The Silver Moon

Summary: Xiao Lang Li, Prince of the Li clan, locked up in the Asylum of the Human world for reasons unknown. Accused for murder, his memory erased, declared amnesia, his life a void and perhaps meaningless, his mind only left with one thought to ponder on. Sakura. Can Eriol, Powerful Sorcerer of the Reed Dynasty, help Li revive these memories and perhaps, stop the apocalypse?

Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Romance/Angst.

Author's note: I know, I know! When am I going to update my old stories and stop adding new ones to the list? Goodness, I sometimes don't know myself where all these thoughts mound up! I only hope this story is as good as the rest of them are claimed to be by all you wonderful reviewers! This is 'Silver Moon', like I've been promising on my profile. It's a bit different from the description, but I have been assured it captures your attention very easily. This is only the prologue, so read on my friends!

And: A Happy new year to all you folks!

And: I wanted to ask you, do you understand the relationship between the lyrics of my chapters with the content in the chapter? Let me know how you think this chapter's lyrics are associated with the content! Make sure to review and let me know!

Disclaimer: Nothing mine, all yours Clamp! x)

Prologue

Seeking Salvation.

*

Do you remember me
Lost for so long
will you be on the other side
or will you forget me?
I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?

-Tourniquet, by Evanescence.

**

"Name, sir?" The guard asked the man dressed in a dark blue formal suit, along with a white shirt tucked beneath his coat.

"Hiiragizawa, Eriol." He looked up into his eyes, stating the obvious. The guard studied the man and searched for the official seal to state that he was apart of this famous Hiiragizawa family, which spotted attention in the limelight one time too many. Eriol was surprised. He didn't know too many people who knew how to search for identification from people who weren't human.

Eriol pulled off his coat and undid a few buttons on his shirt. He turned around to give the guard a view of the symbol he was searching for. It was the Clow symbol that rang for generations in their noble family. And it also caused so much commotion, thus best concealed.

The guard nodded in appreciation, giving him an ID card for his visit. Eriol only nodded and proceeded to follow his escort.

Eriol Hiiragizawa was one of the finest wizards of his generation. He studied at 'The Royal Institute of Wizardry and Witchcraft' for well over two centuries and was finally familiar with all the spells, charms, curses, chants, healing spells, and of course, the famous of all, Clow chants also known as Demon magic by the people who didn't comprehend its existence. He was also well versed with the famous Wizards, Sorcerers, Witches and other creatures that weren't human enough to be called human, as they were able to create and work upon what was called 'Magic' in the Human world.

Yes, Eriol was a fine Sorcerer. Eriol smirked at his own thoughts. He wondered what made him think himself so high and mighty. He looked up to the roof, apologizing mentally. His mind averted to how well his sensei had trained him. How well his ancestor, Clow Reed had trained all of them. He smirked.

Not as great as the authentic themselves, of course.

Eriol walked along the long corridors behind the escort, wearing his nametag on his left. His hands carried a long note pad and a briefcase, his eyes wearing black framed spectacles to hide the blue in his eyes. Today would be a day memorable for Eriol, if he could get to the bottom of a case long forgotten.

Eriol was asked to step through the small door to the fully proofed room, his eyes dilating due to the lack of light. The rest of the Asylum had not been dark at all. In fact, it had looked rather bright and lit up as compared to the small room he had been witnessing for the past few minutes. He looked at the guard questioningly, only receiving a shrug in reply. Eriol nodded to himself, took a deep breath and walked into the dark room with his cell phone's light.

Technology could only come of use in the strangest times.

Eriol heard the guard lock the room door behind him, leaving him alone with what he imagined was a mad man. He stopped and placed his cell phone on the nearby table, feeling the adjacent wall for a switch. He touched the periphery of the switch, pressing it to turn it on. A bright white light, almost blinding his sight, came into view. Eriol closed his eyes in response, letting his hands cover them as well. After getting used to the light, he looked around his room through his narrowed eyes.

A person, rather a man in his early thirties came into his view. Eriol watched the man, and at once realized that the report wasn't a fake. He would have recognized this man even without his glasses on. He didn't look any different from his younger times, and Eriol knew that he was here for a good enough reason to let him get a good look at his future. If not for this man, then there was no hope left for Mankind.

