Neo Fallen

Written by: Ciuline Ihmenjo

Card Captor Sakura does not belong to me. The characters in Card Captor Sakura do not belong to me. CLAMP owns CCS. Besides, even if you do try and sue me, I have no money.

( Pre Fiction )

I am going to start this off with a rant. This is a rant because one "bad" reviewer will cause me to get frustrated, and thus take it out on my "good" readers (and I'm sorry to those "good" readers for having to hear this). It's kind of hard to really label a good/bad reader. To my readers… I do put a lot of thought into my chapters and my stories. I especially put a lot of thought into my stories, which is why I don't update once a week or every week and a half. I put time and effort into each and every chapter to make sure that things work the way that they are supposed to and my stuff works out correctly. I usually do accept criticism with open arms, but I don't appreciate it when people say things about my story that is openly explained in the summary (like the question "where is the romance?"). Basically it boils down to courtesy. If you have something to say about what you don't like about Fallen, please put it in the form of constructive criticism or a simple "I was just wondering why you…" or some kind of question like that. Sorry about that, I got a little carried away, but I would like to say thank you to the people who take time to read these things instead of skipping them over as worthless dialogue.

Now, I dedicate space and time solely for the purpose of answering the questions that I was posed in regards to this chapter and some of the story. Oh yeah, and for those of you wondering, Ciuline Ihmenjo is a guy. If you didn't already know, you can go ahead and gasp now.

1) Descry (verb): To catch sight of; discern

2) Melin is descended from a magical background. She can't sense small things or even relatively large magic sources, but Sakura is no ordinary conduit of magical energy. After being cooped up for that long, her magic is bound to touch any person close to her what-so-ever who has any magical blood what-so-ever. And, after all, Melin and Sakura actually developed a friendship of sorts.

3) Sentry isn't a bad "villain." He is more concerned about the health of the Houses that whether or not Sakura is dead. After all, you kill someone by shoving them out a window and then go out and fetch their body from the dumpster that they plummeted into. It won't be too fun. First, you would have to climb into the thing and toss said person over the side. Second, you would have to get out of the dumpster. Third, you would have to drag the person from the alleyway, out into public, and into the building. Fourth, you would have to find a place to conceal said body. Easy, right? Not really.

4) To all of you saying "Syaoran should be in Japan…" and things like that. Think about it, he's in China because of his duties to the Li clan. It is very hard for him to up and leave to Japan. I think I actually had Meilin drag him over to Tomoeda in the first Fallen after a call from Tomoyo. So, yes, Syaoran will get is lazy rear end over to Tomoeda, but think of one thing, a girl you think loves you ignores you for somewhere around 8 months where you don't hear anything from her or about her. (After all, everyone is too busy running around and trying to figure out where Sakura is to notify poor Syaoran.) Wouldn't you begin to get a little insecure about finding her?

5) Romance comes later. It is depressing because it is angst. If you don't like that… I don't know what to say. I'm at a loss of words here (that's a first for me, so congratulate yourself). If you do like the story regardless of it's content, please continue to read. I promise that things will look up… eventually!

Good old Meilin… please read Twin Strangers for more of my writing (that I actually view as good)! Note: that part was only shameless advertising that I don't expect you to follow :P But, please try and read it. I liked that story just as much as I like this one!

Ah yeah, the reason this has been so long in coming? I got writer's block. Baaaad. So, in that sense, sorry that I have taken so long to update!

Over 110 of you have reviewed. That makes me so happy. Although I do find it strange that I get all the reviews within the first five or so-odd days after I post and then they just… stop. Anywho, thanks to the following people for your reviews: armageddonangel, hex, Helbaworshipper, Death Bringer the Angel, eyesofheaven, xSweEtPanDaBOOx, HotBabe9632005, Scorpinac, pnaixrose, zeddy222, Rena Moon, coca24cola, and jazzyknickers

If you have any questions for me… just add them to your review and I'll try and answer them as soon as I can.

Italicized words are thoughts. Bold words are emphasis. CAPS WORDS are shouting.

o(-)o Neo Fallen: Recovered o(-)o

The only thing he could do to comfort himself was to climb up on the top of the dumpster and look down at her unconscious form. He took long moment to survey the situation once again, but mostly he wanted to see how Sakura was doing.

Her eyes were clenched shut, but twitching as if she was dreaming. He didn't want to know what nightmares she was probably having. One arm bent at an odd angle. There was little doubt in his mind that it was anything less that sprained, but he figured that it was mostly likely broken. Her legs were trapped under some sort of cardboard newspaper holder, but one leg had worked free. It was pressing up against the edge of the box nearest to her in an attempt to move the heavy object. The box was full to the rim and tied together with a few loose pieces of cord to keep its contents from overflowing. The rain had softened the cardboard and some of the newspapers inside had begun to escape from their wet confines. Her hair had worked its way loose from the ponytail he remembered and fanned out around her body. She was taking shallow breaths. The rise and fall of her chest was barely even observable from where he had situated himself. He barely even noticed it until he saw the small patch of fog on a large piece of shattered glass that had dug into a black bag dangerously close to her neck. Fortunately, her body was too far pressed into the bags below her, and the glass had shifted slightly away from her when she had created the crater in the bags. The garbage pile shifted again, and the glass slid to a safe distance from her. There was another piece of glass embedded in her stomach, almost shouting its presence to him. He blanched, the blood leaking from his face. A rust-brown stain surrounded the large glass shard. Her free hand was covered in the same color and rested near her stomach, as if she had tried to pull it out.

