A/N: This first chapter is a little short, please R&R it. This is my first
attempt so please be nice. I'm not sure if this story makes sense, sorry if
it doesn't. This story has nothing to do with the Clow Cards; it is only a
story that will turn romantic in the following chapters.
I would like to thank Hemlata, and Chris for the help in pushing me to
start writing. Thanks.
~* Story *~
The horses were charging at full speed for the gate. The rider was expertly maneuvering the horses through the front gate while they were being closed. Just as he was about to make it through, a cowhand jumps from the top of the gate directly onto the rider causing him to fall from the saddle and hitting the ground with enough force to knock the breath out of him. Just as the cowhand was rising from on top of the rider, the owner of the ranch arrived. He looks down upon the fallen rider and growls, " you shouldn't have tried escaping, and you remember what happened to the last guy, right?" When all he got was a moan he continued. "He was beaten to within an inch of his life, and that is exactly what is going to happen to you."
The cowhand that jumped on him grabbed him under one arm while another cowhand grabbed his other arm. "I'm sorry I had to jump you like that Eriol, but you know that the boss would have skinned me alive if I'd let you get away." Eriol just moaned again. The man on the other arm gave him a scowl, "You could've tried and missed."
The cowhand ignored the comment. They brought Eriol back to the bunkhouse where they set him on his bed. The man that hadn't jumped Eriol sat on the side of the bed looked down at his best friend and scolded him in a whisper, "why did you choose today of all days to try and run, we had a perfect plan and all it would have taken was three more days to gather enough food to get us away from this god forsaken ranch and it's town."
Eriol opened his eyes and looked up into eyes the color of purest amber and said, "Well you know me Syaoran, and I've never been one to be patient."
Just than the bunkhouse door opened and standing there taking up the entire doorway was their boss, with a whip in his hand. Standing behind him were two of the people that agreed with what he was about to do. They walked over to Eriol's bed, grabbed him from under the arms, hoisted him into the air as if he were light as a feather and carried him directly to the boss. Once he was placed in front of the boss, the boss looked at his henchmen and said, "Take him into the barn, we don't want his screams keeping the rest of the ranch awake." With that he exited the bunkhouse and marched over to the barn with his two henchmen and Eriol in tow.
After they left, things settled down, Syaoran took one last look at the door and turned back to the man that jumped Eriol. "Why did you do it, Hooku?" Syaoran asked with barely leashed temper.
Hooku looked up from his boots, which he had been shining, and said with nonchalance "What did you expect me to do? Let him go? You know very well Syaoran that, that wasn't possible. If he got out it wouldn't be fair to the rest of us. You are as much a prisoner as the rest of us. And with him on the outside, with his freedom, he wouldn't have come back to help us."
"How do you know that, Hooku?" Syaoran bit off each word like there was a foul taste in his mouth. "He would have found some way to come back for us, but because of you there isn't a chance to find out now is there?" Since everyone else knew he was right they all seemed to become very interested in either the floor or the ceiling. Everyone that is except for Nick, who kept straight on looking onto Syaoran's amber eyes, but he didn't keep it up for long. Since his arrival on the ranch Syaoran had been in quite a few fights and he always ended up without a scratch, while the other cowboy was beaten black and blue. So for that reason, Nick admitted that he was wrong to take Eriol out when he should have let him escape.
Close to two in the morning the boss's two goons returned with Eriol hanging limp between them, the two goons threw Eriol, none to gracefully, on his bed and exited the way they came. As soon as they were gone Syaoran was on his feet and beside Eriol's bed quick as a flash, he knelt down beside Eriols head to find out if he was still alive. Syaoran placed his hand beneath Eriol's nose and felt the faint whisperings of air blow across his fingers and exhaled a breath he hadn't know he was holding.
Syaoran removed the tattered rags that used to be Eriol's t-shirt, threw them on the floor and lit a lantern to see what damage had been done to his best friend. Eriols back had been cut to ribbons, and his blood was seeping everywhere. Syaoran knew that some of these wounds were too deep and would have to be stitched up, but there wasn't a doctor on the ranch and none of the cowboys there knew how to sew and if Eriol's wounds weren't looked at he would surely die.