Xiao Lang Li, the famous prince of the Li clan, was truly here, lying down on that feeble bed against the wall. He looked well built yet pale and meek. His body was situated flat on the bed; letting his legs hang from the other end. He was of six-foot height easily, letting his weight range between ninety to hundred pounds. His eyes were shut off from the world behind a pair of goggles, his large and strong looking hands on his stomach.

"Good evening, Xiao Lang Li," Eriol announced his presence. There was no reply. Perhaps, Eriol thought, he didn't hear him? He cleared his throat at that instant and tried his luck on a louder pitch.

"Good evening, Li-san," Eriol paused.

The watch on his hand that ticked constantly could be heard audibly for the first time in his life. The seconds passed by ever so slowly making Eriol wonder if Li was deaf, or even worse… dead. He didn't dare voice out his wonder. He moved closer to his body, wondering if he were even alive.

"Who are you?" Three words had been uttered. They were the first three words that had been uttered by the prince himself, and most probably the last three.

Just those three words shook Eriol from his insides. He almost toppled over himself in his attempt to approach one of the few survivors of the Li bloodline after the attempt to banish all their members. Eriol had a wise look on his face. What was the reason for his being here, in the human Asylum of the human world? Li Xiao Lang was, after all, a powerful wizard. His family had the power to indulge, persuade and kill, if required, to keep a secret. Then what was the need for his being here?

Eriol only shook his head and thought back to the basics. What was the old myth?

It was actually an ancient myth that rang around modern Hong Kong these days. It was a prophecy that been foretold by one of the most powerful Wizards of his time, his own family foretold this fortune. Going back to Sorcery History, it is believed that the Lis were one among the strongest sorcerers that had ever been created by God's own hands. They were the most successful sorcerers of their time, being able to bring up their daughters and sons with the same power. Eriol brought himself back to reality, to the prophecy he had come here to authenticate.

But was this rumor true? Eriol looked for a chair. And if it was, how much of it was true? According to the Timeline, the great Clow Reed had prophesied this rumor in the year 1002 B.C. He also left behind a Timeline, marking each and every movement of the Li family. In it, he had apparently stated, 'In a matter of a few millenniums, the world would be theirs (The Lis) to control, invade and destroy, for they will start the creation and conclusion of this World.'

Eriol did not understand. What was so brilliant about the Lis? Why were they the beginning and end of civilization itself?

Of course once again, this time line was never found and neither were documents to prove the statements made by the Clow. Eriol knew he was here to prove something as thin as air, but nevertheless, he believed in his family's fortunes and knew that if not for him, there would be no one. It was the start of a new year, the start of a new beginning. But, Eriol wondered as he watched the motionless man, what is the cause of this murderous attempt to banish the Li clan members? Was there too much power, strength, money, ritual…what was it? Why were the Lis being killed, one by one?

If any one of the Lis can set the world on fire, then Xiao Lang Li was certainly capable of it just with his voice. The intensity, the passion, the sadness and the anger he sensed in that voice was evident, just with those small three words. But the vibrations rang on through Eriol's body. He felt like he'd just been struck with a tuning fork several times before stopping. He stopped gaping, turned to a seat in front of the bed Xiao Lang lay on and sat. He spoke.

"My name is Eriol Hiiragizawa," Xiao Lang's expressions were motionless and still. There was not a single hair that stood at the words he uttered. Had Li not heard of their Lineage?

"I belong to the Reed Dynasty." Eriol completed. Xiao Lang looked a bit flushed from the statement that he made, as he pulled up his goggles for the first time, revealing his golden speckled amber orbs. Xiao Lang had most probably not even had the courtesy to look at his guest before this moment. He had been passed on the typical features of the Li clan's heritage, Eriol decided, as he opened his bag to pull out the recorder he needed. He turned it on, letting his voice reign into it.

"Now that I have your attention, can I trouble you with a few questions?" Eriol asked. Xiao Lang grunted in response as he sat up on the bedding. Somehow hearing the name Reed aroused his attention, even though he didn't know how exactly it associated with anything that he'd gone through in the past few years.

Xiao Lang felt…empty. He couldn't remember anything of any relevance and somehow he just didn't understand what his life was made of nowadays. Whenever he was awake, he would breathe in and out, just trying to figure out exactly how he'd lost his most precious memories. Nothing was left in him anymore. No life was going to be good to him anymore. There was no one who knows him, no one who understands what he's going through.

