AN: I'm baaaack with chapter 11 of Dark Fate! I have decided to divide the story into arcs. This arc ends on chapter 17, which I just finished writing P. Just need to go over them with my beta, the great yuuwatase719. A lot of new concepts will be introduced, making this story quite complicated. Chapter 17 is nearly five thousand words, so due to my promise, every chapter will be longer or equal length as the last... So arc 3 might take a while. I will try to keep my weekly update promise, but I am also starting to write two more stories, CCS: Path of Clow, based of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. The other one is a secret... for now. Keep an eye out for CCS: Path of Clow, and here is chapter 11. Thanks to the reviewers for the last chapter...
fiasse (good luck with To Turn Over a New Flower!), Taeniaea, Shadow-Wolf-Storm, AngelEmCuti, kbookworm.
Holy crap, everyone reviewed twice! That means... I will post another chapter later today!
Dark Fate Chapter 11
Monday, beginning of November...
Syaoran had a good weekend. No more demon attacks, Sakura was talking to him again, and except for a good Christmas present for her, Syaoran had no worries. They had spent that Sunday picking up stuff from their houses, and afterwards enjoyed themselves shopping and wandering the city. Everyone was in a good, or better (in the case of Touya), mood in that morning, everyone except one person...
Fanli was staring out the window, looking at the snowy yard. He should be getting ready to leave, but there was a nagging feeling in his mind. He was randomly shuffling a deck of blank black cards, mindlessly performing random card tricks.
"Fanli! We're leaving for school!"
"Hai! Go on ahead, I'll catch up!"
He continued to stare out the window and placed the strange black cards back in his pocket, and watched as everyone left the house and head off to school. Touya, Nakuru, and Yukito left shortly afterwards to work. Fanli still sensed the presence outside the barrier. Fanli hasn't left the house all weekend, as he was observing this presence. It was waiting for a certain person, and it has yet leave its post. Considering it didn't follow anyone that has left, that meant that the presence was after him. It was hard to pinpoint the location, but it wasn't exactly difficult to feel the waves of hatred emanating from it.
This guy wants me dead. Well, it's going to have to catch me first. Fanli swore when he saw the clock, seeing there is less than a minute until school started.
"Time, freeze!"
Time stopped in the world, and Fanli sprinted out of the house towards the school.
"MADE IT!"
Fanli came bursting through the classroom door, a single second before the bell rang for class to start. Some people laughed at this, but Fanli ignored them, and headed to the back of the class where his seat was. He was surprised to find that Sakura, Tomoyo, Meilin and Eriol all moved to the back of the room with Syaoran.
There goes my peace and quiet...
"Fanli? Why are you so late?" Meilin demanded. "You were staring out the house window all morning, what was that about?"
"Sorry, mother. I had business to deal with. Why don't you train instead of sticking your nose in other people's business?" This was the first time Fanli snapped out at someone. Though he occasionally cracked a joke or two, he had never demonstrated any dangerous emotions. Everyone was surprised at the outburst, but no one questioned it. They all figured out the Fanli wasn't in the best of moods right now.
Dang, that presence is putting me on the edge. I have to deal with it.
Class began with the teacher coughing, and then she made an announcement. "Class, I have an important announcement to make. Next month, the school will have a winter dance-"
All the girls squealed and leaped for joy, while a loud groan from the back of the room went unnoticed. All the girls started chatting with their neighbors, discussing their plans and what they were going to wear.
"Attention please! You can buy tickets at the cafeteria during lunch, and you have two weeks to buy tickets-"
The teacher's voice was covered up by more chattering from the girls. The teacher began to start pounding on the table, attempting to call for attention, but failed miserably. She sighed, and decided to wait it out... It took a good twenty minutes before class finally started.
Lunch began with the return of the conversations.
"Who are you going to go with?"
"What are you going to wear?"
"I'm going to ask Li-kun to go with me, of course!"
"We all want to, but he's taken, genius!"
"Who cares?"
"I heard he got together with Kinomoto!"
"Really? I find that surprising. She didn't seem like one to settle. She had a bunch of boys fawning over her."
"That stopped when Syaoran returned though."
"I heard he beat them all up!"
Syaoran groaned when the conversation began to focus on him. He tried to stay unnoticed for a while now, but the girls were to persistent.
"You want me to knock some sense into them?" Meilin asked her cousin, preparing herself by cracking her knuckles. Syaoran pondered the idea for a minute, then declined the offer.
"You'll get in too much trouble... dang it... Why can't they talk about something else?"
More giggles filled the room, and Syaoran slammed his head on the table, swearing loudly.
"This month is going to be hell."
Five minutes into lunch, Syaoran already had 38 invites to the dance, all which he declined. He managed to fight his way through the hallways, and spent a good 10 minutes escaping from the crowd. When he finally managed to lose the wave of screaming girls, he snuck his way to the rooftops, where the rest of the gang was waiting.
