Card Captor Sakura
"The Darkest Love"
By: Four of the Apocalypse
Dawn had finally arrived but it did not show it's face, as dark thunderous clouds loomed over head, crackling every now and then.
Winds were starting to pick up, a sign of an approaching storm.
Out in the middle of a small town, located within the heart of the place was a small cavern. Known by all who lived within the town. For it held many parties every month, and had held even Kings and Queens at one time. But now, it's fame was reduced to, and only to the town that it thrived in. Any outside information was now nonexistent.
And just outside of this small cavern, we find four hooded beings with their dark horses.
The four riders quickly saddled up and prepared to take leave. And once the task was finished, the riders quickly mounted, all but one.
The Pillar gripped the reins tightly as she looked behind her to the cavern that had once shielded them from the nightly rain.
"My Lady, is anything wrong?" one of the cloaked figures asked, in a shaky raspy voice.
The Pillar continued to stare at the cavern.
'What is wrong with me? I hardly know the boy, and now look at what he's done. Leaving my soul shaken and wary.'
She quickly turned back to her horse as she quickly mounted. Her eyes staring into the horses black mane once on. Finally, she answered, "I'm fine. Let's be off. We've already wasted enough time." and with that stated, she urged her horse forward, and it obeyed by breaking into a run. The others quickly catching up to her.
'I feel as if I should be cautious around that boy. As if I don't, then something terrible would happen… and yet, I feel as if it would be welcome…'
Then, out of the mid air, she felt something brush the edge of her senses. It was the same feeling that she had felt the night before. When 'he' was around.
She quickly called her horse to a stop, and as it did, it turned slightly to the side, allowing her to see behind her without causing strain to her neck.
Her eyes watched and searched out, and after a minute or two, when she was about to give up, all hopes in vain, a moving object caught the corner of her eye. And for some unexplained reason, she looked up, expectantly, and as if her unknown prayers were answered, she saw 'him'. The same chestnut haired, amber eyed boy that she had met during her stay at the little cavern.
She continued to watch, aware that the other black riders were far ahead by now. But as she continued to watch, she looked to see the boy stop and look at her.
Quickly turning, she urged her horse onward, and away from the Cavern and the boy, not wanting her face to be seen. Especially by 'him'.
But still, thoughts continued to run through her head. 'Why should I worry about what he thinks? I am the Pillar, the greatest force on the face of the earth, so why him? Why should I feel so helpless when he's around?'
Silently, she chuckled to herself.
'It's funny. I never caught his name…'
***
Syaoran stood at the entrance of the Cavern he worked at, as he watched one of the black riders suddenly turn away and break into a run. Was it watching him? If so, why?
He sneered in disgust as he watched it's figure fade.
Black riders. Nothing but trouble. All they did was cause havoc and destruction with their unruly magic. How he despised them and their breed.
Silently, he wondered if they worked for the Pillar of darkness. There were a lot of those out in the world now days. There were very few that didn't worship the Pillar, but they were still terrible to the core.
Slowly, his thoughts drifted to a girl he once knew.
She had hair as black as a ravens feathers, and eyes as golden as the sun.
Syaoran sighed. She was the only person he had ever known that possessed Black Magic but didn't use it. She was different. Kind, sweet, caring towards other. She was everything to him at the time.
They had even went out for a while. Till he was fourteen, at least. That's when he had broke up with the girl and had moved to this humble little town.
But he never forgot her name. Never. The way her name rolled off of his tongue, just like Sakura's. It was Selena.
But even though Selena had caught his eye, and even caught his heart at one time, it was nothing compared to now.
The beauty named Sakura had caught his eye. And he fancied her. But she was different in a way. She was much more graceful, yet frightening, for an odd reason. And the past image of her made Selena's seem like nothing but a cracked mirror image of Sakura's shadow.
And just the thought of Sakura made him quiver inside. Something Selena could never do.
Syaoran brushed his past memories away as he entered the cavern, and saw Eriol sitting at one of the tables in the corner, alone, and waiting for him patiently.
Syaoran quickly took a seat in front of Eriol.
"Hello there, dear cousin." Eriol greeted.
"Hello there yourself." responded Syaoran.
Syaoran looked around the table, then grinned. "What happened to your dear Tomoyo? I thought she followed you everywhere."
Eriol smiled. "Love is busy grooming her horses. You know how she prides them being the best in town."
Syaoran chuckled.
It was Eriol's pet name for Tomoyo. Love.
