[fic][ccs] Gonna Have a Baby (2/2)
Gonna Have a Baby (2/2)
by vikki
part 1 here
Summary: The nine most harrowing months of Syaoran's life.
x. mood swings
Thursday was movie night. Unless Syaoran had to be in Hong Kong or Sakura had a night modeling job, the two of them would sit down and watch a movie together, and they took turns picking the movie. Syaoran tended towards Kung Fu Action flicks and Sakura alternated between stories of intrigue and chick flicks, but mostly it was an excuse for Syaoran to rest Sakura's head in his lap and stroke her hair, or have popcorn fights (the Stuffed Animal usually started it). Tonight they were watching Ever After, and halfway through the movie Sakura suddenly burst into tears.
Syaoran would have jumped a mile high if Sakura's head wasn't in his lap. "What!? What is it!? Does something hurt!?"
"N-no, nothing like that ..." Sakura wiped her eyes. "I just ... I was thinking about how the movie ends and I just suddenly wanted to cry ..." she sniffled.
Syaoran reached for the tissues on the coffee table. "But the movie has a happy ending," he protested.
"Yes, I know! It's so lovely," she sniffled. "Thank you." She took a tissue and blew her nose. "I don't know why I'm crying, it's just ... it made me so happy that everything ends up all right that I wanted to cry."
"Mood swings," Syaoran told her.
"Hmm?" Sakura blinked up at him. "Oh ... do you think so?"
"I know so," Syaoran said smartly.
"I've felt okay up until now, though ..."
"It's normal," Syaoran said. "All the b--"
"Books say so," Sakura finished with him. "Honestly, Syaoran." She rolled her eyes.
"What? They've been right so far!" Syaoran protested.
"Hmph. Who knew you were such a bookworm," she mocked goodnaturedly.
"I learned to read on Clow Reed's diary," Syaoran told her.
Sakura blinked. "For real?"
"For real."
"Wasn't that hard?"
Syaoran shrugged, turning his gaze towards the screen again. "Oh, it's the best fight scene."
Sakura offered a watery giggle in his lap. Syaoran chose to pretend she was laughing at something other than himself.
&
xi. baby clothes
Syaoran came home to no less than fifteen bags on the kitchen counters. "What the ...?"
Tomoyo came bursting into the room, Syaoran's only warning her high laughter. "Oh-hoho! You'll be all right for clothes until little Syaoran is three years old!"
Sakura came in behind Tomoyo, red-faced and moving slowly. Syaoran stared at her. "T-Tomoyo-chan, if you keep buying everything what are people going to get for the baby shower ...?" She turned pleading eyes to Syaoran. "I'm sorry, Syaoran, we just went out and we got carried away ..."
Syaoran peered into one bag. It was filled entirely with socks, some of them little bigger than his thumb. "... You didn't carry any of these, did you? Daidouji, you made the bodyguards carry everything, right?"
"Syaoran," Sakura said in exasperation.
"What?" Syaoran demanded.
"Never mind," Sakura decided.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan was treated just like the princess she is," Tomoyo promised.
"Good," Syaoran said. He pretended not to see the wink Tomoyo sent his way.
&
xii. baby names, part two
"So when did we decide on the name Syaoran?" Syaoran asked. He had been on the phone with his mother for the better part of an hour that day, chattering in Cantonese; even if Sakura hadn't heard the conversation, she would have known by the way his shoulders were set. Syaoran was the family head but he respected his mother very much.
"We didn't," Sakura admitted. Syaoran was rubbing her shoulders. It was her lower back that hurt the most, but bending over enough for Syaoran to get easily at the places that needed attention was getting difficult. She was determined to return the favor, if Syaoran would sit still long enough to let her. "But I don't know what else to call him right now."
Syaoran was quiet for a little while. "It's fine," he said at length. "At least, as a name to use."
Sakura blinked. "Hoeh?"
"Mother had a premonition," Syaoran said. "It wasn't much, but she wanted to know if we'd picked a secret name out yet."
Sakura twisted to look at Syaoran. "A secret name?"
"For when a baby needs protection," Syaoran said, solemn. "Because names are powerful things. You know that - you have to call the Cards by name to invoke them, and to seal them, too. Hiiragizawa put a spell on me once just by using my name. So some children are given a fake name and a secret true name, to protect them."
Sakura could have had a dream about the future at any time. She had purposely fought to not do so, so the dreams hadn't come - she didn't want to be afraid or expectant, so she avoided looking into the future. But now, she wished she had, at least a little. "Does our baby need protecting?" she asked in a tiny voice.
"I don't know. But it can't hurt," Syaoran said. He squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. "We have to pick a really good one, though."
"So it can't be Koinu?" Sakura asked.
Syaoran snorted. Sakura correctly interpreted it as a laugh.
"How about I try to divine a name," Sakura suggested, "with the Cards. We haven't played for a while, and I think they would like the exercise anyway. And don't you dare say I can't use magic right now because I'll hit you over the head with your own sword," Sakura threatened.
Syaoran's teeth clicked back together. "... I think divining the name would be good," he agreed.
"We'll do it together, then," Sakura said.
They did it at midnight, when Sakura's signs in the stars were at their zenith, and wrote the name on a scroll with a Chinese brush. Syaoran sealed it and they put it away, and from then on, they called their unborn son 'Syaoran'.
&
xiii. baby shower
Sakura was the sort of lucky person that got two baby showers. One was for the usual sort of people - Tomoyo's mother, her old classmates that were still her best friends, and coworkers that wanted to give her and the baby gifts.
The second baby shower was for guests of a closer nature.
Syaoran tended to conveniently forget how insane things were when everyone was put in one room. He liked to forget because even though everyone loved Sakura, Syaoran was far less tolerant and so gained a lot more people than usual to glare at or be awkward around.