"Hey Li, what took you so long? Were you buying a dance ticket?" Eriol asked with a tone of mocking and sarcasm.
"Not interested."
"Why not? We're all going... except for Fanli of course." Tomoyo added the last part when she saw the Chinese boy was glaring at her.
"You don't have to go with a date. You can just go with friends aka US!" Meilin was ecstatic about the dance. She was jumping for joy on the rooftop, happily singing and planning for the event.
"Yea Syaoran, come on! Or are you scared?" Sakura said teasingly.
"Fine, fine. Jeez, tough crowd. Fanli, you gonna go?"
"Over my dead body." Fanli was staring at a forest near the high school, once again shuffling a deck of black cards. He had been staring outside of windows all day, as if watching for something. Everyone knows to not even bother to try to understand this boy, he is too different.
How could these weeks be so peaceful, yet so annoying? Fanli wondered to himself as he walked through the hallways of the school building. Girls were constantly pestering Syaoran for to be his date, and made it impossible for him to buy a ticket to the dance without being ambushed. In the end, Syaoran sent Fanli to buy a ticket for him. No demons attacked, or showed any signs of attacking any time soon, yet Fanli was on the edge. Everybody was too much in the Christmas mood, ignoring his nervousness. It was now a week before the dance, three weeks have passed, and Fanli still had no idea what that presence was. He can't pinpoint its exact location, yet he knew it's still out there. There is going to be a fight soon, but this is my fight. He has no idea why it is "his" fight, but his instincts told him no one else should get involved with this presence. When can I confront this presence without anyone interfering? The most obvious time was during the Winter Dance, but how about the guardians and Touya? How should I keep them occupied? That is when he saw a poster about the dance. "Help wanted?" This was just too perfect.
"You want us to work at the Winter Dance?" Touya asked incredulously. He hardly knows this other Chinese brat, yet this kid is already pushing Touya around with orders.
"You hard of hearing?"
"No! Are you insane?"
"Let me sum it up in simple terms. There is a dark presence out there, and in case of an attack, I want you guys to be on guard and be able to quickly help. I will be patrolling and seeking out this force out."
"So.. then what do we do?" Yukito asked.
"I dunno, chaperoning, helping out..."
"Sounds fun." Nakuru chipped in. "Let's do it! I haven't been to dance for soooo long! Touya can dance with me!" Touya glared at her, wanting to draw his magic and blast her to smithereens.
"Good, thanks. Kero, Suppi, you two will stay on the rooftops, I'll provide you two with a cloaking spell. And remember: don't tell them about this plan."
Syaoran sensed a slight disturbance, a presence somewhere in the city, but he ignored it. It had no intentions of hurting his friends. Yet... it was after someone. The presence is one of light, not of darkness. It isn't demon, then what it is? He considered consulting Fanli, but he was edgy recently. He doesn't want to bother anyone else during Christmas season. Not to mention he still has to find a present for Sakura...
Ah the struggles of teenagers these days.
Shut up Tian. I'm trying to think here.
Think? You? The horror!
Can you do anything besides insulting people?
Yep, I can help you with a present that she will love. You can make it with the power of the dragons. It isn't easy, but if you really want to protect her...
What is it?
OK, here we go!
Syaoran began chanting an incantation...
The night of truth is finally here. The Winter Dance. The house was full of chaos, since everyone except a certain person was going. The girls were hectic as they tried to get dressed, while the guys were all sitting downstairs, waiting. Eriol was dressed in a dark blue suit, his eyes and hair matching with it accurately. He held a red rose which he clearly brought for Tomoyo. Syaoran, refusing to wear a tuxedo, was wearing dark green Chinese style robes, with tan pants under it (when he first wore it, Meilin was swearing on her life that it looked exactly like his warrior outfit from CardCaptoring... they were still arguing about that, for that matter). He was dressed that way for another reason: he didn't want to be slowed down with a suit if another battle breaks out. Touya and Yukito were wearing matching plain black and white suits. Kero and Suppi were hidden in their pockets.
"Jeez, why do girls take so long to get ready?" Syaoran muttered as he checked the clock on the living room wall.
"Who knows, girls are a mystery to even the wisest of men." Eriol answered impatiently. His patience was being pushed to the limit.
"Ah, the minds of women. Difficult to comprehend." Fanli entered the room. "Hope you guys enjoy the dance. I'm gonna head out."
"Where ya going?" Syaoran asked suspiciously. Does this has something to do with the presence? The thought was distracted when the girls finally came downstairs. Each girl was dressed in a similar dress designed by Tomoyo herself, each a different color. Tomoyo wore a lavender dress, her amethyst eyes revealing no contrast, Meilin wore a red one, defining her bright, fiery spirit, and Sakura wore one that was bright pink, decorated with cherry blossoms. Nakuru, despite being a chaperone, was also dressed formally.
"Come on, lets get going guys... Guys?" Nakuru chirped happily.
