Black Magic
Chapter Three:
Rivalry
Syaoran awoke the next morning in a room with more luxuries than he'd seen in a lifetime. The bed, that he didn't remember getting into, was as soft as a cloud and the sheets were pure silk. The bed posts must've been made out of precious metals, because it gleamed unlike any he had ever seen.
Syaoran, dazed and confused, took in his surroundings. There were regal paintings, antique draperies, and gas lamps hung throughout the room along the massive walls. Syaoran warily stepped out of the comfort of the fluffy bed and immediately regretted it. His head felt like it was about to split, his back was burning, and both his legs and his arms were sore. He considered falling back into the warm, inviting bed, but decided against it. As he had no clue where he was and was fairly certain that this place had to be called, "Heaven."
Everything was so expensive looking, and well taken care of, plus with the beating he was given he hadn't expected to live. Yet, somehow he was here, in the most beautiful room he'd ever seen. As Syaoran tried to slowly remove himself from the idea of the comfortable bed there was a knock at the door that he had failed to notice in his previous sweep of the room. There were twin mahogany double doors that must have been two stories tall.
A calm voice came from the other side of the door, "Syaoran-sama, are you awake?" Then, without waiting for a reply a girl with long raven hair and violet eyes waltzed into the room. She arrived with the air of someone on a mission, completely confident in her abilities.
"Wh-" Syaoran tried to ask before his words were drowned out by the stunning maid.
"Oh, how wonderful! You're up and it seems your mind has cleared. Last time, we tried talking to you, because it looked like you were up, but you had this glazed look in your eyes and no matter how hard we tried, you didn't respond to us. Sakura-hime was quite upset." The violet eyed maid babbled on and on, but Syaoran was stuck on one part of what she'd said.
Sakura-hime was quite upset, these words echoed inside Syaoran's head. Somehow it seemed to renew his energy and with a growl from his stomach, reminded him that he had an appetite.
Luckily it seemed like that was part of the reason this maid had been sent to see him because she pulled a bowl of soup out of thin air and presented it to him still jabbering on about his condition and what the palace maids thought of the whole affair.
Syaoran was able to block her out well enough as he began shoveling down giant spoonfuls of soup. In the middle of her excited speech Syaoran picked up that her name was Tomoyo and that she was Sakura-hime's personal maid. She talked on and on about how cute the princess was and how most of the princess's clothing was made by her by hand.
As impressed as he was he found that he couldn't focus on what she was saying. He continued to clean the bowl of everything edible and as he did so an image of the princess' face floated through his mind. As he thought about the kind princess that had sent her own maid to care for him he found himself turning to still jabbering girl and asked, point blank, "Tomoyo, can you get me an audience with Sakura-hime?"
His eyes danced and Tomoyo could tell that this was the man the princess had been talking about. The charismatic youth that was able to win over the public with a firm understanding of the uncertain lifestyle they lived. A knowing smile threatened to spread across her features, but she smothered it just in time to gather up what remained of his meal and turned her back to Syaoran as she told him, "I'll see what I can do."
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Before long, Syaoran found himself wandering the palace halls. Corridors and hallways branched out in every direction and more than once he found himself wondering how people didn't get lost in the massive labyrinth. Although he thought that, there was something familiar about the place that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
Tomoyo was an excellent guide, she knew her way around and she even seemed to know a few shortcuts because he saw her hesitate in front of certain doors, and even a tapestry at one point. However each time she seemed to rethink the idea and continued on without a second thought.
By the time they arrived at the throne room Syaoran was winded and about ready to fall to his knees. He hadn't realized how weak he still was, and Tomoyo practically carried him through the large double doors. Inside the queen was absent, but Sakura was present along with a few guardsmen and a tall, brooding figure that kept a firm hand on the princess' shoulder. The man had dark hair with a blue sheen and large glasses that hid his eyes and consequently prevented Syaoran from reading his expression. As unsettling as the guardsmen were with their swords at the ready, it was this man that frightened him most.