He realized that the plan that he and Eriol were going to put into the works three days from then was shot, but he realized that he could use it to go find help and bring it back to the ranch before it was too late. So working quickly, Syaoran went to the well and brought back some cold water. Using the tattered rags that remained of Eriols shirt, Syaoran dampened them and placed them over the shallow cuts in Eriols back. Syaoran made the decision to leave that morning, go into town, find someone willing to help, go back to the ranch with him and maybe have to work there for the rest of there lives. With that decision made he went through the door of the bunkhouse and out into the crisp new morning. He went to a hole in the fence that Eriol and him had been making for the past four months and headed toward the town that lay about three miles away.
~* The Village *~
Syaoran arrived in the village later that morning; he went straight to the tavern to ask the bartender where he could find a doctor. When he entered the bar looked up at the unwelcome stranger than back at their drinks. He walked over to the counter, took a seat at one of the stools and waited for the bartender to serve him. The bartender, a short, stout, man approached Syaoran with caution, but when he asked Syaoran why he was in the bar Syaoran replied "I need a doctor."
The bartender was immediately curious. Syaoran didn't appear to be injured, but than why would he need a doctor. The bartender asked Syaoran just that, but Syaoran just scowled and told him to mind his own business. The bartender, not wanting to get into a fight with the stranger, gave him directions to the only doctor in town. Syaoran followed the directions that the bartender gave him and ended up a tiny house on the outskirts of the village.
It was a quaint house; Syaoran noticed the curtains in the windows the flower boxes on the steps leading to the front door. Syaoran walked to the front door where a hand made sign was posted on the inside of the door that proclaimed that anyone was welcome. Syaoran opened the door and was greeted by the smell of flowers. Syaoran thought that, that was a little strange. He walked through the front parlor and down the hall to a tiny room with it's only furnishings being a desk and a bookcase. Behind the desk sat a woman with long black hair and amethyst eyes Syaoran was struck by her beauty and found himself speechless. She looked up from her work and smiled when she saw Syaoran. "How may I help you?" she addressed the stranger.
"Um.ah.." He cleared his throat and tried again, "I would like to speak to the doctor, please, ma'am."
"Certainly" the secretary said with a smile. "My name is Tomoyo, and I work for Sakura Kinomoto. If you'll just have a seat I will tell the doctor that you are here. And who should I say is here to see her?"
"Syaoran Li" he said, he didn't realize that Tomoyo had said "her" and not "him." He was very surprised when a woman, a full five inches shorter than his own 6'1 height. The doctor had shoulder length auburn hair and was wearing a white overcoat that made her look more like she was playing dress up than a real doctor. She looked up at Syaoran; he was caught off guard by the sparkling color of her eyes a green so intense that it put the prettiest emerald to shame. He was again awe struck by the beauty of these women. When he found his voice again he addressed the doctor. "I'm sorry I wasn't expecting a.a.."
"A what Mr. Li? A woman?" Sakura said with malice in her voice.
"Well, yes. You see my problem is that I need a man to come back with me to the Bokusha Ranch and help my friend."
"You came from the Bokusha Ranch?" Dr. Kinomoto said with a slight hitch in her voice. "You escaped?"
"Well, yes. Anyway, as I was saying, I need someone to come back with me, this morning or my friend will die. But when I asked the bartender where I could find a doctor I didn't know that I would find a woman and I'm sorry ma'am but I don't think Doma, my boss, will let a lady on the ranch." Syaoran stated before turning around and leaving. But before he could reach the door Sakura grabbed his arm and tried to swing him around, but all she succeeded in doing was stopping him in his tracks, while she proceeded to run smack into his broad chest. Syaoran grabbed hold of her elbows so that she wouldn't fall down. Syaoran realized that, that wasn't such a good idea. It put the sweet little doctor right in his arms, and he realized that he wanted to hold her in his arms for a very long time, which scared him, so he let go of her immediately.
Though a little off balance she caught herself. "I'm sorry, but I need to know some more information about Bokusha Ranch. How did you escape? And how are you going to get back in with out being noticed? And if you do get back in how are you going to save your friend with out medical assistance?"
"Well ma'am, I'll do my best with Eriol. I'll clean his wounds and do my best to stop the bleeding. As for how I escaped that is none of your business. And why do you care whether or not I get back in with out being noticed?" He gave her a squinty-eyed glare.
"I think I can still help you. You see my assistant and I, when we traveled west to come here, we disguised ourselves as boys in order to get away. So we could dress ourselves up as boys, pretend to be looking for work on the Bokusha Ranch and get hired, fix your friend up and sneak out the same way you did." She told him with a slight smile on her face.
