Banished Promise
A/N: Just a small ficcie for KuroganeXTomoyo….i just find them really cute together!! This is my first fic for Tsubasa Chronicle so to all TC writers there, I would appreciate your help and comments…thanks!
Disclaimer: I don't own these wonderful chracters…aww..CLAMP does
He felt a soft poke at his left cheek. He opened his left eye, revealing its deep and red color. "Kuro-puu is awake!" a soft voice called out. A blonde haired guy walked idly and bent over to him slightly, placing his arms on his waist. "Ah, the ninja has finally awoken from his slumber!" he commented. He sat up and grabbed on to his sword and placed it on his lap. "What the heck are you talking about, magician?" he asked as he inspected his weapon. "My, my! I bet our mighty warrior has another dream! Was it good or bad?"
His question startled him. Yes, he remembered…
I'm afraid I have to banish you from my kingdom…
You are already the strongest warrior in this place and yet, you yearn for more…
The dimension witch will know what to do…
Until you finally realize how to use your ability wisely…
This mark shall stay…
He touched the mark on his headgear. "So, did the warrior had a--"
He glared at him and unsheathed his sword. "You better know when to keep quiet, magician. I'm warning you." He said then went away. The sole female of their group stood up and went near the magician. "I wonder if he's all right." She softly said. "Nah, don't worry, Sakura. He just woke up at the wrong side of the bed." He replied.
"But, haven't you noticed? He's been acting like that after he wakes up even though no one bothers him." She continued. "I agree. He seems to be having some problems." The brown-haired lad joined in. "What kind of problems, Shaoran? Sleeping problems?" the magician asked mockingly. "It's not that, Fai." He replied.
"Then what are you thinking?" the magician asked. Shaoran stood up and placed a hand under his chin. "I'm not quite sure about it."
"Why don't we ask for help from the dimension witch? I'm sure she could help us." Sakura happily suggested her two companions. "Yeah, she could help but I'm sure she'll ask for a price." Fai said. "I think Sakura's right." Shaoran said, sensing the dropping of the woman's spirits. "Why don't we just give it a try? Who knows, she has a holiday for asking an exchange?" he added. Fai, sensing what Shaoran is driving at, smiles and nods. "You're right." He said then went to Mokona and carried him to his arms. "Mokona, could you let us talk to the Dimension witch?" he asked. The little creature thought for a second then jumped down. The red gem on its forehead twinkled and then a projector-like image of the witch appeared before them.
"Mokona, why did you call?" a dark haired woman asked. "Excuse me, Yuuko-san." Shaoran spoke, making the woman turn her attention to him. "We were just wondering if you could help us." He said.
"I see but I think you already know that I--"
"About that thing." Fai suddenly interrupted. "We're actually wondering if you give holidays in asking for an exchange for every help you give to us." He added.
"I'm afraid no. There is always an exchange for everything. It is an unbreakable law." She answers. "But…" Sakura finally said. The three turned their eyes on her. "But, could you…"
The witch smiled after giving a sigh. "But you know, since I am a generous person, I will give you a discount this time. So, what do you want?" she asked. Sakura's eyes widen and her face reflected a beautiful crescent smile.
"Could you give us a tool that could allow us see what a person is thinking, without alarming him?" Fai bluntly asked. "Hmm…that wish is quite heavy but I have something that will let you see a person's dreams, without alarming him. Would that be okay?" she asked.
"Certainly! That's what we're planning to ask in the first place. You're really great, Yuuko-chan." Fai said, attempting to flatter the witch. "Okay then. I'll be sending the device to Mokona. To use it, you simply place it near the person's forehead. Then you'll be able to view the dream. It could be used repeatedly for one week then it would vanish into thin air so use it wisely." She said before disappearing in the static. After that, a gold amulet in the shape of a pair of wings bonded in the center with a black pearl was thrown out of Mokona's mouth, landing on the ground and making a small tinkling sound. Sakura gingerly picked it up and held it on her palms. "It shines beautifully." She said with a smile.
He splashed on some more water on his face. How uncanny, he thought. The water is obviously cold but…
He sat by the riverbank and watched at his reflection. His eyes depicted no emotions and they were scary. They were deep and dark red, unlike hers…
He shook his head and slapped the sides of his face. "Baka" he told himself as he stood up and carried his beloved sword with him.
The dream he had recently has been repeating for about two weeks and this fact bothers him so much. Why? Why does his past keep on coming back? Is it because he keeps on thinking about it? Maybe…maybe…
He remembered how much anger his heart holds for her when she banished him out of their country. Yeah, it was kind of rude of him to answer her like that but he has been doing that for many years back. Was she so filled with him? Has he exceeded his limits?