Hiiragizawa had flown back from England with Mizuki-sensei in tow. He'd accelerated his aging so he matched Mizuki's age better, which made him look even more like the portrait of Clow Reed that hung in the Li family's house. Fujitaka got along well with everyone and was perfectly willing to play caterer for a largely magical party, luckily. Spinel Sun and Cerebus were at war over the takoyaki supply- and Ruby Moon was cheerfully harrassing Yukito; Touya was taking turns glaring at Ruby Moon and Syaoran. Syaoran glared back and watched Tomoyo, Sakura, and Eriol make small talk (Tomoyo was taping the whole proceedings, which made Sakura blush a lot. Syaoran thought he ought to object but Sakura was cute when she was harmlessly embarrassed). Mizuki-sensei eventually grabbed Touya's attention. Syaoran had the feeling that Yue was on the verge of making an appearance. And Sakura's mother was somewhere in the room as well, because Sakura kept talking to what looked like thin air to Syaoran. He could sense an unusual aura, but with very nearly everything in the old Kinomoto house being magical at the moment, he was a little overwhelmed.
He retreated to the kitchen at length, leaving him (somewhat) alone with Fujitaka.
"Ah, Syaoran-kun. How are you holding up?" Fujitaka asked as soon as Syaoran stepped into the room.
Syaoran considered this seriously. After all, this was his father-in-law. "I'm all right," he decided. He made an admission. "Nervous."
Fujitaka smiled over his shoulder at him. "I know exactly how you feel. Nadeshiko was already suffering from health problems when Touya was born, and I was so worried for her, and for our son. I barely slept for weeks before and then, with the child, it was impossible to sleep much afterwards." He laughed a little. "Don't worry so much. For Sakura, everything will surely be okay."
Syaoran dropped his chin to hide a tiny smile at Sakura's invincible spell. "... Thank you," he said quietly.
"Every father needs encouraging words now and then," Fujitaka said.
If he had anything else to say, it was drowned out by Kero and Suppi flying into the kitchen at top speed. "TAKOYAKIII~!"
Syaoran sweatdropped.
&
Yukito drew Sakura aside. "Sakura-san," he said softly, "Can I speak with you for a moment? Actually, it's not really me, it's the other me ..."
Sakura blinked and nodded. Yue hardly ever came out for anything that wasn't a magical crisis, so she rarely saw him these days.
Wings sprang from Yukito's back and enveloped him, and a moment later it was Yue standing in front of her. "Mistress," he said quietly.
Sakura beamed at him. "Yes, Yue-san?" she asked gently.
"I just ... wanted to know ... when your son is born, may I meet him?" Yue wouldn't meet her eyes.
"Of course you can! Why wouldn't you be able to?" Sakura exclaimed, slightly distressed that Yue felt he needed permission. "Yue-san, I miss you when you're not around a lot. You should visit more often, you know," she chided.
She thought Yue might have blushed. A little. And was that a tiny smile? It disappeared when she blinked. "As you wish," he said.
"Would you like to feel him kick?" Sakura asked, reaching for Yue's hand. "He's already practicing Syaoran's martial arts, from the way it feels." She pressed his hand to her abdomen.
Yue's eyes definitely widened at that, and again when little Syaoran obliged to demonstrate his strong legs. "He ... already ..."
Sakura's smile widened. "I think you'll be very good friends," she promised.
&
Eriol managed to corner Syaoran near the stairs, much to Syaoran's disgruntlement. "Hello, my cute descendant," Eriol intoned cheerfully. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were avoiding me."
Syaoran didn't bother to offer even a smile. "That's not too far off," he answered. Having Eriol be significantly older - and, irritatingly, taller - than himself was disorienting. To know that this was, in mind at least, the man whose footsteps he had been expected to follow still made him uneasy. He didn't know how to speak to Hiiragizawa still (casually or formally? It threw him right back to elementary school). And part of him would never forget feeling that Eriol was somehow a rival for Sakura's love.
"Don't be so embarrassed," Hiiragizawa said, as usual cutting straight through the confusion to the heart of the matter. Syaoran blinked. "I'd prefer you to still think of me as your former classmate, not as Clow Reed. I'm not him, not really. Although I will admit it's fun to see you off-balance."
Syaoran glared at him. Eriol laughed. "I only wanted to wish you the best of luck. I suspect you'll need it."
"Don't tell me you've been peeking into the future."
"You wound me. Honestly, I can't do that at will any more. Sakura took that power from me, much to my relief. No, this is just brotherly advice, from one Li family member to another: the boys in your family are somewhere between the ideal children and the most horrible hoodlums on earth."
"I know that already," Syaoran snapped.
"You admit to being a hoodlum?"
"Stop teasing me," Syaoran grumbled.
Eriol smiled. "But it's such fun," he sighed.
&
"Did you have a good time at the party?" Sakura asked that night, her head cradled against Syaoran's shoulder.
Syaoran considered this. "Yeah," he decided. "... guess we're in the home stretch now." His hand trailed over her stomach.
"Just about," Sakura agreed. "Exciting, don't you think?"
"Sure," Syaoran said, staring at the far wall.
Two months and the rest of our lives to go, he thought.
&
xiv. maternal leave
Sakura was three weeks from starting maternal leave when the woman showed up. "My name is Eri," she said with a bow. "I'm here as your personal assistant."
"My what?" Sakura asked, distracted by the English papers she was grading for the teacher she worked for.
"Your personal assistant." The woman seemed a bit nonplussed. "I'm supposed to carry your bags for you and drive you around ... surely Li-san told you?"
Sakura looked up and blinked at her. "Hoeh? Really?" At Eri's nod, she sighed and got to her feet with what felt like entirely too much effort. Eri pulled out her chair for her. "Excuse me," she said politely, "I have to call my husband."
&
"Syaoran! I don't need a personal assistant!"
"Sakura, I just--"
"Really! I can still do everything myself! And I'll be resting starting three weeks from now, so you don't need to--"
"Please." Syaoran's voice turned pleading. "Just put up with it, for me."
"..." Sakura relented. She knew Syaoran wasn't sleeping much any more and he worried too much. "All right," she consented. "But only for you."
"Thank you." Syaoran was quiet for a moment. "... will you let me carry you everywhere now?"
"You're pushing it," Sakura warned. "But I guess I'll allow it. Just for you, mind." Her voice turned teasing.
She could almost hear him blush over the phone.
&
xv. birthday present
Sakura proudly held up her day's work two weeks from the birthdate. "Look, Syaoran," she declared, "I made little Syaoran a personalized blanket!" Indeed, she had successfully sewn together a fleece blanket with 'Syaoran' embroidered into the corner. Sakura's needlework would never be perfect, but it was so exquisite and personal that Syaoran imagined their baby wrapped in that blanket and had to kiss her.