A/N: What's going to happen? Will Syaoran take Sakura and Tomoyo with them? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to be posted. Please review.
~* Story *~
The horses were charging at full speed for the gate. The rider was expertly maneuvering the horses through the front gate while they were being closed. Just as he was about to make it through, a cowhand jumps from the top of the gate directly onto the rider causing him to fall from the saddle and hitting the ground with enough force to knock the breath out of him. Just as the cowhand was rising from on top of the rider, the owner of the ranch arrived. He looks down upon the fallen rider and growls, " you shouldn't have tried escaping, and you remember what happened to the last guy, right?" When all he got was a moan he continued. "He was beaten to within an inch of his life, and that is exactly what is going to happen to you."
The cowhand that jumped on him grabbed him under one arm while another cowhand grabbed his other arm. "I'm sorry I had to jump you like that Eriol, but you know that the boss would have skinned me alive if I'd let you get away." Eriol just moaned again. The man on the other arm gave him a scowl, "You could've tried and missed."
The cowhand ignored the comment. They brought Eriol back to the bunkhouse where they set him on his bed. The man that hadn't jumped Eriol sat on the side of the bed looked down at his best friend and scolded him in a whisper, "why did you choose today of all days to try and run, we had a perfect plan and all it would have taken was three more days to gather enough food to get us away from this god forsaken ranch and it's town."
Eriol opened his eyes and looked up into eyes the color of purest amber and said, "Well you know me Syaoran, and I've never been one to be patient."
Just than the bunkhouse door opened and standing there taking up the entire doorway was their boss, with a whip in his hand. Standing behind him were two of the people that agreed with what he was about to do. They walked over to Eriol's bed, grabbed him from under the arms, hoisted him into the air as if he were light as a feather and carried him directly to the boss. Once he was placed in front of the boss, the boss looked at his henchmen and said, "Take him into the barn, we don't want his screams keeping the rest of the ranch awake." With that he exited the bunkhouse and marched over to the barn with his two henchmen and Eriol in tow.
After they left, things settled down, Syaoran took one last look at the door and turned back to the man that jumped Eriol. "Why did you do it, Hooku?" Syaoran asked with barely leashed temper.
Hooku looked up from his boots, which he had been shining, and said with nonchalance "What did you expect me to do? Let him go? You know very well Syaoran that, that wasn't possible. If he got out it wouldn't be fair to the rest of us. You are as much a prisoner as the rest of us. And with him on the outside, with his freedom, he wouldn't have come back to help us."
"How do you know that, Hooku?" Syaoran bit off each word like there was a foul taste in his mouth. "He would have found some way to come back for us, but because of you there isn't a chance to find out now is there?" Since everyone else knew he was right they all seemed to become very interested in either the floor or the ceiling. Everyone that is except for Nick, who kept straight on looking onto Syaoran's amber eyes, but he didn't keep it up for long. Since his arrival on the ranch Syaoran had been in quite a few fights and he always ended up without a scratch, while the other cowboy was beaten black and blue. So for that reason, Nick admitted that he was wrong to take Eriol out when he should have let him escape.
Close to two in the morning the boss's two goons returned with Eriol hanging limp between them, the two goons threw Eriol, none to gracefully, on his bed and exited the way they came. As soon as they were gone Syaoran was on his feet and beside Eriol's bed quick as a flash, he knelt down beside Eriols head to find out if he was still alive. Syaoran placed his hand beneath Eriol's nose and felt the faint whisperings of air blow across his fingers and exhaled a breath he hadn't know he was holding.
Syaoran removed the tattered rags that used to be Eriol's t-shirt, threw them on the floor and lit a lantern to see what damage had been done to his best friend. Eriols back had been cut to ribbons, and his blood was seeping everywhere. Syaoran knew that some of these wounds were too deep and would have to be stitched up, but there wasn't a doctor on the ranch and none of the cowboys there knew how to sew and if Eriol's wounds weren't looked at he would surely die.
He realized that the plan that he and Eriol were going to put into the works three days from then was shot, but he realized that he could use it to go find help and bring it back to the ranch before it was too late. So working quickly, Syaoran went to the well and brought back some cold water. Using the tattered rags that remained of Eriols shirt, Syaoran dampened them and placed them over the shallow cuts in Eriols back. Syaoran made the decision to leave that morning, go into town, find someone willing to help, go back to the ranch with him and maybe have to work there for the rest of there lives. With that decision made he went through the door of the bunkhouse and out into the crisp new morning. He went to a hole in the fence that Eriol and him had been making for the past four months and headed toward the town that lay about three miles away.