With Tomoyo's help Syaoran limped forward and sat in a chair that had been set directly in front of the princess, as if they were having a chat in a cozy parlor rather than in the voluminous throne room with its high ceilings and cold marble décor. For a long moment no one said anything and Syaoran was beginning to wonder if he should speak first when an icy voice cut through the silence.
"I really don't think this is a good idea, Princess." The man behind Sakura-hime stated, something in his voice told Syaoran that he had said the same line several times before.
"I'm well aware of what you think Prince Eriol, but I want to hear him out." She countered without even looking back at the prince.
In response Syaoran saw a trace of a sneer cross the prince's features and felt a chill go down his spine. Trembling slightly, but hoping that they would attribute it to his weakened state Syaoran sat forward and addressed the princess as if they were the only people in the room, "I wanted to thank you for standing up for me." He looked into her gem-like eyes and watched as the corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled. The red jewel hanging in front of her forehead, symbolizing her status as the princess caught the light as she tilted her head to the side.
"It's good that you managed to heal so quickly. I feel that I must apologize for the pain and suffering you've been through on my account." She explained hastily, seemingly afraid of angering him.
Confused and slightly flattered by how much Sakura-hime seemed to care, Syaoran lapsed into silence.
Sakura fiddled with a hem in her dress as she stared intently at Li Syaoran. She'd been meaning to tell him something ever since they first met, but she was a little embarrassed to say it. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and then blurted out, "I've been meaning to thank you. That day, when you saved me from that man in the marketplace… I've never been able to properly thank you for what you did. So… thank you very much Li Syaoran for protecting me." With the last bit the princess declined her head slightly, a short bow to couple with her gratitude.
Syaoran found embarrassment coloring his ears a brilliant red. Trying to shake off the awkward feeling he looked into the princess' gem-like eyes and tried to speak, to explain that it was no problem and that he would do it all again if it was for her. Just as he was about to spit everything out he felt a strange intensity in the air and as he looked around Syaoran locked eyes with Prince Eriol who was glaring him down. Syaoran narrowed his eyes, he remembered their meeting in the dungeons and wasn't ready to forgive him for it.
Eriol tightened his hold on Sakura's shoulder; the princess winced and softly asked, "Eriol, that hurts. What's wrong?" Eriol tilted his head down to look Sakura in the eyes and gave her a genial smile. Syaoran watched this, getting the feeling that Eriol was making an exhibit of the close relationship he had with the princess.
"I was just worried that we'd be late for our other appointments." Eriol explained, "We wouldn't want to keep important people waiting." When Eriol said important he glanced at Syaoran as if reminding him of his status.
Syaoran didn't know what to do, so he stood gave the prince and princess a deep bow, "I'm sorry to have kept you, I know you're both busy and special people. This country relies on you for its every need." With that he stood, barely giving the princess another look before walking out of the throne room.
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Syaoran mentally kicked himself as he walked furiously past servants going about their daily duties. Why had he left in such a rush? He hadn't even waited for Tomoyo to guide him back to his room and now he was lost. Several times he thought of asking someone for help, but there seemed to be an event going on because every servant that passed him was in a rush or carrying some expensive looking ware.
Resigned to searching for a way back to his room on his own, Syaoran picked a random direction and began walking. As he walked he thought about the princess, her beautiful auburn hair, and jade eyes. Even her smile was dazzling to him. The glare he'd received earlier from Prince Eriol permeated his memories. Syaoran shivered internally. How had he managed to gain such a terrifying enemy?
Just as Syaoran thought this he turned a corner and found himself in a large courtyard that seemed to span out forever in every direction. Not knowing how he got there Syaoran walked further out onto the plush green grass. Something about this place seemed familiar. It was almost as if a memory from a photograph had come alive before him.