Syaoran thought of the blanket he had just bought at the store - it was much bigger and quite elaborate - and decided that it could be a secret until later.
&
xvi. and the promised day arrives
There is a law etched into the fabric of the universe, and it reads like this: the baby will come at the most awkward time possible. Sakura, despite her invincible spell, was not immune to this phenomenon. In fact, the baby violated all usual 'first baby' rules and came one week early, on April First - Sakura's birthday.
She experienced her first contractions at four o'clock in the afternoon, guarenteeing that Syaoran would be unable to come to her rescue for at least an hour as he came home from the office.
It was a Catch-22 situation, Sakura reflected as she lay on the couch and tried to breathe slowly. If she called Syaoran, he'd cause twenty accidents trying to get home. If she didn't call and got Tomoyo to take her to the hospital, he'd still cause twenty accidents coming to the hospital. If she didn't call anyone, he'd be somewhere between horrified and livid that she had handled her own labor for over an hour at home.
"Little Syaoran," she groaned, "why now?"
Little Syaoran had nothing to say about that. At least, she reflected, he'd gotten himself oriented the right way again before he got too big. For about a week he'd kicked her in the bladder twice a day.
She wondered what Syaoran would think if she used Fly to take her to the hospital right now. It probably wasn't a good idea.
About half an hour later she decided to call Syaoran after all.
"Hello?" Syaoran said, sounding distracted.
"Syaoran-- It's time," Sakura said.
She heard his gasp. Then, "I'm not going to be home for another twenty minutes!"
"I know. I'll be fine until then," she told him. "My water hasn't broken yet, it could be a false ala--eeek!"
Her water broke. Little Syaoran was coming.
"Never mind," she said weakly.
"Call Tomoyo-san," Syaoran said sharply. "I'll be back in five minutes." And before Sakura could ask, he hung up again.
Well, Tomoyo was the natural next person to call. Sakura redialed. "Tomoyo-cha--"
"It's time, isn't it!?" Tomoyo cried. "I had the feeling! I'm on my way right now!"
Sakura could only "Hoeeeh!" into the phone.
&
Syaoran pulled the car over at the first turn, found a parking space, then bounded from the car. If anyone had cared to look up that day, they would have seen a young man in a business suit jumping from roof to roof, cursing a blue streak all the way to his home.
&
The ride to the hospital was probably harder on Syaoran than it was on Sakura. Syaoran was true to his word and got home in five minutes. "I took the direct route," was all he would say. Sakura chose not to ask about the car. Tomoyo arrived a few minutes later, prepared with a driver and her camcorder, and they all rode together in the back while Sakura called her brother and father. Syaoran made a phone call home and sounded so strained as he spoke in Cantonese that Sakura was sure his mother knew exactly what was going on the moment he said 'hello'.
The contractions started to hurt in earnest when they were a mile from the hospital. Syaoran clutched her hand, white as a sheet. Sakura knew she was sweating and tried not to shout when her muscles contracted without her command. "I'm sorry," he apologized when her face cleared.
Sakura laughed weakly. "You'd better be," she said, and Syaoran had the gall to actually look stricken, swallowing hard. Sakura reached up with her free hand and touched his face. "I'm only joking. This is exciting," she promised.
"If you say so," Syaoran said, dubious.
Once they were in the hospital, Sakura was rushed to the maternity ward where nurses fussed over her and she was asked if she wanted an epideral injection, but the contractions were coming faster now and she was having a hard time concentrating.
A doctor came in, a male one. Sakura looked up with relief but Syaoran immediately objected. "A woman doctor!" he demanded.
"It's okay, Syaoran," she panted. "I really don't mind." But she was grateful Syaoran was thinking of her modesty. She didn't think she could have any for something like this, though.
"... All right ..." he agreed, reluctant, and the doctor gave him a wary look before checking under her gown.
"I'm afraid the baby is coming a little too fast for drugs," he said. "He's determined to be born today, this one!"
"You can't give her anything!?" Syaoran shouted.
The doctor startled. "I'm sorry, she's dialating very quickly. We'd best proceed without delay."
"It's all right," Sakura told him, and squeezed his hand. Then she started to crush it as a particularly strong contraction started, and she couldn't help a groan of pain.
Syaoran was very white when she looked up.
"Syaoran?" she asked quietly, and that was when her dear, loving husband slumped to the ground and fainted.
&
Syaoran woke up to a male voice saying "Push! Push!" and Sakura crying out with effort.
"You're doing fine!" said a nurse.
"Aaaugh!" Sakura cried, and panted for breath.
"He's crowning!" said the doctor.
Syaoran almost blacked out again, but luckily, Tomoyo was there. She patted his cheek. "Syaoran-kun," she said patiently, "you've got to be awake for the best part!"
"The best part, she says," Syaoran groaned. He struggled to sit up. Tomoyo was doing an admirable job of both supporting his back and filming the whole thing at the same time, and Syaoran turned to look at Sakura who was sweating and gasping and trying to smile.
"Tomoyo-chan ..."
"Push!" the doctor ordered, and Sakura cried out again, half-sitting up. Syaoran practically leapt from his bed to grab her hand again, and she crushed the feeling from his fingers.
He wasn't going to leave Sakura to do this alone.
The next five minutes were the longest of his life. Syaoran would later claim (truthfully) that he couldn't remember any of it. The next thing he would be able to recall was when scissors were pushed into his hand. "Do the honors?" the doctor asked, and Syaoran, dazed, cut the umbilical cord even as the nurses cleaned the protective mucus from his son's nose and mouth.
Little Syaoran immediately burst into the wail of a healthy newborn child.
He wasn't all that cute, truth be told, but at that moment, Syaoran didn't think he'd seen a baby more beautiful. The nurse wrapped him in a blue cloth and put him in Syaoran's arms. Tomoyo was over his shoulder filming, and Sakura gasped, "Let me see him! Syaoran, bring him over here!"
Syaoran sat heavily in the chair next to Sakura and leaned over her, looking between his wailing son and his tired wife, and he nearly burst into tears. Thankfully for his dignity and posterity, he refrained.