~* The Village *~
Syaoran arrived in the village later that morning; he went straight to the tavern to ask the bartender where he could find a doctor. When he entered the bar looked up at the unwelcome stranger than back at their drinks. He walked over to the counter, took a seat at one of the stools and waited for the bartender to serve him. The bartender, a short, stout, man approached Syaoran with caution, but when he asked Syaoran why he was in the bar Syaoran replied "I need a doctor."
The bartender was immediately curious. Syaoran didn't appear to be injured, but than why would he need a doctor. The bartender asked Syaoran just that, but Syaoran just scowled and told him to mind his own business. The bartender, not wanting to get into a fight with the stranger, gave him directions to the only doctor in town. Syaoran followed the directions that the bartender gave him and ended up a tiny house on the outskirts of the village.
It was a quaint house; Syaoran noticed the curtains in the windows the flower boxes on the steps leading to the front door. Syaoran walked to the front door where a hand made sign was posted on the inside of the door that proclaimed that anyone was welcome. Syaoran opened the door and was greeted by the smell of flowers. Syaoran thought that, that was a little strange. He walked through the front parlor and down the hall to a tiny room with it's only furnishings being a desk and a bookcase. Behind the desk sat a woman with long black hair and amethyst eyes Syaoran was struck by her beauty and found himself speechless. She looked up from her work and smiled when she saw Syaoran. "How may I help you?" she addressed the stranger.
"Um.ah.." He cleared his throat and tried again, "I would like to speak to the doctor, please, ma'am."
"Certainly" the secretary said with a smile. "My name is Tomoyo, and I work for Sakura Kinomoto. If you'll just have a seat I will tell the doctor that you are here. And who should I say is here to see her?"
"Syaoran Li" he said, he didn't realize that Tomoyo had said "her" and not "him." He was very surprised when a woman, a full five inches shorter than his own 6'1 height. The doctor had shoulder length auburn hair and was wearing a white overcoat that made her look more like she was playing dress up than a real doctor. She looked up at Syaoran; he was caught off guard by the sparkling color of her eyes a green so intense that it put the prettiest emerald to shame. He was again awe struck by the beauty of these women. When he found his voice again he addressed the doctor. "I'm sorry I wasn't expecting a.a.."
"A what Mr. Li? A woman?" Sakura said with malice in her voice.
"Well, yes. You see my problem is that I need a man to come back with me to the Bokusha Ranch and help my friend."
"You came from the Bokusha Ranch?" Dr. Kinomoto said with a slight hitch in her voice. "You escaped?"
"Well, yes. Anyway, as I was saying, I need someone to come back with me, this morning or my friend will die. But when I asked the bartender where I could find a doctor I didn't know that I would find a woman and I'm sorry ma'am but I don't think Doma, my boss, will let a lady on the ranch." Syaoran stated before turning around and leaving. But before he could reach the door Sakura grabbed his arm and tried to swing him around, but all she succeeded in doing was stopping him in his tracks, while she proceeded to run smack into his broad chest. Syaoran grabbed hold of her elbows so that she wouldn't fall down. Syaoran realized that, that wasn't such a good idea. It put the sweet little doctor right in his arms, and he realized that he wanted to hold her in his arms for a very long time, which scared him, so he let go of her immediately.
Though a little off balance she caught herself. "I'm sorry, but I need to know some more information about Bokusha Ranch. How did you escape? And how are you going to get back in with out being noticed? And if you do get back in how are you going to save your friend with out medical assistance?"
"Well ma'am, I'll do my best with Eriol. I'll clean his wounds and do my best to stop the bleeding. As for how I escaped that is none of your business. And why do you care whether or not I get back in with out being noticed?" He gave her a squinty-eyed glare.
"I think I can still help you. You see my assistant and I, when we traveled west to come here, we disguised ourselves as boys in order to get away. So we could dress ourselves up as boys, pretend to be looking for work on the Bokusha Ranch and get hired, fix your friend up and sneak out the same way you did." She told him with a slight smile on her face.
A/N: What's going to happen? Will Syaoran take Sakura and Tomoyo with them? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to be posted. Please review.