Disclaimer: See chapter one for disclaimer.
A/N: Hey guys! Glad to see you all came back for the last chapter. -Smiles- I had a bit of difficulty with this chapter, but I think you will all like it!
Wow! I'm so happy to get your reviews! Thank you for all your kind words. I love hearing from you guys and it makes me so happy that you guys are enjoying the story. -Winks- I still have a few more twists for your pleasure up my sleeves so stay tuned in!
Now here is what you all have been waiting for!
Chapter Ten - Revelations
Sakura got up the next morning, getting dressed. Kero was curled up on her pillow.
"G' mornin', Sakura-chan," her said, stretching. She smiled distractedly at him.
"Good morning, Kero," she replied. She scooped him up and hugged him, sighing.
"Everything is so wrong. Papa is sick, Gin-kun still needs my help and I'm on a time limit at that," she said. Kero flew up to sit on her shoulder.
"Everything will be okay, don't worry, Sakura-chan." He said, "So what're you doin' today?" he asked.
"Helping my brothers and going to see my friends, Tomoyo and Eriol-kun," she answered.
"Okay!" he said. Sakura walked out of her room and into the kitchen to find Touya cooking breakfast.
"Do you need any help?" she asked. Touya looked at her over his shoulder.
"Before you eat will you help Yuki give father some soup?" he asked.
"Sure," she said, grabbing a bowl he pointed at. She took it to their father's room to find Yukito there visiting him.
"Good morning, Yukito," she said. He looked up at her and smiled.
"Good morning, Sakura-chan. It's nice to see you back, even if only for a little while," he answered. She smiled back.
"How is Papa doing?" she asked. He looked back at their father.
"He's running a fever and has just been sleeping most of the time. We have been trying to get his temperature down since yesterday before Tomoyo received your letter. It's gone down some, but not enough to make us feel better," he answered. Sakura nodded.
"I hope he gets better soon. It's just not right seeing him in the bed instead of up and around," she said. He nodded.
"Well, let's give him some soup. I'm sure he's hungry," he said, taking the bowl from Sakura. She helped him feed some of the soup to their father. When he couldn't eat anymore and fell asleep they both went into the kitchen. By then Touya had all the food finished and out on the table. They all sat down and ate in silence for a while. Touya looked at Sakura.
"How about you clean the dishes up and Yuki and I will take care of father. Then you can spend a little time with Tomoyo," he said.
"Are you sure, Touya? I can stay and give you guys a break. I can go hang out with Tomoyo later," she replied. Touya smiled.
"I'm sure, Sakura. Plus I'm sure you are dying to get all the details about her and Eriol. I also know there is a question you want to get to the bottom of," he answered, watching her. She looked up at him.
"I'm not even going to ask how you know that," she said. Touya and Yukito laughed.
"We've got it. You go find out what you need to and come see father after," he said. She smiled.
"Thank you guys," she said.
"No problem," they said together. They all finished eating and Sakura gathered the dishes. She set out to washing them, trying to finish as quickly as possible. The boys had left her to her work to check on Fujitaka.
I wonder how Gin-kun and Meilin are doing. Papa is doing better than I thought when I first read Tomoyo's letter. I'm happy to be here with my family again, but as long as Papa gets better then I only have to worry about Gin-kun and Syaoran-sama. So I will help Papa get better as best I can! She thought as she dried the dishes. Once she was finished putting them up she went in to kiss her father and headed out for Tomoyo's house.
When she was at the door, she knocked and waited for someone to answer. A moment later one of the maids answered.
"Oh, Sakura-chan! You're home! Miss Daidouji is out in the garden. You can go right out to see her," she said.
"Thank you!" Sakura said, heading around the side of the house toward the garden. She heard a couple voices ahead of her, one she recognized as Tomoyo. The other was a guy.
"Sounds like Eriol-kun," she smiled. She rounded the corner of the house and caught the full sight of the garden. It was in full bloom and heavenly scents filled the air. Tomoyo and Eriol were seated at a small round table. They were talking and laughing as Tomoyo mended a shirt.
"Tomoyo-chan! Eriol-kun!" Sakura called. Tomoyo jumped, looking up immediately to find the speaker. She dropped her sewing and jumped out of her chair to run toward her.
"Sakura! You came!" she cried, throwing her arms around her friend. Eriol was close behind.
"I arrived last night. As soon as I got the letter I asked to come home to see Papa," she said.