The sound of running water led Syaoran to a small waterfall that made a small river cut across the stretch of greenery. Rocks lined the water way and a small stone bridge, almost like a viewing platform was positioned right in line with the cascading water. An anonymous force pulled Syaoran towards the bridge. Facing the waterfall from the bridge Syaoran's eyes widened. The water was glittering under the midday sun and the little puffs of mist created a breathless view. While Syaoran took in the sight he got a flash of a young boy with dark hair and glasses standing with him on the bridge. The boy smiled at Syaoran and with a sudden shove of the boy's hands, Syaoran felt himself falling backwards.
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Syaoran woke up next sometime later, the room he was in must've been the one he'd woken up in before, but it was hard to confirm this due to the low lamp light. He reasoned it was probably nighttime since the large window, even though covered with curtains, didn't allow any light in. The sole form of light in the room was from a small gas lamp, and sitting next to the light sewing some overly frilly bundle of cloth was Tomoyo.
Her fingers worked deftly with the needle and the two pieces of fabric that she was stitching together. It was hard for Syaoran to make out exactly what all the frills would make when she was done, but just as he was about to sit up Tomoyo glanced up and noticed he was awake. "How are you feeling?" she asked, setting down the work she'd been so intent on only moments before.
Syaoran thought about that a moment. He didn't feel too bad, but why was she asking? Then the memory of falling backward, off the stone bridge in the courtyard came back to him and Syaoran was overwhelmed with embarrassment. "Don't tell me you found me drowning, unconscious in the six inch deep river." He grumbled, head in his hand. Unable to take lying down anymore, he propped himself up and was glad he hadn't tried to sit or stand. The small motion sent his head swimming.
Tomoyo giggled softly, "No, luckily you weren't in danger of drowning, however, we did find you unconscious in the river. Not many people go to that courtyard these days. It's supposed to be blocked off." There was an unasked question hidden in that statement and Syaoran was quick to catch on to it.
"I'm not so sure what the palace's idea of "blocked off" is. I managed to wander in there on my own, without even realizing it." He explained, fervently evading the fact that he had been hopelessly lost at the time and was trying to get back to his room, not explore the vast expanse of the palace.
Tomoyo smiled softly at him and explained, "The queen likes to visit the courtyard every so often when she's feeling nostalgic. That spot was favored by her late husband, the king."
Syaoran wasn't sure what that meant, but realized that maybe the entrance to the courtyard wasn't blocked for that reason when he wandered in.
Tomoyo watched Syaoran as he puzzled all this out. Her constant gaze making him uneasy he turned to her and asked, "Wh-What is it? Do I have something on my face?"
In response Tomoyo just shook her head slowly and asked, "Are you hungry? I'll bring you up something to eat." With that she packed up her sewing, and gracefully left the room. Syaoran got up out of bed, and held onto the banister, while he let the dizziness fade. He crossed over to the only mirror he could find, a full floor length mirror as wide as he was tall. He looked himself up and down, only to find that he looked normal. There weren't any drool stains on his face, or an especially bad case of bed head, so what had Tomoyo been staring at him for? After confirming that there was nothing laughable about his appearance he sat down in a desk chair and leaned back.
As he stared back at the ceiling thoughts of the vision he'd seen and Sakura-hime came to him. "How did someone like her become engaged to a man like the prince?" he asked the empty room. Of course, no one answered, him but there was a knock on the door following his question. The unexpected sound made him jump, but he rushed to the door, afraid that Tomoyo had come back already, but with her hands full and unable to do more than knock.
Syaoran swung open the door expecting to see Tomoyo with a tray of food but was pleasantly surprised to find the emerald eyes of the princess staring back at him. His face and mind went blank.
"Good evening! I'm sorry to disturb you. I know you've had a rough couple of days, but I was hoping to apologize to you for Eriol's rude behavior earlier." The whole time Sakura-hime spoke Syaoran was entranced, the way her eyes focused on his when she talked, and how the jewel dangling in front of her forehead swung as she moved.
Staring at her Syaoran could forget just about everything, "Rude behavior?"
