

"Hm?" Shaolan's brainwork was alarmed back to the reality.  "Nothing, just 
thinking," he smiled delicate warmly directly to Yamazaki.

The black hair boy's mouth hung down in shocked.  Yes, Yamazaki used to see 
Shaolan's smile before, but when the cinnamon hair did he did not aware himself 
that he smiled.  This was the first time Shaolan intentionally to smile directly straight 
to Yamazaki.

The boy put one hand on Shaolan forehead.  "Hmm?no fever.  Li-kun, are you okay?"  
Yamazaki asked worrisome.

Shaolan send confused blinked twice to Yamazaki; "I'm fine. What wrong?"

Yamazaki drew his own hand from Shaolan's forehead, "N-No, nothing."  
Yamazaki did not instructed anything further but thought, 
  He turned his face up to the bright sky of the morning.  


When Shaolan entered classroom, he paid his delicate smile and greeted all 
students in class. Doubtless, they all were shocked, and did exactly the same what 
Yamazaki had done, patted Shaolan's head, checking for his pyrexia and thought.  
 they thought.  

"Good morning," two sharp cheerful voices greeted everyone in class.  It was Sakura 
and Tomoyo who held a paper bag in her left hand.  

"Good morning," Shaolan smiled, greeted the girls.

It took few seconds for Sakura and Tomoyo to gather each other consciousness 
back to the occurrence, when they saw the boy was smiling to them.  He might be 
happy because his sister came in Japan, the girls thought, before they greeted him 
back.

"Good morning, Li-kun." They said, as they sat on their seat.

Tomoyo gave the paper bag she brought to Shaolan.  In side it was videotapes, 
certainly, it was the videotape Tomoyo had promised to give to Fuutie.  

At the same time that Shaolan took the bag, Sakura said amiably, "You look very 
happy today, Li-kun.  I guess because Fuutie-san's in Japan, isn't it?"

"U-Um," He stammered uncomfortable.

"Li-kun, what business Fuutie-san has to do in Japan?"  Tomoyo beautiful voice 
asked.  

Shaolan's face saddened but he quickly hid it, by his smiling mask, smiling to 
the girls.  "N-Nothing, just travelling."

Shaolan did not know how to tell Sakura that he was going home.  He did not even 
know that how could he bring himself to tell her.  Sakura's sad face was what he 
never ever wanted.  

However the boy's mask could not cover what he wanted to hide from Tomoyo's 
excellent eyesight.  She perceived Sakura through the lens of video camera for a 
long time.  As if a photographer, she could snatch something, some tiny emotion 
that others could not.

  Tomoyo could assure Shaolan tried to enshroud 
something.  He was, same as Sakura in this point, not a good liar.

During the bright fresh morning of school day, summer drizzly rain fell.

 all students in Sakura's class commented for the natural 
phenomenon, which had given a presage they could betoken it was going to 
happen.  Excluded three persons, Sakura, Tomoyo and the last one, who was a 
presage of the natural phenomenon, Shaolan. 

Rain fell throughout of the morning before stopped.  No one, but only God could 
comprehend whether Shaolan's extraordinary smile or his sorrow that caused 
the rain.


* * * * * * * * * 


At the apartment, in afternoon, young woman opened the door of Shaolan's 
dwelling, this time she did not used any of her special techniques, but used a key 
her brother gave her.  

Fuutie and Shiki-chan just came back from business, she had gone out in the 
morning.  She dressed a white suit with long brown shin length fit skirt.  The outfits 
she wore today appeared more formal. Depleted of energy Fuutie eyed down to 
her wristwatch.  It was one twenty six o'clock.

  

Fuutie quickly grasped a towel, walked to bathroom left Shiki-chan outside. 
Climate-Hot and humid made her mood spoiled.  Taking a bath was the wonderful 
cure for her mood.   Every woman loved to bathe.  