There was no one.

Xiao Lang looked up to Eriol. He wondered, was this man going to be able to help him out? Could he be the one to help him out? He decided to tell him whatever he knew, letting him access his life. Besides, he was a Clow. He would surely be able to help him out.

"What exactly do you want to know?" Eriol smiled. It was nice to know how influential just mentioning a family name can be.

"December 31st 1999. Do you remember the day?" Xiao Lang frowned. He pulled off his goggles and wondered why this Reed descendant would ask him the obvious sort of the question. He nodded, nonetheless, hoping that would be enough. Eriol's persistent glare forced him to open up to the facts he knew.

"It was day the Li clan Elder, Yelan Rui Li, had ceased to exist." Li forced out. Eriol nodded.

"And how was she related to you?" Xiao Lang froze. He knew exactly how hard he had to work on this piece of information, and now he was about to tell Eriol all the important facts of his life…the little facts that he knew and healed through anyway. He sighed, opening up to Eriol.

"She was my biological mother," Eriol nodded as he looked through his briefcase for a file. His eyes landed on a brown folder tucked away in the case. He pulled out the file and glanced through it.

"How did she die?" Eriol asked. He glanced through the file as he waited for a response. He watched for a response. There was none. He looked questioningly at Li.

"Well?" Xiao Lang didn't utter a word. He sighed deeply and groaned.

"I don't… re-member," Eriol looked up. His eyes were boring into Xiao Lang's. He smiled at him.

"So it is true then…" Eriol abruptly stopped. He analyzed Li for a reaction suited. But there was none. It most probably bit his pride when he was told about his amnesia.

"You can't remember anything of your past, can you?" Xiao Lang growled. He looked away from Eriol's gaze and stared to a corner in the room. Eriol nodded.

"How can you remember these small details then?" Xiao Lang was asked. He looked at the roof and lay back on the bed. He sighed.

"I healed the parts of my memory which I could remember of…those which struck useful."

"Of course. That is one of the specialties of the Prince of Li's. Spirit chants, charms, spells and healing abilities," Eriol smiled. Xiao Lang had found his smile all too creepy to digest. Xiao Lang nodded, wondering how to mask his disgust for the only man who might be able to help him. What did he want from him anyway? Why was this man here in the first place?

"I am here to find out the truth!" Eriol replied. His passion for the truth had brought him this far along, to finding out exactly where Xiao Lang Li, Prince of the Li clan was being held as a mad man for the fact that he had portrayed a small portion of powers in the human world.

"My mission is to help you regain your memory and yours is to help me stop the apocalypse from happening." Eriol started. His words were loud and avid as he sat on the bed, looking at Xiao Lang to raise his body. When Xiao Lang did not respond, Eriol applied a different method. And there was Li, sitting next to Eriol, wondering what he was doing. Why was he sitting up, when he remembered not having done any such thing? He turned to Eriol, looking intensely into his eyes.

"I can control minds, read through them, understand every part of the psyche that has not been determined." Eriol stopped, wondering if that had answered Li's question. He then raised his hands in the air. He motioned animatedly towards the door for it to open, pulling towards it in the air. The door did not resist, opening almost instantly. Xiao Lang watched in awe. So this was what the great Clow dynasty was capable of.

"I can control objects, seek their path and alter it." Eriol eased his hands, letting one hand shut the door before relaxing its power. Xiao Lang had not said a word, but observed the presence of this infallibly strong Sorcerer. He thought back to the facts he had collected and realized something was erroneous. If his memory was accurate, then this man had another power he was not stating. Then he stopped thinking, letting his thoughts remain in his mind…and remain a secret from Eriol.

Eriol smirked at Xiao Lang's naivety.

"Do you really think your hiding things from me will be able to stop me from reading your mind?" The world suddenly started spinning for Xiao Lang, as he tried to control himself. The colors were blinding, turning from a bright red to a blue to a black from time to time. And then, everything stopped. Xiao Lang felt like he had jerked into something hard. He opened his eyes to a very familiar brightly lit up Chinese dining room in front of him. His bed was no longer at his disposal, and he realized what was the jerk he felt.

He looked up to find Eriol looking down upon him, offering him a hand.