"So, what's your reason for being here so early? Not that excited to see me, are you?" joked Syaoran.
"I just couldn't contain myself from seeing your shining face, dear cousin!" Eriol said, sarcastically.
Both boys laughed lightly.
"So, what's your real reason, Eriol?"
"Well, I have some excellent news! Last night, I managed to scramble up some money, with the help of Love of course. And we have enough for supplies for our journey. Isn't that wonderful?"
Syaoran's face brightened. "That's great!"
Eriol smirked. "So, what's your reason for being here so early yourself? I've told you mine. Now explain yourself!"
Syaoran's cheeks were slightly tinged the color pink as he looked away, nervously.
"Well… um…"
Eriol smirked. "What is it? A girl?" he joked.
"Actually… it sorta is…" Syaoran mumbled.
Eriol snorted at the last sentence from Syaoran, as he slammed his hand down onto the table.
"You have got to be kidding me!" said an astonished Eriol.
"Um… no."
Eriol grinned an ear to ear grin as he continued to look at Syaoran.
"So, what's her name?"
Syaoran sent him a sharp look. "Aren't we the nosy one?"
Eriol just grinned. "I'm just curious! Can't blame a guy for asking!"
Syaoran just sighed. "Well, it's Sakura."
"Sakura… what a lovely name. Don't you agree?"
Syaoran slightly blushed. "Well, what do you think I'm thinking?" Syaoran asked, as he grinned.
"Of course you do! But tell me, when did you meet her?"
"Last night."
"Aren't we just a little straight forward. Where? Your house?" joked Eriol.
Syaoran blushed as he glared at Eriol. "You sick minded fool. Of course not. I met her here last night."
Eriol chuckled. "Late night rendezvous? Is that it?"
Syaoran slammed his fist down against the table. When was this moron going to get a clue?!
"No!" Syaoran shouted, causing the rest of the people that were attending breakfast in the Cavern to quiet down. Causing him to receive several stares.
Syaoran felt sweat start to run down the back of his neck as he noticed all of the eyes staring at him.
"Er… What are you looking at?!" he growled, causing the people to return to their normal activities. A few giving him a last glance.
Eriol couldn't contain himself as he burst out laughing.
Syaoran turned to him, growling.
"What's so funny?"
Eriol shook his head as he tried to stifle his laughter. And after a minute of choking on air and a fuming cousin in front of him, Eriol managed to calm himself.
"Sorry… sorry." he said, as wiped his eyes.
Syaoran didn't reply as he continued to sulk in his seat. Eriol could be such a pest at times…
***
The cloaked figures had came to a slow walking pace once they had left the small town in their midst. Now, they had gained nearly five miles within the hour and were now entering one of the largest forests in the continent of Eira. Doneau.
Doneau was located at the edge of the country of Levon. At the northern border. It was rumored to be a home and sanctuary to Elves.
Elves were magical creatures. Not human.
They possessed strong magic, called Leaf Magic. And the reason for the name was because the magic itself is pulled out of and from plants, or plant like organisms. Thus, making their magic useful in only Forests, Meadows, Marshes, and other habitats that did not revolve around man. Such as Cities and small towns. Very little magic could be extracted from places such as those.
But one thing that Elves hated even more than the giant arachnids that shared the forests with them were humans that used Black Magic.
And even if a sorcerer of the Dark Arts decreased his aura to hide it, it would be of no use. Because Elves could still feel the darkness of that persons aura.
The Pillar looked to her surroundings, including the canopy that hung overhead.
And unknown to the other three cloaked figures, Sakura felt the eddies of Leaf Magic at work.
Elves were close by.
Quickly, she nudged her horse forward, causing it to pick it's pace up to a trot.
"Come, there are Elves near. We must leave this forest as soon as possible." she stated, as her horse passed the other three up.
And just as quick as the Pillar herself, the other three were soon on her heels, then in front of her. Leading the way.
"My Lady," asked one rider, as he pulled back to run along side her. "We should ride quickly, if there are Elves near. Shouldn't we?"
She shook her head. "No. We're fine at this pace. At a run, our horses may cause too much noise, thus causing a greater risk of running into them."
The dark rider looked at her one last time before riding ahead to ride along side his other companions. Leaving Sakura to follow from behind.
'Fools.' she thought, miserably.
'They don't realize that the Elves are drawing near. But I can't pinpoint from which direction though…'
They continued onward though. It would be at least a several day trip to make it to the other side of the forest of Doneau. And the journey would be well over a 100 miles through. But this was the shortest way. But in the least, not the safest.