His steps were shortly stopped and the wind blew among the leaves of the trees that surround him. It feels like they're watching him but he doesn't care at all.
Looking up, he saw the beaming light pierced through the leaves that seem to block them. It's as if the leaves are protecting the ground…but from where? From the light? Why?
He then remembered that he, too, was a protector of someone he has known since he was young. He has been serving her for almost his life. He knew that he done his best and exceeded everyone else's ability. He was the best, for sure and everyone knows that. He was proud of that and he kept on training to get more powerful and stronger.
Yes, he wanted to be the best around the world. He wanted so much power…
But why?
He held on to his sword tighter. "I wanted to be stronger because…" he muttered to himself. A flashback of his miserable childhood came back to him. Scenes from the past appeared in his mind as if he was watching some movie.
The hand of his dead father, holding the sword…
The body of his beloved mother lying lifelessly in his small arms…
The destructed town and the bodies of the soldiers, swimming in their own blood…
Drops of tears falling continuously to the ground…
A child with so much pain and sadness in his heart…
A soft smile from her tender lips…
And the words that made him cry on her lap…
He closed his eyes and felt the rushing wind dancing around him. He could hear the splashing of the river he had just been and the birds chirping loudly as they flew up to the sky. "I wanted to protect those people who are important to me even at the cost of my life." He said to himself. He opened his eyes and continued to walk back to where the rest have been.
"Kuro-pyon is back!" Mokona said as he jumped towards him. "Kuro-pyon! Where have you been?" it asked as Kurogane just walked passed it, without even bothering to look. "Kurogane-san" Shaoran said. The tall warrior just kept silent and sat back at the tree he was sleeping previously. "Uhm…Is everything alright, Kurogane-san?" Sakura asked as she went near and clasped her hands. He looked at her and she was taken aback. His eyes…
"I-I'm sorry! I was just wondering. I'm really sorry!" Sakura apologized for her unknown mistake. Kurogane gave a sigh as he looked down. His face depicted something unusual to the rest. He was…
"I'm fine. Thanks for the concern and sorry if I scared you." He said softly. Though surprised, Sakura gave a soft smile and nodded. "I see. Uhm, if you have some problems, you could always share it to us. We would be willing to help." She said.
"As if he would." Fai muttered softly but enough for the rest to hear. "Whatever." The warrior said as he closed his eyes once more. There was silence in a short moment.
"Uhm, Kurogane-san, are you going to sleep?" she asked once more. He didn't responded. She looked at Shaoran who then looked at Fai. The later just gave a smile and shrugged. "I'm not so sure about that." He whispered to the two. After another round of silence, the trio just gave up for the meantime and went back to their previous businesses.
The smell of vegetable soup awakened him. It was already dark when he opened his eyes. He could see the three eating around the bonfire. The white little creature is dancing around, making them smile and laugh at its antics.
Sakura was able to see him awake. "Kurogane-san! You're awake already. Please join us." She said. The tall warrior walked towards them and sat next to Fai, who handed him his bowl. He took a soft sip at it then stared at the dancing flames before him. "Is everything alright, Kurogane-san?" Shaoran asked. He looked down instead then continued eating. Mikona pouted and stopped dancing around. "Kuro-pyon…" it said softly. There was nothing left to do so the rest began eating again.
"Shh…we have to be quiet."
"Where's the object?"
"Here."
Three shadows crept silently as they sneaked on to the sleeping ninja under the tree. They circled him and looked at each other, with determination painted on their faces. "We're sorry, Kurogane-san but we just can't sit and watch you so sad. We wanted to be part of your sadness." Shaoran said softly before placing the amulet above Kurogane's forehead. The black pearl glimmered and then a blinding light swallowed them. When they opened their eyes, they saw themselves inside Kurogane's dream. Shaoran was holding a rope, where it was supposedly the amulet's place. "Shaoran, pull the rope if we have to get back on the real world." Mokona said and Shaoran nodded.
They looked around the surroundings. They can see a burned out town and lots of dead bodies. The sky is gray and foretells of a storm. Sakura went behind Shaoran and clung on to his other arm. "Stay behind me. I won't let anything happen to you." Shaoran assured the princess.
"My, my! What could be this place? Where's Kurogane?" Fai asked as he walked a few steps ahead. Suddenly, they heard a sobbing from behind. When they all turned around, they saw a young boy crying. In his feeble arms lay a woman's body, lifeless and open-eyed. Sakura gasped and covered her mouth. She shut her eyes and covered her face.