"He's perfect," he said, and carefully rested the baby in Sakura's arms.
Sakura cried for them both, rocking Little Syaoran gently and whispering one of her nonsense songs that she sang when she cooked and cleaned and did little chores, and slowly the baby began to calm. "This is the best birthday present I could have asked for," she said, looking at Syaoran with so much love in her eyes that he couldn't even react.
"Sakura-chan! You're so cute I think I'm going to faint!" Tomoyo cried.
"That's Syaoran's job," Sakura said tiredly, and gave a watery laugh.
&
xvii. heir to the throne
Not that Syaoran gave it much thought at the time, but their son was the inheritor of a magical legacy. He was a son of the extremely powerful Li family and the Mistress of the Sakura Cards, and the grandson of half of Clow Reed's reincarnation. Inevitably, there were yet more gifts to be given.
Syaoran already knew that his jian sword would go to his son as soon as he was old enough. What he did not expect was the present that came from his mother.
The matriarch of the Li family arrived in Japan the day after Little Syaoran was born. Sakura was still sleeping much of the time. Syaoran was resting by her bed, stroking their baby's cheek, when she swept into the room.
Syaoran shot to his feet in reflex reaction. "Mother," he said respectfully.
"Xiao Lang," his mother said with a nod and a tiny smile. Syaoran offered her the spare seat, but when she declined, he remained standing as well. "Your sisters are here. It seems the Card Mistress' brother is no more keen on them than when he first met them," she said.
Syaoran imagined his sisters swarming in the adjacent room, annoying Touya, and decided to just be thankful that his mother hadn't allowed them into the room.
"I'll speak to your wife later," she said, "but for now, it is customary that the matriarch give a gift to the firstborn son." She held out her hand; Syaoran lifted his own, and his mother put a brooch into his palm. "When you pass on your sword, give him also this brooch, with his true name etched into the jewel. Then he and his sword will never be separated."
Syaoran looked at the little golden brooch; he could feel its magic. He closed his hand around it and bowed. "Thank you, Mother."
She smiled again. "I believe your sisters have a personalized bib for little Xiao Lang," she informed him.
Syaoran blanched. "Of course."
"We will return home before they can insist on a shopping trip."
"Thank you," Syaoran said with relish.
"That is my present to you, my son. Make sure you sleep while you can."
Syaoran took that, rightly, as a warning.
&
Sakura and Syaoran came home a day later. Little Syaoran slept peacefully through the ride; Sakura was still very tired and she was under orders to confine herself to one floor of the house for at least a two days to let her body recover. She held little Syaoran close as they came in the front door.
On the foyer table was a bouquet of out-of-season flowers. Beside it rested a teddy bear that looked remarkably like Kero-chan; around its neck was a pendant made of fine silver with a set emerald that seemed to almost glow with its own light. An envelope rested under the teddy bear's stubby leg.
Syaoran picked it up, and with a nod from Sakura, opened it. "Dear Sakura-san," he read, "This is from the Cards, Cerebus, and Yue, although the other me won't admit to anything. They worked together to create the pendant - my other self says it's for protection, when he's older - and the teddy bear was Kero's idea. I picked it out, though. We hope little Syaoran likes them! Sincerely, Yukito." Syaoran folded up the letter and picked up the bear. "... He'll match well with 'Sakura' and 'Syaoran'," he remarked, referring to the bears still resting on the nightstand in their room.
Sakura was a little teary-eyed. "I have to go thank the Cards," she said, "And introduce them."
Syaoran offered her an arm. "Let me help you up the stairs," he said gently.
&
xviii. reliving the experience
"And this is the part when Syaoran fainted!" Tomoyo explained cheerfully to her rapt audience.
Kero-chan burst into uncontrollable laughter, as did Touya. Syaoran glared at them both.
"Don't worry, I did the same thing when Touya was born," Fujitaka told Syaoran sincerely.
"It was kind of cute," Sakura reassured him.
Syaoran blushed.
&
xviv. end of the beginning
Syaoran laid little Syaoran into his crib; Sakura gently tapped a Card, and Glow sprang from it, decorating the room with little gentle lights to keep him company.
"It was worth it, wasn't it, Syaoran?" Sakura whispered, wrapping her arm around Syaoran. Syaoran returned the gesture, squeezing Sakura gently.
"Are you kidding?" he murmured. "This is only the beginning." When he thought about how much was ahead of them - four hours of sleep at a time, the terrible twos, the first day of school - it was all overwhelming.
Sakura rested her head on his shoulder. "Everything will surely be all right. One day at a time, okay?"
Syaoran closed his eyes and exhaled. He felt as though he'd been holding that breath for nine whole months. When he opened his eyes he looked at Sakura. "You know," he said quietly, "I'm happy." He bent down to kiss her.
They kissed for a long time.
"I love you, Sakura," Syaoran added when they pulled back.
"I love you, too, Syaoran," Sakura breathed.
"And yeah," Syaoran admitted, "it was worth it."
Sakura giggled. "Then let's have another."
Syaoran stiffened for a moment, then growled, "Only if you can promise me a girl."
Sakura smiled against his lips. "I'll let you know," she promised.
And they lived happily ever after, Syaoran hoped as he picked up his wife and carried her (laughing and beaming at him) to their bed.
fin
PWEW THAT WAS LONG. At least it's done. Yay!
Fun Fact: there are nineteen parts to this story - the same as the number of cards in Sakura's deck in the manga. Whee!
Ackowledgements: This entire fic is totally the fault of usagi_odango, who called me yesterday and said Syaoran would be hilarious while Sakura was pregnant. That pretty much forced me to write this fic. The format and aspects of the outline are thanks to lazulisong's 'Gonna Get Married!'.
Spoilers and other notes: Little Syaoran has a hidden name, since I'm presuming this is the kid that grows up to be the star of Tsubasa. Hence, of course, the joke about naming little Syaoran 'Tsubasa'. ^^;; I couldn't think of a good hidden name so you don't get to know what it is either. >_>; Finally, 'Koinu' translates to 'little dog', which is as close to 'little wolf' as I could get in Japanese with it still sounding like a name. That's why Sakura thinks it would be hilarious.