"Yes, I feel that Eriol was being unfairly cold towards you today and I was hoping that you would find it somewhere in your heart to forgive him." Except that, the princess was here on official business. It wasn't that she had an undying wish to see him, but she had to make sure that her fiancée hadn't given off the wrong impression.
"Don't worry princess, it's not something you need to concern yourself with." Syaoran meant to stop there, but for some reason he continued with, "He probably felt a little jealous since his fiancée was paying attention to another man. A man that he now sees as an enemy since he tortured him under orders and was then scolded for doing so."
His words turned the princesses face a flattering shade of pink. Even though the talk of Eriol had left Syaoran a little angry, he couldn't help thinking that the princess looked cute when she blushed.
Sakura played with her hands a moment before muttering, "I-I didn't really intend to…" Biting her lip Sakura fidgeted like she was searching for the right word.
Syaoran felt slightly flattered that the princess felt the need to explain herself to him. It was clear that she didn't want him to misunderstand her reasons for checking up on him. Hating to see her so at a loss for words Syaoran grabbed hold of her hands, as they had begun flapping around as she became steadily more flustered, "Sakura-hime, I beg you, don't worry about it. I know that you are a very kind-hearted individual."
It seemed as if Sakura had been bewitched. As soon as Syaoran began talking she'd managed to calm down, her deep jade eyes transfixed on his chocolate orbs. Syaoran gulped, a little unnerved by the tension that had suddenly flowed between them. He tore his eyes away from hers and glanced down at his hands that were still closed around her wrists. He looked back up at her face and as he drew closer said, "You healed me after I had that… incident." He gave her a wry smile, unwillingly to bring up the name of her fiancée at the moment.
With a small smile from Sakura, Syaoran drew himself so that he was pressed up against her. "Even before that you tried to help that hungry kid back in town." By now Syaoran's voice was no more than a whisper and he found that he'd lowered himself so that his and Sakura's faces were two inches apart. Not sure what would happen next he continued to take in the princesses appearance; a beautiful woman with short auburn hair, jade for eyes, soft features, and a gorgeous body hidden beneath a fitted pink gown with a slightly full skirt.
Syaoran was being pulled in. Closer, closer, closer, they were a hairs breadth away from something that would be irreversible when a load, angry voice echoed throughout the hall and caused them to fall away from each other, "What, do you think you're doing?" Syaoran turned towards the source of the voice and found the prince, Eriol standing a few feet away. Tomoyo came racing out of the hallway that Eriol must've just used as well.
Syaoran fell back against the door to his room looking everywhere but at the assembled people, especially the princess. Sakura was now standing in the middle of the hall with a perplexed look on her face as if someone had just woke her up.
Eriol walked gracefully, but clearly agitated over to Sakura. He intertwined his arm with hers and glared pointedly at Syaoran.
Tomoyo hustled over and stood next to Syaoran. "Are you okay?" she asked, searching her pockets for something to offer him.
Syaoran put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm fine." He returned Eriol's glare.
For a long moment they continued their heated staring contest. Finally it was Eriol that broke the eye contact, "Let's go Sakura-hime. It's getting late, allow me to walk you back to your room."
Sakura nodded but couldn't seem to keep her eyes off of Syaoran. As they turned a corner she finally seemed to focus ahead of her. The parting glare from Eriol could've killed Syaoran if the prince had packed any magical power behind it.
"Come on Syaoran, I brought your dinner." Tomoyo chirped as she whipped a tray laden with food out of nowhere and waltzed past him into the room. Syaoran gave one last parting glance to the corner that the princess had disappeared around before following Tomoyo and closing his door.
A/N: So, finally got the third chapter out. SO EXCITED! I've been wanting to get this out forever and now here it is! *Squee!* So, if you have any questions or comments, PLEASE REVIEW! I love reviews! :D I really hope you enjoyed this new chapter! Hope to hear from you all!
Ja ne!
-akinaxx