"It's good to see you again, Sakura," Eriol said once Tomoyo let her go. Sakura smiled.
"You, too, Eriol," she said. Tomoyo grabbed her hands and led her over to the table. When she caught sight of Kero she scooped him up in her hands.
"Who's this cute little guy?" she asked.
"I'm Cerberus! But you can call me Kero!" he answered. Tomoyo laughed.
"I should have known you could talk. Especially after meeting Meilin," she said.
"Gin-kun gave him to me to bring me to and from home," Sakura said. Tomoyo looked at her at the mention of the name.
"Okay, sit. We want to know everything," she said, sitting down next to Eriol. He slipped his hand around hers.
"Okay, well when we got to the castle…," Sakura began. She told them the whole story, except what Gin had asked her after dinner. When she finished, Tomoyo was staring at her.
"Wow, Sakura! Gin-kun sounds like a kind person, doing all those nice things for you," she said. Sakura nodded.
"He's very gentle and kind, despite what he looks like. He's not rude or nasty at all! He's done lots of things for me. Meilin and Gin-kun even threw a mini ball for me just because I said I wished to dance in the ballroom just once. When I was scared of him at first he did everything to ensure I was comfortable," she said, a distant look in her eye. Tomoyo looked at Eriol and he nodded knowingly.
"I am concerned about those dreams. Can you just not remember what he said?" she asked. Sakura shook her head.
"It's not that. It was like his lips were moving, but no sound came out," she answered. Tomoyo frowned.
"That makes things difficult. It seems to me what Syaoran-sama was trying to say is important," Eriol put in. Sakura nodded.
"I know. It's so frustrating! I want to help him, but I don't know where to start," she said.
"Maybe Tomoyo and I can look into any information about the castle, Syaoran, Gin, and Meilin. We can do it while you are taking care of your father. As soon as we find anything we will let you know," Eriol said. Sakura nodded.
"That would be great. Thanks," she replied. Tomoyo smiled.
"While you are home, let us treat you! Let's go to town," she said. Sakura laughed.
"Okay, Tomoyo," she said. Tomoyo grabbed Eriol's arm, smiling at him. Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"Are you two seeing each other yet?" she asked. Tomoyo blushed immediately as Sakura laughed. Eriol scratched the back of his head.
"Actually, he just asked me before you came," Tomoyo said. Sakura stopped and looked at her wide eyed.
"Really?" she asked. Tomoyo nodded and Sakura hugged her.
"Congrats! I'm so happy! You two are perfect for each other!" she said. Tomoyo smiled.
"I'm glad you approve," she said.
"Of course! Let's go to town and celebrate!" Sakura said, grabbing Tomoyo's hand. They all headed into town.
They had fun for a few hours before Sakura had to go home to take care of her father. Eriol had suggested they start looking for something to help Sakura and so they had headed for his library. The room was huge and full of tall, wooden bookshelves, books filled every space. Tomoyo had never seen so many in her life.
"Where do we start, Eriol?! There are so many?" she asked. He smiled at her.
"Easy, we start in the history section of the library," he answered. She nodded. He started walking through the shelves, Tomoyo following close behind. After a moment or two Eriol stopped in front of a large selection of thick, old books. He looked over the titles of the books, pulling one down here or there, handing titles like History of Tomoeda and Rosewood Castle to her. His hand hovered over a volume named The Li-clan Family History.
"I did a little of my own research after Sakura left. I found out that the old castle was owned by the Li Family. Maybe this will give us a clue about who Syaoran is," he said. Tomoyo thought for a moment.
"That makes sense! The handkerchief that Sakura always has with her has the letters SL on it. She told me she thought that it was connected to Syaoran when she found out his name. Syaoran Li, SL are his initials," she said. Eriol nodded.
"It very well might be. Maybe Touya or Yukito will know where Sakura got the handkerchief for sure. You should ask them the next time you see either of them," he said. Tomoyo nodded. Once they has a large selection of potential leads, Eriol led her over to a table with his own stack of books. They sat down and began looking through the books for anything that might be helpful.
A couple hours later, Eriol set his book down and sighed, taking his glasses off. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at Tomoyo who was bent over a book, reading intently. He watched her, smiling. He put his glasses back on and got up, walking behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his cheek against hers.
"Find anything yet?" he asked. She smiled at the closeness.
"Not yet. I think I'm getting close though," she said. He nodded, understanding.