For a period of time, joyous and relax Fuutie came out from bathroom with a scent 
of fresh clean perfume soap.  She glanced at Shiki-chan, saw it was playing 
something.  She curiously peered over Shiki-chan's fin, wanted to know what it was 
playing with.  That was a paper note Shaolan had left to her before she had out. 
Instantaneous, the note drove her to a memory of her sorrowful reaction of little 
brother.

She slumped herself down on a sofa in the main room, she thought that she knew 
what was the cause of her little brother sadness…departing from Sakura-chan.  
No one on the earth wanted to see to cause of unhappiness of person they loved, 
unless they were somewhat psychopaths.  

Should she take him home? She thought about it, since she saw the reaction of her 
little brother on last night.  

Shaolan had to be the leader of 'Li' clan.  This was the most heavyweight thing and 
Shaolan had strong intention to do it by himself, by his own will.  He got hold of it as 
his duty that he had to do.   

Notwithstanding in account to be the leader, he was going to departing from the 
girl he loved.  Was it fair for him? She thought.  Fuutie cogitated she had to do 
something but what?  

If she insisted to bring him back home, ripped him from Sakura, no doubt he 
would be sad, and she did not want to destroy the picture of her brother happiness.  
But if he did not go back home, It was disgraceful to the clan.  Even Shaolan 
himself, certainly did not to disgrace to the clan he cherished. 

What she could do? She thought.

She rested her head on her both hands behind her neck, gazing to the ceiling of 
the room.  she thought.  

Corresponding with the situation, a detective spirit haunted her.   She clapped her 
hands in determination.  Little boy did not come yet.  It was a great opportunity to 
perform her investigation.  

"First rule of detective Fuutie," she held her right fist straight up to the air, "Search 
the data I needed form things near the target."  She quickly gripped Shiki-chan's fin, 
 "Come on assistance Shiki-chan.  It's time for looking for an information."  

Detective Fuutie and temporary assistance Shiki-chan moved stealthily, swift 
entered Shaolan's bedroom, starting her investigation.    

In Shaolan's bedroom, everything were arranged and clean, easy for the 
temporary detective Fuutie to ransack?no, not ransack, to search for more s
elective information that would be support her plan to help her little brother. 

She expertly searched for the selective information she wanted every centimeter in 
the bedroom.  All a sudden her eyes arrested a notebook, which looked like a diary, 
on a desk.    she thought, while grasped the diary in 
quick curiously.

  Fuutie reasoned out before excitedly 
opened the diary.  What she excused appeared manifest opposite with what she 
was doing.

Fuutie and Shiki-chan sat down on Shaolan's bed and began to read things the 
boy had written in the diary.  What events he had passed through.  What was he 
thought.  What was in his mind.  How he lived in Japan.  The school, teachers, 
his friends, his fight with Cerberus, his glaring fight with Touya and…Sakura.  
All was put down in to his diary.   

For many times while she was reading, Fuutie would had distracted smiles were 
garnished on her face.  

How much Shaolan wanted to make friend with other.  How many times he tried to 
smile, but his dead strenuous face did not obeyed to him.  Fuutie too, could not 
imagine how do he looked if he had a cheerful smile on his little face.  She could 
sense Shaolan's rosy burnished red aura.  This aura same as yesterday she had 
teased the little boy, when she read what he had described about Sakura.  Fuutie 
laughed softly when she read his thinking in the diary.  How much Tomoyo teased 
him about Sakura.  His dramatic bad luck every time, when he tried to confess his 
feeling to Sakura.

She was surprised when she knew that someone in Japan dared to have glaring 
fight with Shaolan.  No one in Hong Kong dared to do it, specifically that person 
was Sakura's big brother.  Kero-chan was not count.  However, by what the boy had 
written, he did abominate neither Kero-chan nor Sakura's big brother. 

Fuutie beamed lightly.  Everyone in Tomoeda was good person.  Her brother had 
much good memories, while he was here.  