"Where are we?" Xiao Lang asked, as he took Eriol's offer and stood. His clothes made him feel at unease as he looked around the royal banquet placed on the tables. The chairs were empty, the lights were lit yet void of any merry and the room…was dark even though it was lit.

"We are in your family Regime on the 1st January of the year 2000. It is the day after your mother died." Eriol stated. Xiao Lang looked around, as his world was blur once again, and a second later he was back in the Asylum he was taken from by Eriol. Xiao Lang was barely even able to comprehend his surroundings and there he was, standing on the floor.

"Do you see what I can do?" Eriol asked, as Li only nodded weakly. Even he felt powerless in front of Eriol, knowing he could not remember any of his chants to match up to his power. His emptiness drank out of his positive energy, his magical abilities dying day by day. He slumped on to the floor, letting his eyes close. Eriol then spoke.

"I know I may not be able to heal your wounds, but I certainly can undo the damage caused upon your brain by simply returning back in time and refreshing your soul." Xiao Lang stared at Eriol bewildered.

"Why can't you just read my mind?" Eriol looked at Xiao Lang. That was something he'd already tried doing in these past few minutes, and it was just not possible. He shook his head, explaining why.

"Your mind does not contain the thoughts I want. They've been erased from your life permanently, and the only way they will come back is by reliving them once more." Xiao Lang wondered. Is that really the only reason why his memories are no more?

"You can permanently blacken the mind, leaving its memories haggard. And there is very little an ordinary human can do to bring back these memories. But a Sorcerer is much more. He can bring back these memories either by revival, like someone telling you your own story by taking you back to the past, or by healing, which you clearly don't remember how to do. The little that you did remember helped you very little over these past ten years. I've been observing you keenly over these ten years, Li-san, and nothing you have done in these ten years has helped me understand what you have done in your past…" Eriol stopped.

Xiao Lang watched Eriol speak in hope. He wanted this suicide attempt to stop. He wanted answers to the questions that were hanging on his head. He wanted to know why every time there was a full moon, lurking in the silver atmosphere in the dark sky; he would want to go on a rampage about the city, wrecking as much as he wanted to. Why were these things so important to him? What was this to do with his world?

Why was he here?

"What do you want me to do?" Xiao Lang asked. Eriol sighed loudly; knowing what Xiao Lang would have to do might be difficult. But he had to tell him anyway. There was no two ways about this task.

"If you can just tell me what is the last memory you can account for, then I assure you I can take you back there and help annihilate this destruction even before its birth." Eriol stated, leaving Xiao Lang to stare. He was flabbergasted. How can anyone alter the past so effectively?

"I am, as you know, Clow's descendent. If not me, then who Li?" Eriol asked. He sighed, realizing that Xiao Lang would not remember a word of his own past. He decided he would take his leave now, and warn Li about how strenuous this journey would be for the both of them. He packed his briefcase, wondering if he should tell him the limitations of his power. He decided against it for now. He turned around, walking towards the door. He would warn Li of the journey ahead of them.

"I shall leave then, I will be back tomorrow to take you from here to wherever you—"

"Sakura," Xiao Lang whispered. Eriol turned back, wondering what the hell was the foreign tongue he'd just uttered.

"What?" Eriol asked.

"All I can distinctly remember is the word Sakura. I don't know what it is, I don't know what it means, and I don't even know why I remember it. But I do,"

"Then that is where we will start. Tomorrow, be ready, for I will be plunging us both into a deed which cannot be undone." Eriol stated, as he glanced back Xiao Lang once more.

"Happy New year, Xiao Lang." He greeted, only receiving a grouchy look from his end. He smiled, letting himself open the door and walk out to his escort. Eriol was going to go home now; research Sakura over any library source he would find and make sure he understood what it was by tomorrow. There was no stopping them tomorrow. It was a Silver moon, and their mission would be at its fullest energy level. It's tomorrow or never!

Xiao Lang sat in his room, wondering how fate had ended up with such a generous offer in front of him. Was this its way of fixing his wrecked life? He placed the goggles back on his eyes, placing his head on his bed. What a strange yet strong power this man possessed. Xiao Lang examined his own hands. Did he have it as well? Could he perform the strange tricks Eriol was able to perform with his bare hands?

Was he finally going to be able to see the daylight again?

*

My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries for deliverance
Will I be denied? Christ!
Tourniquet.
My suicide

-Tourniquet, by Evanescence.