Dancing with the Dead

Chapter One

A / N : guess who's back? :)

I always had the same recurring dream since I was small.

It was the day of my mother's funeral; I was no more than five years old. I had watched my father cry the last tears he would ever show my big brother and me. My older brother, strong and good, five years older than me, kept looking up ahead at my father's back. I had never seen him cry, and even in my young mind, I knew that my brother was sad.

"I will be your protector, Sakura," he told me when my mother stopped waking up. It was strange, and I didn't really understand. She was sick for a long time, but she was also resting for just as long. I couldn't remember a time when my mother was not in bed. Whenever I was sick, bed rest made it all better, but my mother never had that sort of luck.

So she passed, and when I realized it, it was at the day of her funeral. There were other family members, like Tomoyo and her mother, and my grandfather as well. I remember the black dress I wore and tore when I fell on the way to the grave to give my white flowers. I remember how quiet everyone was, even though my mother used to love noise and the bustling of people. She said it reminded her of how alive the world truly was, and how we were lucky to be a part of it. But she was not part of this world. I remember finally understanding that.

I also remember the cat.

He was ludicrously small and golden, and that was weird at the time because I didn't know cats could be golden. I followed it past the other graves until I was near a large tree. When I looked back, I saw how far I walked away, my brother staring stoically at my father from a distance. When I looked back at the cat, he had climbed up high on the tree. I wanted be up with the cat, which was how I tore my dress even more when it was caught on the bark. By the time I had pulled my dress out, the cat was on the floor by my feet.

Dead.

I cried. I wanted to cradle the cat in my arms, and hold him to me. I didn't even see him jump, and he lay on the ground as if he were sleeping. That was how my mother passed. She looked like she was sleeping, which is what made it hard to realize that she wouldn't wake.

When I paused in my cries to catch a breath, a handkerchief was in front of me. I believed it was brother who followed me, or even my father who maybe was done sobbing. It was neither.

He was a boy, but certainly older. He was older than my brother even. He held out the handkerchief for me, and even if he was crouched down at my level, I knew he was extremely tall.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, his voice very calm and gentle, but impressively deep. When I looked into his eyes, I noticed how strikingly amber they were.

"Yes," I hiccupped. "But not the cat."

When I mentioned the cat, he looked down. His lips formed a thin line, as he looked back at me.

"Was he yours?"

I shook my head at him. For whatever reason, this confused him.

"Then why do you cry?"

I had to think about that, because I was not sure why I was so emotional. Maybe it was the lingering effects of the sadness over losing my mother.

"I don't want him sleep forever like mama."

He seemed to understand it. Those amber eyes peered at the people at the funeral. He turned to me and picked me up. He sat me on top of the grave closest to the tree. The shock of his touch erased my tears. He was strong and authoritative. Even as a child, I sensed it.

"What's your name?"

"Kinomoto Sakura," I answered automatically, though my brother warned me not to talk to strangers. But it was strange. Though I never saw the boy before, there was a feeling of familiarity with me. "What's your name?"

"I am Li," he replied, still kind. He was smiling again. He bent down to pick up the cat, which looked so small in his hands. I watched him curiously.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my sadness temporarily forgotten.

"Sakura, do you want me to make him wake up?" His smile was turned into a grin. I saw his eyes twinkling.

"You can't make it wake up," I told him. I knew that before since I tried everything to make my mother wake up. I made the noises she loved so much, I tried to have her drink her favorite milk tea, I cried so that she would kiss away my tears. None of it worked.

"I can. If you wish me to do it."

I pondered that for a moment. "Is it only for the cat? What about for people?"

He was no longer smiling. Those eyes had dulled, and suddenly I was nervous. I regretted asking my question. However, he still held on to the cat gently, which I saw as a good sign to continue. At the very least, he was not a bad man.

"Can you make my mama wake up?" My voice was barely above a whisper, but he heard it anyway. He looked pained, but never paused from looking kind.

"No, Sakura, I am sorry. I cannot make your mother wake up. People are different." It was not much of an explanation, but I knew he was not to blame.

"If you could, would you?" I asked.

"Yes."

For some reason, I knew he was honest. I knew in that moment that this boy, this man, would never lie to me. I was as sure of that as I was that my brother loved me.

"Please make the cat wake up."