The last page had been read.  Fuutie closed the diary, let a downhearted breath 
out.  She lied her back down on the bed she sat, still holding the diary in her hand.  

She coiled her head on a side, observed the diary.    Fuutie closed her eyes, tried to think 
how to help the pathetic boy.

What could she do?  She recalled to herself.  Told their mother that Shaolan did 
not want to go home now, because Shaolan loved Sakura? 

In case if Fuutie told her, unequivocally their mother absolutely would help Shaolan, 
as much as her all effort could.  Though the effort their mother had, not much 
enough to break the long chronicled rule of the clan.  May be what their mother 
could do was only extended the time, allowed Shaolan to stay in Japan longer  

So what?  Postponed the day to go back?  

And Shaolan loved Sakura, in precocious case, if he wanted to marry her.  

So what?  Shaolan still had to go back, to be the leader of the clan, and not to 
mention he had to marry another girl that the honor elders of 'Li' clan would 
arrange for him.  .

As the family that had long tradition history, 'Li' family still endured the traditional 
Chinese custom.   Everyone of 'Li' clan had to married by arrangement by honor 
elders of clan, who would make the consideration.  For maintain pride, 
high-mightiness of the clan.  No one could reject.   Leader or not, they all had to
follow, no matter whom? 

Their Father also had married their mother by arrangement of honor elders.  
However, very good and lucky things that drove their parents had fallen in love with 
each other at the first sight they had met.  

She really wished Shaolan would get that lucky.  But since her little brother would 
faced the problems some day.  Would Postponement be a good choice?  That 
only pushed all various unresolved problems away.

For Fuutie herself, she already had a secret plan for this problem.  If she had to 
marry someone she did not love by arrangement of honor elders, she would 
elope? That only was a plan among innumerable emergency plan she had on 
her head.

Nevertheless, this plan did  not work with Shaolan, she fully understood it.

Shaolan was only one son from five siblings.  He had been being tough that 
himself was bone for the clan, since he was a little boy than he was today.  
Congratulation for the excellent teaching, that thinking was etched on his brain, 
in his innate character.  Shaolan always thought of the clan before himself.  He 
always valued the clan worthier than himself; he would never abandon 'Li' clan, 
for his own happiness? 

It was not meant Shaolan cherished 'Li' clan more than Sakura he loved.  It was 
meant he cherished  'Li' clan, treasured 'Li' clan as the same he cherished 
treasured Sakura.  He treasured the both of them more than his own self.  
However when he had to chose one form the two.  When the line of love and the 
line of duty were parallels that would not intercept with each other, he chose 
'Li' clan.  

Not odd for Shaolan if he would make that decision.  Sakura herself according his 
diary seemed not aware of his feeling, as long as he did not tell her.  

It was clear visible.  He meant to kept his feeling, not let the girl knew, and left the 
girl who was his beloved as a friend.  If he left her as a friend, it would not hurt 
Sakura.  Like the teacher named Mizuki and a part of Clow recantation, Eriol 
that the girl missed them but not hurt.  

Withal if someone asked who would be hurt most?  That person was Shaolan.  
No one but him? Only him? 

Shaolan still was Shaolan Fuutie knew.  Shaolan that kinder than anyone.  
Shaolan that gentler than anyone.  Shaolan that honest than anyone.  Shaolan 
that…altruistic than anyone, and that also made him hurt than anyone.

The thought of the question that should she took him home, was wrestling around 
and around Fuutie's head.  She knew she should and had to bring the boy back 
home.  

 Another part was screaming 
to protest.  She closed her eyes lift her palm of her free hand to cover her eyes, 
to think.  How could she do?  

Then flicked herself up to sit,  

She peeked at an alarm clock on the top of Shaolan's bed.  It was three 
forty o'clock, which was close to the time school ended, she guessed it was.  
She jumped to stand up.  She had a plan to remedy sorrowfulness of the youngest 
brother, even this could not help much, but it still worth.  

 She paused, as she realized that she had a little problem now.  