The Pillars eyes continued to scan the trees around her. She wasn't sure where the aura or auras were coming from. The trees in this forest seemed to give off a strange power. Unlike any that she had ever felt in her life.
But was it perhaps the Elves doing?
***
Syaoran sighed, as he sat on the edge of his bed, before falling back onto it.
'That girl, Sakura… she reminds of somebody… but who?' he lazily thought, as his gaze was focused, yet not focused on the ceiling.
His mind thinking of different people he had met during the last several years.
Who? Who was it?
Suddenly, as if somebody had opened up a locked chest in the back of his head, an image of a little seven year old girl appeared in his mind.
***
Flashback
A little seven year old Syaoran stumbled along the woods that lined the edge of his childhood town. A forest named Lizea located on the southern border and divided in half by Sedu and Levon.
The forest was full of forest life from the ground and up, all the way to the tip of the canopy. It was Syaoran's favorite place because there were lots of large trees to climb. And it was a place he could get away from his sisters and his cousin, Meiling.
The place was so peaceful, that sometimes, he would fall asleep in trees while listening to the chirping birds. Thus, causing him to fall out and injure himself sometimes.
But on that special day, he had stumbled into a girl. Not literally.
She was his age, and slightly shorter than himself. She had chin high auburn hair and green eyes, similar to Sakura's. She wore a torn ragged gray dress that looked as if it had been picked off of the street, and small leather sandals.
When Syaoran had spotted her, he quickly hid behind a tree. Not sure of what to do or expect.
The girl had just been standing there, looking up, yet not looking.
She was facing the tree tops and had her eyes closed to the world. When suddenly, she spoke.
"You know, hiding isn't going to get you anywhere." she stated, as she opened her eyes, then looked directly at the tree Syaoran had hid behind.
Slowly, he emerged from his hiding place and frowned.
"What are you doing here? It's dangerous for you to be here." she stated, as she continued to gaze at him, not a flicker of emotion in her face or eyes.
He glared. "I should be asking you the same question. It's dangerous for girls to be in strange place like this alone."
Slowly, she looked back to the tree tops, her eyes suddenly darting from one tree to another.
"Can't you feel it?"
Syaoran continued to stare, but his intense glare receding.
"Feel what?" he asked, curious, as he continued to gaze at her.
"The trees."
Syaoran quirked an eyebrow, before he placed a hand on the trunk of the tree he had been hiding behind earlier.
"Yeah. So?"
She looked down from the trees to him.
"Stupid. Not that way."
"Hey! Who are you calling stupid, Stupid?"
She frowned. "Not with your hand. Try and sense it. You have magic don't you?"
"Magic? I dunno…"
"Well, I can feel your aura, so just stretch your senses out. Try and feel it."
Syaoran didn't understand what she was talking about. He didn't even realize he had magic in him.
What was an aura? And what magic? He didn't have any magic! Or so he thought. How was he supposed to know this?
He sighed, before he looked up to the canopy.
"Um… no."
The girl looked to the canopy once again, her eyes darting this way and that. Finally, after a minute of silence, she spoke.
"It's magic. Look." she added, as she pointed to one tree top, then quickly to another, and another, and so forth.
"What? I don't see anything."
"… They're Elves. Can't you see them?"
Syaoran looked to her hand, and then back to the trees.
"No. Are you sure you're not seeing funny stuff?"
"I'm sure."
Slowly, she lowered her hand back to her side. Causing Syaoran to just give her a weird stare.
"You're weird." he finally stated.
She adverted her gaze from the trees back to the boy in front of her.
"Weird? Why?"
Syaoran shrugged, before he just pointed at her. "You know, you're talking about weird stuff."
She grinned. "So if I'm weird, then your normal, right?"
He nodded.
"But if everybody else was weird like me, except you, would you still be normal?
He nodded.
"Wrong."
"Wrong?" he said, confused.
"If everybody was weird like me, and you were the only normal one, then you'd be the weird one. Now, wouldn't you?"
"No… I don't think…"
She smirked.
"Boys are so stupid." she giggled, as her eyes noticed a low branch off to the side, and then she quickly grabbed it before swinging herself up onto it.
"Hey! You watch your mouth!" he shouted, as he clenched his small fists at his side.
"Why? Because you said so?" she asked, as she looked down at him.
He nodded.
She just laughed. "Talk is only a way of stalling the inevitable."
"In-ev-ible?" he slowly said, not understanding.