Thanks for reading!
by vikki
part 1 here
Summary: The nine most harrowing months of Syaoran's life.
x. mood swings
Thursday was movie night. Unless Syaoran had to be in Hong Kong or Sakura had a night modeling job, the two of them would sit down and watch a movie together, and they took turns picking the movie. Syaoran tended towards Kung Fu Action flicks and Sakura alternated between stories of intrigue and chick flicks, but mostly it was an excuse for Syaoran to rest Sakura's head in his lap and stroke her hair, or have popcorn fights (the Stuffed Animal usually started it). Tonight they were watching Ever After, and halfway through the movie Sakura suddenly burst into tears.
Syaoran would have jumped a mile high if Sakura's head wasn't in his lap. "What!? What is it!? Does something hurt!?"
"N-no, nothing like that ..." Sakura wiped her eyes. "I just ... I was thinking about how the movie ends and I just suddenly wanted to cry ..." she sniffled.
Syaoran reached for the tissues on the coffee table. "But the movie has a happy ending," he protested.
"Yes, I know! It's so lovely," she sniffled. "Thank you." She took a tissue and blew her nose. "I don't know why I'm crying, it's just ... it made me so happy that everything ends up all right that I wanted to cry."
"Mood swings," Syaoran told her.
"Hmm?" Sakura blinked up at him. "Oh ... do you think so?"
"I know so," Syaoran said smartly.
"I've felt okay up until now, though ..."
"It's normal," Syaoran said. "All the b--"
"Books say so," Sakura finished with him. "Honestly, Syaoran." She rolled her eyes.
"What? They've been right so far!" Syaoran protested.
"Hmph. Who knew you were such a bookworm," she mocked goodnaturedly.
"I learned to read on Clow Reed's diary," Syaoran told her.
Sakura blinked. "For real?"
"For real."
"Wasn't that hard?"
Syaoran shrugged, turning his gaze towards the screen again. "Oh, it's the best fight scene."
Sakura offered a watery giggle in his lap. Syaoran chose to pretend she was laughing at something other than himself.
&
xi. baby clothes
Syaoran came home to no less than fifteen bags on the kitchen counters. "What the ...?"
Tomoyo came bursting into the room, Syaoran's only warning her high laughter. "Oh-hoho! You'll be all right for clothes until little Syaoran is three years old!"
Sakura came in behind Tomoyo, red-faced and moving slowly. Syaoran stared at her. "T-Tomoyo-chan, if you keep buying everything what are people going to get for the baby shower ...?" She turned pleading eyes to Syaoran. "I'm sorry, Syaoran, we just went out and we got carried away ..."
Syaoran peered into one bag. It was filled entirely with socks, some of them little bigger than his thumb. "... You didn't carry any of these, did you? Daidouji, you made the bodyguards carry everything, right?"
"Syaoran," Sakura said in exasperation.
"What?" Syaoran demanded.
"Never mind," Sakura decided.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan was treated just like the princess she is," Tomoyo promised.
"Good," Syaoran said. He pretended not to see the wink Tomoyo sent his way.
&
xii. baby names, part two
"So when did we decide on the name Syaoran?" Syaoran asked. He had been on the phone with his mother for the better part of an hour that day, chattering in Cantonese; even if Sakura hadn't heard the conversation, she would have known by the way his shoulders were set. Syaoran was the family head but he respected his mother very much.
"We didn't," Sakura admitted. Syaoran was rubbing her shoulders. It was her lower back that hurt the most, but bending over enough for Syaoran to get easily at the places that needed attention was getting difficult. She was determined to return the favor, if Syaoran would sit still long enough to let her. "But I don't know what else to call him right now."
Syaoran was quiet for a little while. "It's fine," he said at length. "At least, as a name to use."
Sakura blinked. "Hoeh?"
"Mother had a premonition," Syaoran said. "It wasn't much, but she wanted to know if we'd picked a secret name out yet."
Sakura twisted to look at Syaoran. "A secret name?"
"For when a baby needs protection," Syaoran said, solemn. "Because names are powerful things. You know that - you have to call the Cards by name to invoke them, and to seal them, too. Hiiragizawa put a spell on me once just by using my name. So some children are given a fake name and a secret true name, to protect them."
Sakura could have had a dream about the future at any time. She had purposely fought to not do so, so the dreams hadn't come - she didn't want to be afraid or expectant, so she avoided looking into the future. But now, she wished she had, at least a little. "Does our baby need protecting?" she asked in a tiny voice.
"I don't know. But it can't hurt," Syaoran said. He squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. "We have to pick a really good one, though."
"So it can't be Koinu?" Sakura asked.
Syaoran snorted. Sakura correctly interpreted it as a laugh.
"How about I try to divine a name," Sakura suggested, "with the Cards. We haven't played for a while, and I think they would like the exercise anyway. And don't you dare say I can't use magic right now because I'll hit you over the head with your own sword," Sakura threatened.
Syaoran's teeth clicked back together. "... I think divining the name would be good," he agreed.
"We'll do it together, then," Sakura said.
They did it at midnight, when Sakura's signs in the stars were at their zenith, and wrote the name on a scroll with a Chinese brush. Syaoran sealed it and they put it away, and from then on, they called their unborn son 'Syaoran'.
&
xiii. baby shower
Sakura was the sort of lucky person that got two baby showers. One was for the usual sort of people - Tomoyo's mother, her old classmates that were still her best friends, and coworkers that wanted to give her and the baby gifts.
The second baby shower was for guests of a closer nature.
Syaoran tended to conveniently forget how insane things were when everyone was put in one room. He liked to forget because even though everyone loved Sakura, Syaoran was far less tolerant and so gained a lot more people than usual to glare at or be awkward around.