"Don't work too hard." He said, kissing her cheek. She blushed, "I'll go get us something to eat and drink okay?" Tomoyo nodded.
"Okay," she said, smiling at him. He walked off as she continued reading. As her eye continued down the page she found an interesting passage. As she read, her eyes widened.
"I finally found it!" she exclaimed. She found a piece of paper to use as bookmark. As soon as Eriol was back she was going to show him what she found. She had to tell Sakura as soon as possible.
As usual she was walking down a dark hall. This time when she opened the door she came to, it was the dinning room she opened it to. She looked around the darkened room as she walked inside. She could barely make out anything as she walked toward the table. When she was close enough to touch the table, she saw him. He sat slumped forward in one of the chairs. He appeared to be unconscious and that worried her. She moved quickly around the table to him, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Syaoran-sama!" she cried, shaking him gently. He slowly stirred, opening his eyes and looking at her with some difficulty. He smiled weakly.
"I'm glad to see you," he said softly. She looked at him, concerned.
"What's wrong, Syaoran-sama? You don't look yourself," she said, putting her other hand on his other shoulder.
"I'm growing weak…. There isn't much time left for me. They are dying… and so am I…," he closed his eyes a moment. Her eyes widened as she shook her head.
"Don't say that! You can't be! Please hold on, Syaoran- sama. I'm trying my best," she pleaded. He looked up at her and smiled slightly, reaching up to touch her face.
"I know you are, Sakura…," his face fell into a pained expression. She held him gently, not knowing what to do.
"Are you okay?" she asked, after his pain had subsided. He looked up at her.
"I will be… in time, but, Sakura, you need to listen to me." He took her face in his hands and looked her in the eye.
"You must… it out before the last… falls…. If you don't I will die…," he said softly, eyes sad. Everything became fuzzy around the edges as it always did. She shook her head.
"No, please don't go yet! I don't understand what you are trying to say!" she pleaded, holding onto his arms tightly. He leaned in, eyes full of desperation and he kissed her before he disappeared.
Sakura sat up straight in her bed, eyes wide. She put her hands over her mouth. She could still feel the lingering warmth of his lips. Tears began to fall as she remembered how cold he had felt.
Oh please hold on! Her mind cried. She threw off her blanket and got out of bed. At her sudden movements, Kero woke up and yawned.
"What's the hurry?" he asked, watching her with sleepy eyes.
"I have to talk to Tomoyo," she answered, getting dressed. She headed for her bedroom door when she heard voices in the living room. She frowned, opening her door and venturing into the room.
"… that's what I thought!" Tomoyo exclaimed as Sakura entered.
"Tomoyo-chan! What are you doing here?" she asked. Tomoyo was sitting in a chair and had been talking to Touya. Eriol was not with her.
"Sakura, I found something very important," she said. Sakura nodded as Touya left the room to let them talk.
"I had another dream," she said. Tomoyo jumped up and grabbed her hands, seeing that her friend was clearly upset.
"Tell me what happened," she said. Sakura nodded and relayed her entire dream to her. When she finished, she was almost in tears again.
"Tomoyo, he kissed me," she whispered, her hand involuntarily reaching up to touch her lips. Tomoyo smiled sadly.
"It all makes sense now," she said. Sakura frowned, confused.
"What do you mean, Tomoyo-chan?" she asked. Tomoyo led her to the chair she had been sitting in.
"He's been trying to tell you the whole time, but he never could finish what he was saying. Sakura, I've just talked with Touya about a night fifteen years ago. I was so young that it never stood out until I read something in a book yesterday. Many years ago, one of the Li-clan angered a very powerful witch. In turn she cursed his family. She told him that because of what he had done he was to be punished. Only the punishment never befell him. She told him that three generations from that time, one of his descendants, on his eighteenth birthday would turn into a terrible beast," Tomoyo said. Sakura looked at her confused.
"What are you trying to say?" she asked.
"Fifteen years ago, we all attended a party held in honor of Prince Syaoran's eighteenth birthday. That night after you met him yourself, in person, something terrible happened. He transformed and began attacking people," Tomoyo answered. Sakura stared at her as it dawned on her.
"So what you are saying is…," she trailed off.
"Gin-kun is Prince Syaoran Li." Tomoyo finished, "And someone has to break his curse before the last petals falls from the last rose at the castle. That's what he's been trying to tell you."
A/N: -Dances- Finally she knows! Now, please tell me whatcha think about the chapter! I hope you guys liked it!