There was no dramatic effect or any magic trick to it. The cat just woke up, his eyes blinking rapidly and taking in the surroundings. It was a fall afternoon in Tomoeda, and if not for the funeral, it would have been a lovely day. The cat sat up and jumped on the boy's shoulders. It emphasized how wide they were.

"You should name him," the boy said, not pushing the cat away.

"But he is not mine," I protested. I was not opposed to keeping him, but I knew that my brother was allergic, and that was the last thing any of us needed at the time.

"I know. But I will take care of him. So you should give him a name."

I didn't even have to pause to think. "Kero. His name is Kero."

If the name was strange to him, he never showed it. As he smiled at gingerly petted the cat perched on his shoulder, I was enamored. In my short life, I had never encountered anyone like him before, and there was an impossible urge to follow him forever.

"Li, I like you," I declared. He stopped petting Kero and looked at me instead. There was an impossible fire behind his amber orbs.

"Do you?" His voice was thick with an emotion I had not recognized at that age. All I could sense was a small bit of sadness that I was so accustomed to feeling around me.

"Yes."

There was a silent moment that passed between us. The wind had picked up, sounding like echoes to my ears. Kero had jumped from his new master's shoulder and waiting beside him, understanding that he was a wild cat no more. Li pulled a small box from the pocket inside his jacket. It was then I noticed he was clad in black: black jacket, black pants, black boots, black shirt.

"Are you dressed for a funeral?" I couldn't stop myself. My mother used to laugh at my impulsive honesty. The memory of that caused a pang of sorrow to hit me.

For his part, he looked amused. "No, I always dress this way."

Before I could comment, he opened the box, and all words fell silent on my tongue. It was a necklace. The chain was thin and silver holding a heart shaped locket. He opened it for me, and inside was a beautiful white pearl. When he placed it on my neck, the color shifted to a pale pink.

"Is this magic?" I asked him. He patted my head affectionately.

"Yes. It is now pink because it knows it belongs to you. It will change depending on who you meet. It will tell you if you are in danger."

This was all overwhelming to me at the time. I tried to shake away my confusion. "Why would I be in danger?"

Li also shook his head, but I didn't think it was to shake away any confusion I was feeling. "You're not. But I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you."

I thought this was unfair, because bad things happened all the time. They happened to my beautiful mother, who was good and lovely and died so sick. They happened to my kind father, who was so broken to let her go. They happened to my brother, who would never cry in front of me. Why was I the only one protected?

"But why?"

He bent down to kiss the top of my head.

"Because I like you, Sakura."

The wind picked up again so strong that I closed my eyes to shield them. When I opened them, Li and Kero were gone, leaving no traces behind. In their place was my brother, who had begun lecturing me. I tried to tell him about Li, but he dismissed me, and only carried me back to our father who had regained a smile when he saw us.

During the drive home, I kept playing with my locket, never opening it. It was my reminder that I didn't imagine him. He was real.

Because I like you, Sakura.

I always wake up after he says those words. Today was no different. When I looked at my clock, it read 6:30 a.m. I groaned, but there was no helping it. It was time to get up. After I dressed and brushed my teeth, I met up with my father downstairs.

"Good morning, Sakura-san," he greeted me with a smile. I smiled back. It was now seven, which meant I had enough time to have breakfast.

"I can help, otou-san." He would have probably protested, but I already picked up the plate of pancakes—my favorite—and set them on the table.

"Good morning," my brother yawned from the doorway. He was also dressed in his suit. This was rare since my brother rarely ever started work so early. He was manga editor, specifically his best friend Yukito's editor. His schedule was flexible, as was the dress code.

"You're up early! And so well dressed," I commented. At that, Touya-nii ruffled my hair, which annoyed me. I spent a while trying to keep it neat and tangle free.

"We're presenting a new idea to the publisher this morning. So Yuki and I have to look sharp."

Before we could say anything else, we all sat down and began our morning ritual. My father thanked our mother for looking after us, and we ate. It had been ten years since she passed. I was already in my first year of high school, and Touya-nii was an adult who could drink and smoke, and wore business suits for presentations. My father was the only one who hardly changed. There were more lines on his forehead and around his eyes, but he was still as gentle and warm as ever. He was also ready to work. My father was the archeology professor at Tomoeda University, and by this time in two days, he would be in Greece on an archeological excavation.

"Are you all packed yet, otou-san?" I asked in between bites. I knew my brother was going to make fun of me for eating so unsightly, but I was also in a hurry. I promised to meet Tomoyo-chan at the school gates.