Hiiragizawa had flown back from England with Mizuki-sensei in tow. He'd accelerated his aging so he matched Mizuki's age better, which made him look even more like the portrait of Clow Reed that hung in the Li family's house. Fujitaka got along well with everyone and was perfectly willing to play caterer for a largely magical party, luckily. Spinel Sun and Cerebus were at war over the takoyaki supply- and Ruby Moon was cheerfully harrassing Yukito; Touya was taking turns glaring at Ruby Moon and Syaoran. Syaoran glared back and watched Tomoyo, Sakura, and Eriol make small talk (Tomoyo was taping the whole proceedings, which made Sakura blush a lot. Syaoran thought he ought to object but Sakura was cute when she was harmlessly embarrassed). Mizuki-sensei eventually grabbed Touya's attention. Syaoran had the feeling that Yue was on the verge of making an appearance. And Sakura's mother was somewhere in the room as well, because Sakura kept talking to what looked like thin air to Syaoran. He could sense an unusual aura, but with very nearly everything in the old Kinomoto house being magical at the moment, he was a little overwhelmed.
He retreated to the kitchen at length, leaving him (somewhat) alone with Fujitaka.
"Ah, Syaoran-kun. How are you holding up?" Fujitaka asked as soon as Syaoran stepped into the room.
Syaoran considered this seriously. After all, this was his father-in-law. "I'm all right," he decided. He made an admission. "Nervous."
Fujitaka smiled over his shoulder at him. "I know exactly how you feel. Nadeshiko was already suffering from health problems when Touya was born, and I was so worried for her, and for our son. I barely slept for weeks before and then, with the child, it was impossible to sleep much afterwards." He laughed a little. "Don't worry so much. For Sakura, everything will surely be okay."
Syaoran dropped his chin to hide a tiny smile at Sakura's invincible spell. "... Thank you," he said quietly.
"Every father needs encouraging words now and then," Fujitaka said.
If he had anything else to say, it was drowned out by Kero and Suppi flying into the kitchen at top speed. "TAKOYAKIII~!"
Syaoran sweatdropped.
&
Yukito drew Sakura aside. "Sakura-san," he said softly, "Can I speak with you for a moment? Actually, it's not really me, it's the other me ..."
Sakura blinked and nodded. Yue hardly ever came out for anything that wasn't a magical crisis, so she rarely saw him these days.
Wings sprang from Yukito's back and enveloped him, and a moment later it was Yue standing in front of her. "Mistress," he said quietly.
Sakura beamed at him. "Yes, Yue-san?" she asked gently.
"I just ... wanted to know ... when your son is born, may I meet him?" Yue wouldn't meet her eyes.
"Of course you can! Why wouldn't you be able to?" Sakura exclaimed, slightly distressed that Yue felt he needed permission. "Yue-san, I miss you when you're not around a lot. You should visit more often, you know," she chided.
She thought Yue might have blushed. A little. And was that a tiny smile? It disappeared when she blinked. "As you wish," he said.
"Would you like to feel him kick?" Sakura asked, reaching for Yue's hand. "He's already practicing Syaoran's martial arts, from the way it feels." She pressed his hand to her abdomen.
Yue's eyes definitely widened at that, and again when little Syaoran obliged to demonstrate his strong legs. "He ... already ..."
Sakura's smile widened. "I think you'll be very good friends," she promised.
&
Eriol managed to corner Syaoran near the stairs, much to Syaoran's disgruntlement. "Hello, my cute descendant," Eriol intoned cheerfully. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were avoiding me."
Syaoran didn't bother to offer even a smile. "That's not too far off," he answered. Having Eriol be significantly older - and, irritatingly, taller - than himself was disorienting. To know that this was, in mind at least, the man whose footsteps he had been expected to follow still made him uneasy. He didn't know how to speak to Hiiragizawa still (casually or formally? It threw him right back to elementary school). And part of him would never forget feeling that Eriol was somehow a rival for Sakura's love.
"Don't be so embarrassed," Hiiragizawa said, as usual cutting straight through the confusion to the heart of the matter. Syaoran blinked. "I'd prefer you to still think of me as your former classmate, not as Clow Reed. I'm not him, not really. Although I will admit it's fun to see you off-balance."
Syaoran glared at him. Eriol laughed. "I only wanted to wish you the best of luck. I suspect you'll need it."
"Don't tell me you've been peeking into the future."
"You wound me. Honestly, I can't do that at will any more. Sakura took that power from me, much to my relief. No, this is just brotherly advice, from one Li family member to another: the boys in your family are somewhere between the ideal children and the most horrible hoodlums on earth."
"I know that already," Syaoran snapped.
"You admit to being a hoodlum?"
"Stop teasing me," Syaoran grumbled.
Eriol smiled. "But it's such fun," he sighed.
&
"Did you have a good time at the party?" Sakura asked that night, her head cradled against Syaoran's shoulder.
Syaoran considered this. "Yeah," he decided. "... guess we're in the home stretch now." His hand trailed over her stomach.
"Just about," Sakura agreed. "Exciting, don't you think?"
"Sure," Syaoran said, staring at the far wall.
Two months and the rest of our lives to go, he thought.
&
xiv. maternal leave
Sakura was three weeks from starting maternal leave when the woman showed up. "My name is Eri," she said with a bow. "I'm here as your personal assistant."
"My what?" Sakura asked, distracted by the English papers she was grading for the teacher she worked for.
"Your personal assistant." The woman seemed a bit nonplussed. "I'm supposed to carry your bags for you and drive you around ... surely Li-san told you?"
Sakura looked up and blinked at her. "Hoeh? Really?" At Eri's nod, she sighed and got to her feet with what felt like entirely too much effort. Eri pulled out her chair for her. "Excuse me," she said politely, "I have to call my husband."
&
"Syaoran! I don't need a personal assistant!"
"Sakura, I just--"
"Really! I can still do everything myself! And I'll be resting starting three weeks from now, so you don't need to--"
"Please." Syaoran's voice turned pleading. "Just put up with it, for me."
"..." Sakura relented. She knew Syaoran wasn't sleeping much any more and he worried too much. "All right," she consented. "But only for you."
"Thank you." Syaoran was quiet for a moment. "... will you let me carry you everywhere now?"
"You're pushing it," Sakura warned. "But I guess I'll allow it. Just for you, mind." Her voice turned teasing.
She could almost hear him blush over the phone.
&
xv. birthday present
Sakura proudly held up her day's work two weeks from the birthdate. "Look, Syaoran," she declared, "I made little Syaoran a personalized blanket!" Indeed, she had successfully sewn together a fleece blanket with 'Syaoran' embroidered into the corner. Sakura's needlework would never be perfect, but it was so exquisite and personal that Syaoran imagined their baby wrapped in that blanket and had to kiss her.