"Yes. It means something that will happen, and can't be stopped."
"Oh. Who taught you all those weird words?"
She just laughed. "I taught myself, silly! What did you think?"
Syaoran just stared. She taught herself? Slowly, the wind slightly picked up.
"So, you can read?"
She shrugged. "Sorta. I can a little. But really long words, I can't."
He nodded.
"What about you?" she asked.
He nodded.
"I can, like you."
She smiled. "Wow, you're the first!"
"The first?"
She nodded. "I've only met a few people my age, but you're the first that can read like me! Others are only beginners, and are just now learning the alphabet at the age of seven."
Syaoran nodded. Then one thing occurred to him.
"How did you know I was seven?"
"Easy! Your aura said so!"
"My aura? What's an aura?" Syaoran didn't seem to understand all of these words. It was giving him a headache.
"The magic that glows off your body!"
"Oh."
Suddenly, she swung down, till she was hanging upside down from the branch. The bottom of her dress tucked under her legs, holding it up.
"So, what's your name?" she suddenly questioned.
"Um, Syaoran."
"Syaoran? What kind of name is that?!"
"My name. That's what. But what's yours?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because I told you mine!" he growled. A bit frustrated.
"I didn't force you. You told me on your own free will."
"Hey! That's not fair!"
"Is so! A name is nothing but a label. And if there wasn't an alphabet, then we'd all be named after numbers!" she giggled.
"How would you know?"
"Because! I just do!"
"And what if there weren't any numbers?" he finally asked, thinking he had got her that time.
"Then our names would be grunts."
"Grunts?"
She nodded. "Mine would be grunt. Yours would be grunt grunt. Or grunt grrr. Or grrr growl. Get it?" she laughed. "We'd be like cavemen!"
"Ha ha. Very funny." he said, sarcastically.
She just smiled.
"I know."
He frowned. "I was joking."
"I know!"
He sighed. "You ARE weird."
"Then so are you!" she said, as she swung down from the branch to the ground.
"Well, I think you should go home now." she said.
"Why?" he argued.
"Because, your oldest sister is looking for you."
He crossed his arms. "How do you know?"
"Because, her aura said so! Now go silly!"
"Silly?!"
The girl only smiled, before she dashed off in the opposite direction. But before she faded from his sight, he asked, "Hey! You wanna come over and play tomorrow?"
"Sorry! I can't! There's a storm tomorrow! Well, Bye Bye!"
And the small girl faded in the distance, into the trees of the forest.
End Flashback
***
Syaoran smirked. And that little girl had been right. It did storm that night and the next. But he never did see her again.
Slowly, he rolled over as he sighed. A frown appearing on his face.
"Stupid Eriol. Him and his stupid jokes, and his nosy questions." Syaoran grumbled, as he thought back to that morning.
***
Flashback
"So, what does she look like?" Eriol asked, still trying to get more information on the girl that had stolen his cousins heart.
Syaoran drifted back onto Cloud 9.
"She had the most beautiful auburn hair that went slightly lower than her hips, and she had the greenest eyes that I've ever seen. They were deep, and if you looked straight into them, you'd feel as if you were the luckiest man alive!"
Eriol chuckled. Typical of a love-sick fool.
"And not to mention the softest looking snow white skin."
Eriol couldn't help but crack a grin. "What about her, you know…" he said, as he made an outline of a woman's curves with his hands.
"I don't know. She was wearing a large drooping black night gown when she came down those stairs."
Eriol sighed. "Oh well. So, how tall was she? I wouldn't want a girl that was taller than myself!" he stated.
Syaoran scratched his head, as he tried to remember.
"Um… the top of her head reached my chin, or about that."
Eriol nodded. "You've really outdone yourself this time!"
Then, Syaoran quickly sent a glare at Eriol.
"What?"
"Why have you become so nosy all of a sudden?"
"Oh, no reason. No reason at all! Heh heh!" Eriol said, as he placed his hands in front of him as he tried to calm Syaoran down and defend himself.
End Flashback
***
Syaoran crawled under the cover of his bed as he glanced at the window above his head.
It was night, and the sky was now clear of clouds and it shone brilliantly with the Moons light and the small aid of the stars around it.
"That bastard Eriol." Syaoran sighed, as he closed his eyes.
"But at least he's good friend." he mumbled. His thoughts drifting from Eriol to the trip that awaited him and Eriol the next day.
* * * *
There you have it folks! The second chapter! Prepare yourself, because the trip is the next chapter! Don't forget to Review! Ja!