* * * * * * * * *


The rest of the day, Shaolan acted as usual, but one thing was added, his smiles.  
He seemed to very cheerful today, talked and smiled like an ordinary kid, which 
was odd to his ordinary behavior.

Almost all students in class inquired the cinnamon hair boy, worried that he might 
be ill.  Yamazaki tried to drag him to school's nursing room when seeing the Chinese 
boy soft laugh, but the boy affirmed them that he was all-fine.  

Even everyone was shocked by his absolutely new behavior; however they also 
appreciated that Shaolan had a good smile, which was good thing.  If he did 
not smiled because he was not to be ill, it meant he happy, and they loved to 
see their friend happy.  

Although everyone had that positive thought, but only Tomoyo did not think so.  
Something dead wrong with cinnamon hair boy, and he was trying to, somewhat, 
enshroud that thing under his smiling mark.  No one could point out for the reason 
that they too busied to surprise with the new things Shaolan did.  Albeit the new 
behavior induced Tomoyo's attention focused on him all day, despite the fact that 
not much as attention she had on Sakura. 

The last period of today was ended with an acquainted long ringing sound 
echoed implied as a signal.  Everyone said goodbye and separated form each 
another, made their way home.  

Sakura, Tomoyo and Shaolan, who was holding the pager bag in his hand, 
walked out from the elementary school.  

"Good bye, see you two tomorrow, Tomoyo-chan, Li-kun."  Sakura smiled, 
waved her hand to the kids behind her.

"Good bye, see you tomorrow, Sakura-chan." The long black hair girl smiled 
backed to her dearest friend.

When Sakura was turning to her own way, Shaolan called her.  "S-Sakura," 

"Ho-e? What, Li-kun?"  The girl responded as she smiled adorably, looked at the 
boy in front of her.

Shaolan uncomfortable lightly blushed.  He had a full talent to increase his blood 
pressure whenever he faced his beloved.  He looked at the girl meaningfully a 
second, hesitated to say something to her, but for some reason, he changed his 
mind.

"N-Nothing, good bye," Shaolan said, his face turned to presence a gentle smile
to Sakura, grief, pain were under his mask.

"Ho-e?" The boy's gesture baffled Sakura, however she smiled brightly back 
at her two friends.  "Bye, see you tomorrow."  She swirled, and disappeared 
quickly on her path, left the two kids.

View of Sakura disappeared, Tomoyo's grievance calm face revolved to Shaolan 
who was staring at an image of unseen Sakura in front of him.

"Li-kun, are you all right?" Tomoyo asked.

Shaolan turned to looked at her,   He suspected.  "I'm all right, not sick," he said with equally voice, turned to 
look at the path Sakura had left.

Tomoyo shook her head slightly and said, "That's not what I mean."

Perplexed Shaolan looked back to the long hair girl aside him, as she continued 
by using her gentle tone in her voice.  She gazed straight to his eyes, delicate 
expression, as if she could read his mind.  "Yes, you don't get any sick, but you are 
upsetting."
Her statement forced Shaolan's eyes widen, looked at her again, as she did not 
break the eye contract.  Beholding the boy reaction made she knew she got in 
right way.  "Is it associates to why Fuutie-san come here?"  Tomoyo paused, 
waiting for the boy's answer.

"U-Um," cinnamon hair boy, standing still, nodded.  His melancholia was revealed.

>From Shaolan totally new odd behaved all school day, his melancholy which to 
be seen now, and if all of it was annexed with why Fuutie came in Japan.  Only 
one thing could pop up on Tomoyo's intellect.

"Is it about going back to Hong Kong?"

The words made Shaolan stunned.  He twisted his face away from Tomoyo, void 
eye contract.  What he tried to enshroud was hauled out by her intelligence.  
However, he thought, recently they would know this, even if he still did not know how 
to tell them.  It was not bad if Tomoyo could find out by herself.

"Um," he lightly nodded.

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