Eriol and Syaoran were frozen at the spot, paralyzed. Suddenly, their complaints about taking too long were immediately forgotten. "What's wrong with you guys?" Sakura asked.
As dense and innocent as ever Sakura, no matter how much you pretend to be different...
"No-nothing! Come on, let's go!"
"Would you like to dance?"
Tomoyo giggled. Eriol was a true gentlemen as ever. It was amusing, almost, to see him act English again, and she placed her small, pale hand into his, alabaster cheeks glowing a deep crimson. He ignored her embarrassment, and laughing, he grabbed her hand and they ran out to the dance floor, as she squealed protests laughingly. Sakura wanted to scream,
Don't leave me!
"Uh..." Syaoran managed out.
Oh, reeeal smooth. Tian tried not to laugh as he saw the girl's confused face.
"Hoe?"
Fanli ran through the forest path into an empty clearing covered with snow. OK, come on, where the hell are you? I am alone now. Just me and you... bring it!
A cloaked girl sat on a tree, a hundred feet away from the Demon Master. You're mine! She pulled out her bow, and pulled an invisible string, and a magical arrow appeared. Her hand trembled in excitement as she aimed, and fired.
Fanli felt a burst of magic. So it begins. He cast a barrier around the forest area to ensure this threat didn't escape, and prepared to engage. An arrow came flying towards straight towards his head. Fanli casted a powerful barrier to block it, but it was shattered by the arrow. "What the-" Fanli leaped to the side to dodge the arrow. "How the hell did that break my barrier? Nothing should have been able to break that except... no way a legendary weapon?" This will be problematic. Another arrow was launched toward his direction, and he dodged again. It flew right passed his head, barely hitting him.
"This is a good archer..." Fanli dodged again and again. The mystery archer kept moving, so the shots were coming from different directions. Left, right, behind me... DANG IT! Enough of this!
"Tempest! Grant me the power of the wind!" Fanli leaped into the sky and hovered there. "Volt! Strike with a lightening barrage!" Arcs of lightening fell from the sky, colliding with the ground. He didn't bother to aim, since he can't tell where this warrior was... yet. He sensed a barrier to the right of him. Gotcha! He flew towards that direction, and saw a cloaked figure.
"So, who the hell are you?" Fanli demanded when he landed on a the snowy tree. The archer tried to run, but he sent a blast of wind. The archer drew out a shield, which formed a large barrier. The wind turned out to be stronger, since the barrier shattered, sending the shield flying. The force also blew off the hood of the cloak, revealing long black hair and a feminine face.
"Jeez, you're a little girl!"
"I'm not a little girl! I am 17! I'm a warrior of the Lin clan, prepare to die!"
The.. Lin clan... So my past caught up with my present. He drew his blade, and prepared himself as she dived towards him with her blade-edged bow. She hacked at his head, which he blocked easily. Her emotions are getting in the way, but she is a very formidable fighter in close range as well. He blocked her next set of strikes, and sent a blast of magic at her. She swore loudly, and fled, forgetting to pick up her shield. He sent another blast of magic, ensnaring her with a wind spell. He was about to dive and for the kill, but stopped when his blade was millimeters away.
"Just finish me already."
"No, you are not of darkness. Your heart is pure. I won't kill you."
"That didn't stop you from slaughtering before."
"Why the hell are you complaining?"
"I have been spared by a demon, there is no more shame than that."
"You are too prideful. You Lins need to take it down a notch."
"Screw you bastard. What, am I not even worth killing?"
"If you don't shut up and leave I will."
He let go of her, and she swore again as she fell to the ground. She glared at him with her dark brown eyes, as if considering to attack again, but thought otherwise as she retreated back into the forest.
"That was too easy. But, that wasn't her best..." Fanli muttered. "She will be back."
He picked up an examined the abandoned shield. It was a large red shield, and had a dragon engraved on it. "Another legendary weapon?" She definitely is part of the Lin clan. They were in charge of the four... He carried the shield back to his house, and wondered how Syaoran was doing.
Fanli watched as Touya drove into the driveway. The rest of the group seemed to be asleep in the minivan (except for Syaoran of course.) The group of teens staggered out of the car and dragged themselves back into the house. Fanli chuckled when he saw how tired most of them were. "Dancing takes a lot out of you eh?" Most of them replied with a grumble as they pulled themselves up the stairs and into their rooms. A surge of power came from nowhere, emitting from Fanli's room, which gave everyone a shock. How did Tomoyo feel that? She shouldn't feel that burst of magic... unless... Fanli ran to his room and checked on the shield he retrieved. It was glowing, fighting the restraints he placed on it to ensure that the Lin girl doesn't try to steal it back. Has it already selected its next master? And it is... Fanli undid the bounds, and the shield went flying. It went through a couple rooms, and every one jumped in surprise. Especially the one who the shield floated to: Tomoyo. Looks like things are going to get INTERESTING.