"No, but I still have some time. By the way, Sakura-san, what time where you planning on leaving?" my father said while peering at the clock behind me.

"Seven fifteen," I answered.

"Kaijuu," Touya spoke in a low voice. "It's nearly seven-thirty."

"Hoe?"

I thought I had more time!

I rushed to put on my shoes and coat. My father made sure to wrap me neck with a muffler.

"It's cold out. The roads are slippery, so be careful."

"Yes! Bye bye!"

I used to roller blade to school when my brother was still in high school, but now I rode his old bike now that he drove. I didn't mind it. I liked feeling the wind on my face as I rode. I loved seeing the trees, even if they were bare from the winter cold.

Overall, I lived a very ordinary life. I had an ordinary family, and an ordinary group of friends. I did average in school, except for P.E. which I loved and was above average, and math, which was easily my worst subject. My town was small and ordinary, and nothing strange really happened.

We did have a local legend about a ghost who roamed the graves near the outskirts of town, but I tried not to pay attention to that.

I didn't really have goals or aspirations. I just wanted to live happily.

Although, Tomoyo-chan always said I was good with animals and plants, so maybe I should look into becoming a veterinarian or florist. While I was not sure if those two were the best routes for me, she was right about me being good with plants and animals. I was president of the gardening club since everything seemed to grow and bloom under my care. I also was always asked to go to zoos and help people calm their pets since animals just reacted so well to me. I never had an animal bite me, or hurt me; even mosquitoes never drew blood from me during the humid summer days. Maybe I had a soothing aura. Either way, it was good I loved living creatures so much since they seemed to love me back.

Except for Kero, who preferred someone else, but I hadn't seen him or his master in years.

But I did dream of them. I dreamed so often of them both, and if not for my locket, I would have believed it was all in my head.

The locket was the only proof I had. When my father and brother asked where I got it from two weeks after the funeral, when both had collected themselves enough to pay attention, I told them absentmindedly that it was gift. I told them it was someone from the funeral, and they never asked further. To them, it was possibly from a family member as a way to comfort me, or to remember my mother by. I didn't dare explain the truth.

But since then, I wore it every day, all day. I never took it off, not even for sleep or in the bath. I didn't have to, it seemed. The locket and chain never lost its shine. I never tried to open it, pretending the magic pearl didn't exist. I wondered why it changed color. I wondered how he and Kero disappeared so suddenly, without a trace.

Maybe it was because I thought about Kero, but I swore I saw a flash of gold jump from the bushes beside me as I rode. I skidded to a stop and hopped off my bike. No, it couldn't be…The gold cat stood in the middle of the street, licking its paw. There was red staining the gold on his legs, and before I could control myself, I rushed to it.

Like all animals, it didn't run when it saw me. When I picked him up, he purred against me, looking at me with bright, blue eyes.

"You're not Kero, huh? He has black eyes," I told the cat, who meowed in response. I took out a handkerchief from my bag and used it as a tourniquet. The bleeding stopped, but I was not sure what injury he had.

"Why don't we find you a vet?" I cooed.

From there, everything went wrong. I felt my locket burn as if it were on fire. Cradling the cat with one arm, I pried it open, something I never thought I'd do.

The pearl was a deep, blood red.

What did that mean? Why was my locket burning, and why was the pearl so dark red? I couldn't even think about the possibilities, because when I looked up, all I saw was lights, and I turned to shield the cat as much as possible.

It hurt for a bit. The pain itself was excruciating. I felt every nerve in my body react to it, and it seemed like it wouldn't go away. I heard noises, people chattering frantically. They seemed to call to me, but I couldn't be sure. I managed to open my eyes, even though my lids felt heavier. I noticed the cat I held, looking down at me, unhurt. Despite everything, I felt a wave of relief.

He had company. Another cat, a brighter gold was beside him. He looked at me with dark eyes as though he knew me. I recognized him, though he was bigger than the last time I saw him.

"Kero?" I asked groggily. Even my voice felt heavy.

Then I couldn't hold on. It felt like I was holding on to a rope, but my strength failed me. And I was falling.

That was how I entered my deep sleep.

That was how I died.

Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah : so, as usual, this is unbeta'd, so I am sorry if there are mistakes. I am also uploading this through my phone, which is actually way harder than it should be. Either way, I am excited for this fic, and hope that you readers will enjoy it too. This one will be more...supernatural.

Please review and share your thoughts!