"Mother…" the child kept on saying as he cries continuously, without even stopping. His tears won't stop flowing. The three walked near but the child didn't notice them. "When inside someone's dream, we can't be seen or heard or felt so it's okay to do anything here." Mokona said.
"Mother…Father…"
"Is this child Kurogane-san?" Sakura asked. "I think so." Fai said. His once happy aura was suddenly turned to the opposite when he saw the child. "He resembles Kurogane very much." He added. Then, a sound of a chariot and marching soldiers rang up from behind. A soft light blinded them once again. When the light dispersed, they saw a young girl beside the young Kurogane.
"Let's let your mother sleep, shall we?" the girl said as she closed the eyes of the dead woman. Then, the young Kurogane began to weep harder on his mother's body before him. A figure from the left rose up from the dust and when the three looked, they saw the adult Kurogane staring at the scene. They could see that he is so hurt. Though tears cannot flow through his eyes anymore, his heart bled with the pain he has been inflicted. After a while, the surroundings became blurry and when the blurriness was gone, they were set on to another place. They were on a court-like room and saw Kurogane in the middle with the young girl earlier in front of him. Several other warriors were inside the room.
"I shall banish you from this kingdom, Kurogane. I shall sent you to the dimension witch so that you will discover what true strength is."
"Bastard! You can't do this to me!" he shouted. Then, a black hole began to appear under him and swallowed him slowly. Strips of black tentacle-like grippers encircled him and pulled him downward. "Stop this thing! Hey, can't you hear me? I said stop this! You can't do this to me!" he shouted to her once more. "I know she will be able to help you. In the meantime, I shall put a curse on you. Every time you kill someone needlessly, your strength shall decrease." And with that, he wasn't able to say anything else for he was pulled down and disappeared. "Kurogane-san." Sakura softly said.
"I wanted to be strong and powerful." A voice rang from behind. It was the other Kurogane. He walked nearer to the three and stopped at line with them. "I wanted it so much." He added.
"Can he see us?" Fai asked. "I don't know." Shaoran answered. "Don't you worry! He can't see or hear us, remember? I think he's having some kind of monologue to himself." Mokona said.
"Yes, all my life, I have been defending this whole place from assassins who try to invade us. I have promised to protect her always and that seemed like a routine to me. But sometimes, I ask to myself: What is the real reason why I'm doing this?"
"Kurogane-san…" Shaoran whispered.
Kurogane clasped his hands and looked at his fist. "I want to be strong…I want to be powerful…because…"
Suddenly, the ceiling began to tear down. The walls began to break into pieces and the people began to vanish.
"I wanted to…"
"Shaoran! Pull the rope! This whole place is disappearing! If we don't escape soon, we'll vanish with this dream too!"
"…protect those…"
"Shaoran!" Mokona cried out. Shaoran was so focused at Kurogane and patiently waits for his answer.
"…who are…"
"Shaoran!" Fai shouted then grabbed the rope from his hands. He pulled it and suddenly, they began to be transparent.
"Kurogane-san!" Shaoran shouted. He could see Kurogane's mouth opening and saying something but he could hardly hear them. He stretched out his hand but he saw it flaking away.
"…important to me…" a voice said on Shaoran's head. Then, another blinding light embraced them. He covered his face with his hands, now visible and solid.
"Shaoran! Are you okay?"
He fluttered his eyes and saw Fai before him. Sakura was beside him, teary-eyed.
"Where…are we?" he softly asked. "We're back." Fai replied. He looked back and saw Kurogane sleeping soundly. "Yuuko's item worked. He didn't noticed at all." Fai said.
Shaoran took the item from his pocket and stared at it for a moment. Then, he dropped it on the floor and crushed it with his foot. "Shaoran!" Mokona said. "Why did you do that?" it asked.
"I think we have seen enough." Shaoran explained as he gave a soft smile. "Shaoran's right. That's enough." Fai added. "Huh?" Mokona asked confusingly.
"So, I think that's it. We better go back to sleep." Fai suggested as he yawned and stretched his arms upward. "Yeah." Shaoran said and. "You too, Sakura. You better go to sleep," the lad said to the princess. She nodded and gave a smile. "Good night, then." She said.
Before leaving, Shaoran gave a final look at their warrior. "Your promise, alongside you, has been banished, right? But I believe you'll still do it." He said then walked away.
And the moon shone brightly above as the stars twinkled in the black sky.
ÒwaRi