Syaoran thought of the blanket he had just bought at the store - it was much bigger and quite elaborate - and decided that it could be a secret until later.
&
xvi. and the promised day arrives
There is a law etched into the fabric of the universe, and it reads like this: the baby will come at the most awkward time possible. Sakura, despite her invincible spell, was not immune to this phenomenon. In fact, the baby violated all usual 'first baby' rules and came one week early, on April First - Sakura's birthday.
She experienced her first contractions at four o'clock in the afternoon, guarenteeing that Syaoran would be unable to come to her rescue for at least an hour as he came home from the office.
It was a Catch-22 situation, Sakura reflected as she lay on the couch and tried to breathe slowly. If she called Syaoran, he'd cause twenty accidents trying to get home. If she didn't call and got Tomoyo to take her to the hospital, he'd still cause twenty accidents coming to the hospital. If she didn't call anyone, he'd be somewhere between horrified and livid that she had handled her own labor for over an hour at home.
"Little Syaoran," she groaned, "why now?"
Little Syaoran had nothing to say about that. At least, she reflected, he'd gotten himself oriented the right way again before he got too big. For about a week he'd kicked her in the bladder twice a day.
She wondered what Syaoran would think if she used Fly to take her to the hospital right now. It probably wasn't a good idea.
About half an hour later she decided to call Syaoran after all.
"Hello?" Syaoran said, sounding distracted.
"Syaoran-- It's time," Sakura said.
She heard his gasp. Then, "I'm not going to be home for another twenty minutes!"
"I know. I'll be fine until then," she told him. "My water hasn't broken yet, it could be a false ala--eeek!"
Her water broke. Little Syaoran was coming.
"Never mind," she said weakly.
"Call Tomoyo-san," Syaoran said sharply. "I'll be back in five minutes." And before Sakura could ask, he hung up again.
Well, Tomoyo was the natural next person to call. Sakura redialed. "Tomoyo-cha--"
"It's time, isn't it!?" Tomoyo cried. "I had the feeling! I'm on my way right now!"
Sakura could only "Hoeeeh!" into the phone.
&
Syaoran pulled the car over at the first turn, found a parking space, then bounded from the car. If anyone had cared to look up that day, they would have seen a young man in a business suit jumping from roof to roof, cursing a blue streak all the way to his home.
&
The ride to the hospital was probably harder on Syaoran than it was on Sakura. Syaoran was true to his word and got home in five minutes. "I took the direct route," was all he would say. Sakura chose not to ask about the car. Tomoyo arrived a few minutes later, prepared with a driver and her camcorder, and they all rode together in the back while Sakura called her brother and father. Syaoran made a phone call home and sounded so strained as he spoke in Cantonese that Sakura was sure his mother knew exactly what was going on the moment he said 'hello'.
The contractions started to hurt in earnest when they were a mile from the hospital. Syaoran clutched her hand, white as a sheet. Sakura knew she was sweating and tried not to shout when her muscles contracted without her command. "I'm sorry," he apologized when her face cleared.
Sakura laughed weakly. "You'd better be," she said, and Syaoran had the gall to actually look stricken, swallowing hard. Sakura reached up with her free hand and touched his face. "I'm only joking. This is exciting," she promised.
"If you say so," Syaoran said, dubious.
Once they were in the hospital, Sakura was rushed to the maternity ward where nurses fussed over her and she was asked if she wanted an epideral injection, but the contractions were coming faster now and she was having a hard time concentrating.
A doctor came in, a male one. Sakura looked up with relief but Syaoran immediately objected. "A woman doctor!" he demanded.
"It's okay, Syaoran," she panted. "I really don't mind." But she was grateful Syaoran was thinking of her modesty. She didn't think she could have any for something like this, though.
"... All right ..." he agreed, reluctant, and the doctor gave him a wary look before checking under her gown.
"I'm afraid the baby is coming a little too fast for drugs," he said. "He's determined to be born today, this one!"
"You can't give her anything!?" Syaoran shouted.
The doctor startled. "I'm sorry, she's dialating very quickly. We'd best proceed without delay."
"It's all right," Sakura told him, and squeezed his hand. Then she started to crush it as a particularly strong contraction started, and she couldn't help a groan of pain.
Syaoran was very white when she looked up.
"Syaoran?" she asked quietly, and that was when her dear, loving husband slumped to the ground and fainted.
&
Syaoran woke up to a male voice saying "Push! Push!" and Sakura crying out with effort.
"You're doing fine!" said a nurse.
"Aaaugh!" Sakura cried, and panted for breath.
"He's crowning!" said the doctor.
Syaoran almost blacked out again, but luckily, Tomoyo was there. She patted his cheek. "Syaoran-kun," she said patiently, "you've got to be awake for the best part!"
"The best part, she says," Syaoran groaned. He struggled to sit up. Tomoyo was doing an admirable job of both supporting his back and filming the whole thing at the same time, and Syaoran turned to look at Sakura who was sweating and gasping and trying to smile.
"Tomoyo-chan ..."
"Push!" the doctor ordered, and Sakura cried out again, half-sitting up. Syaoran practically leapt from his bed to grab her hand again, and she crushed the feeling from his fingers.
He wasn't going to leave Sakura to do this alone.
The next five minutes were the longest of his life. Syaoran would later claim (truthfully) that he couldn't remember any of it. The next thing he would be able to recall was when scissors were pushed into his hand. "Do the honors?" the doctor asked, and Syaoran, dazed, cut the umbilical cord even as the nurses cleaned the protective mucus from his son's nose and mouth.
Little Syaoran immediately burst into the wail of a healthy newborn child.
He wasn't all that cute, truth be told, but at that moment, Syaoran didn't think he'd seen a baby more beautiful. The nurse wrapped him in a blue cloth and put him in Syaoran's arms. Tomoyo was over his shoulder filming, and Sakura gasped, "Let me see him! Syaoran, bring him over here!"
Syaoran sat heavily in the chair next to Sakura and leaned over her, looking between his wailing son and his tired wife, and he nearly burst into tears. Thankfully for his dignity and posterity, he refrained.
"He's perfect," he said, and carefully rested the baby in Sakura's arms.
Sakura cried for them both, rocking Little Syaoran gently and whispering one of her nonsense songs that she sang when she cooked and cleaned and did little chores, and slowly the baby began to calm. "This is the best birthday present I could have asked for," she said, looking at Syaoran with so much love in her eyes that he couldn't even react.
"Sakura-chan! You're so cute I think I'm going to faint!" Tomoyo cried.
"That's Syaoran's job," Sakura said tiredly, and gave a watery laugh.
&
xvii. heir to the throne
Not that Syaoran gave it much thought at the time, but their son was the inheritor of a magical legacy. He was a son of the extremely powerful Li family and the Mistress of the Sakura Cards, and the grandson of half of Clow Reed's reincarnation. Inevitably, there were yet more gifts to be given.
Syaoran already knew that his jian sword would go to his son as soon as he was old enough. What he did not expect was the present that came from his mother.
The matriarch of the Li family arrived in Japan the day after Little Syaoran was born. Sakura was still sleeping much of the time. Syaoran was resting by her bed, stroking their baby's cheek, when she swept into the room.
Syaoran shot to his feet in reflex reaction. "Mother," he said respectfully.
"Xiao Lang," his mother said with a nod and a tiny smile. Syaoran offered her the spare seat, but when she declined, he remained standing as well. "Your sisters are here. It seems the Card Mistress' brother is no more keen on them than when he first met them," she said.
Syaoran imagined his sisters swarming in the adjacent room, annoying Touya, and decided to just be thankful that his mother hadn't allowed them into the room.
"I'll speak to your wife later," she said, "but for now, it is customary that the matriarch give a gift to the firstborn son." She held out her hand; Syaoran lifted his own, and his mother put a brooch into his palm. "When you pass on your sword, give him also this brooch, with his true name etched into the jewel. Then he and his sword will never be separated."
Syaoran looked at the little golden brooch; he could feel its magic. He closed his hand around it and bowed. "Thank you, Mother."
She smiled again. "I believe your sisters have a personalized bib for little Xiao Lang," she informed him.
Syaoran blanched. "Of course."
"We will return home before they can insist on a shopping trip."
"Thank you," Syaoran said with relish.
"That is my present to you, my son. Make sure you sleep while you can."
Syaoran took that, rightly, as a warning.
&
Sakura and Syaoran came home a day later. Little Syaoran slept peacefully through the ride; Sakura was still very tired and she was under orders to confine herself to one floor of the house for at least a two days to let her body recover. She held little Syaoran close as they came in the front door.
On the foyer table was a bouquet of out-of-season flowers. Beside it rested a teddy bear that looked remarkably like Kero-chan; around its neck was a pendant made of fine silver with a set emerald that seemed to almost glow with its own light. An envelope rested under the teddy bear's stubby leg.
Syaoran picked it up, and with a nod from Sakura, opened it. "Dear Sakura-san," he read, "This is from the Cards, Cerebus, and Yue, although the other me won't admit to anything. They worked together to create the pendant - my other self says it's for protection, when he's older - and the teddy bear was Kero's idea. I picked it out, though. We hope little Syaoran likes them! Sincerely, Yukito." Syaoran folded up the letter and picked up the bear. "... He'll match well with 'Sakura' and 'Syaoran'," he remarked, referring to the bears still resting on the nightstand in their room.
Sakura was a little teary-eyed. "I have to go thank the Cards," she said, "And introduce them."
Syaoran offered her an arm. "Let me help you up the stairs," he said gently.
&
xviii. reliving the experience
"And this is the part when Syaoran fainted!" Tomoyo explained cheerfully to her rapt audience.
Kero-chan burst into uncontrollable laughter, as did Touya. Syaoran glared at them both.
"Don't worry, I did the same thing when Touya was born," Fujitaka told Syaoran sincerely.
"It was kind of cute," Sakura reassured him.
Syaoran blushed.
&
xviv. end of the beginning
Syaoran laid little Syaoran into his crib; Sakura gently tapped a Card, and Glow sprang from it, decorating the room with little gentle lights to keep him company.
"It was worth it, wasn't it, Syaoran?" Sakura whispered, wrapping her arm around Syaoran. Syaoran returned the gesture, squeezing Sakura gently.
"Are you kidding?" he murmured. "This is only the beginning." When he thought about how much was ahead of them - four hours of sleep at a time, the terrible twos, the first day of school - it was all overwhelming.
Sakura rested her head on his shoulder. "Everything will surely be all right. One day at a time, okay?"
Syaoran closed his eyes and exhaled. He felt as though he'd been holding that breath for nine whole months. When he opened his eyes he looked at Sakura. "You know," he said quietly, "I'm happy." He bent down to kiss her.
They kissed for a long time.
"I love you, Sakura," Syaoran added when they pulled back.
"I love you, too, Syaoran," Sakura breathed.
"And yeah," Syaoran admitted, "it was worth it."
Sakura giggled. "Then let's have another."
Syaoran stiffened for a moment, then growled, "Only if you can promise me a girl."
Sakura smiled against his lips. "I'll let you know," she promised.
And they lived happily ever after, Syaoran hoped as he picked up his wife and carried her (laughing and beaming at him) to their bed.
fin
PWEW THAT WAS LONG. At least it's done. Yay!
Fun Fact: there are nineteen parts to this story - the same as the number of cards in Sakura's deck in the manga. Whee!
Ackowledgements: This entire fic is totally the fault of usagi_odango, who called me yesterday and said Syaoran would be hilarious while Sakura was pregnant. That pretty much forced me to write this fic. The format and aspects of the outline are thanks to lazulisong's 'Gonna Get Married!'.
Spoilers and other notes: Little Syaoran has a hidden name, since I'm presuming this is the kid that grows up to be the star of Tsubasa. Hence, of course, the joke about naming little Syaoran 'Tsubasa'. ^^;; I couldn't think of a good hidden name so you don't get to know what it is either. >_>; Finally, 'Koinu' translates to 'little dog', which is as close to 'little wolf' as I could get in Japanese with it still sounding like a name. That's why Sakura thinks it would be hilarious.
Thanks for reading!