It was a wonder she was alive. The garbage bags around her had burst in many places, proof of the distance she had fallen. He could see the shattered window above her. There was no aura of life from the building. The men who had made this place their base had abandoned it. He sighed and looked back into the dumpster, keeping his silent vigil over Sakura's battered body. The only thing he could do now was wait.

He wondered why he hadn't tried to escape with her earlier. He thumped his head against the brick wall. It's like I failed her. If I had the courage to take her from that place, then she wouldn't be in this position right now. The rain continued to fall around him. He could see it pattering on the ground and against her skin. She had paled greatly since he had last seen her. For a moment, her eyelids fluttered. He wanted them to open, but of course they wouldn't. Something shifted beneath her and her body rolled slightly. The reddish-brown stain had spread all over her shirt, or at least, what was left of it. The blood began to run of her shirt in brown rivulets of water. Her entire body was soaked, so he closed the tops of the dumpster to provide her with some sort of shelter. It was probably the most considerate thing that had happened to her since he had bought her extra time to rest almost a month ago. Sadly, that time seemed like forever to him. He didn't want to think of how long it had seemed to her. A shudder worked its way down his spine and he thumped his head against the wall again. Why did I have to be so late?

When the paramedics arrived on scene, two more arrived shortly thereafter in a second vehicle. It came in behind the ambulance: a white van with red crosses painted on each visible face of it. The two men who emerged from it carried a large cutting saw while the paramedics emerged with the standard emergency medical equipment. He wanted to tell them to wait and that there was glass all over the dumpster, but his mouth was failing him. The words wouldn't come. And after all, who would listen to a teenage anyhow?

Two men easily carved a large hole in the side of the dumpster farthest from where she currently lay. They tore away the large section of green metal and tossed it into the alley. The sheet of metal clattered along the floor of they alleyway before settling to a stop against a wall. Loud clanging and clattering echoed down the long passage until the noise emerged from each mouth of the alleyway. The garbage lined up against the now-missing wall tumbled out in a surge of bags before she was carried toward the hole by black plastic waves. By some miracle, she managed to stay upright the entire time. The trash began to get caught against the edges of the hole and the flow came to an abrupt halt. Her body jerked to a stop and she moaned softly from either pain or surprise. The paramedics took that as a good sign, a sign that she was still alive.

Another duo replaced the two men with the saw. These people – one male and one female dressed in the white EMT uniforms – arrived before the dumpster with an IV unit, stretcher, and a tank of oxygen with a mask. The female carried a bright orange bag slung over her shoulder. Paper masks covered each one's mouth and nose. They gingerly picked their way through the sea of garbage until they were able to drag her out of the dumpster.

"NO!" she screamed. She thrashed about, flailing her arms and legs wildly. Her limbs smashed into the sides of the dumpster, into the pair of stunned paramedics, and into the scattered black bags, splitting the sides of some of them open. "Don't take me back!" she cried. "Please! I don't wanna go back!" Shaking her head wildly, eyes wide with terror and pure survival instinct, she tried to pry herself away from the hands of her true saviors. The pain that had been flushed from her body by the adrenaline rush was now returning to her in wave after wave of agony that contorted her body.

The rain continued to pour down around them, like tears from the sky.

Finally, she calmed down. It took an injection before she her struggles were fully subdued. She lay limply in their hands as they laid her half-conscious body on the stretcher. Her eyelids were only half closed over her eyes and she blinked rapidly. Even then, she continued to moan softly in protest to their actions. The word Sentry came up a lot. The female of the paramedic duo injected her with an IV tube and placed a breathing mask on her face. She brushed the long bangs away from Sakura's face and checked the girl's pulse. Something about weak and thready emerged from her mouth. She frowned, maybe out of frustration and injected another substance into the near-comatose girl before her.

They said that it was a wonder that she was alive. They were still mostly stunned from her reaction. They asked him if he was family and when he politely said "no," they refused to let him sit in the back of the ambulance with her. Sakura still twitched irritably but other than that, she was calm. At least her body expressed an air of serenity. He could sense that her aura was in chaos. Her face still wore a tense expression before they closed the doors on her and drove off in the direction of the hospital.

He was left standing in the rain, with no umbrella to shelter him from the weather. It was only due to his carelessness anyhow. Tomoyo, he thought, I found her. He smiled softly to himself before narrowing his dark eyes. He couldn't sense any danger around him. The pain he had felt in the Houses still lingered only as a soft residue of its former strength, but for now, it was almost completely gone. A faded haze of emotions that were slowly drifting into nothingness with each passing second. Taking a moment to survey the surroundings one last time, he walked off to find a taxi or some sort of ride to take him to the hospital.

He began to whistle to himself as he flagged down the first yellow car he could see. The noise calmed his nerves somewhat. The cab slowed and stopped before him. It admitted him and the driver sped off to the hospital minutes later.

o o o o

Tomoyo was already there, meeting him at the door to the waiting room of the emergency room. She was pacing nervously, waiting for the door to open. When the single drenched individual stumbled into the waiting room, she practically threw herself into Eriol's arms, unconscious of the water that was falling from his body.

Touya was leaning up against a wall, a cup of coffee clutched in his hands. "What took you so long?" he muttered. Yukito was close by, jacket draped over his shoulders and an umbrella by his feet. A small dark circle was slowly spreading as the umbrella shed rain onto the floor. A cup of the same steaming liquid sat forgotten by his elbow. He looked up when Eriol entered, pausing to place a hand on Touya's wrist. A quick exchange of words and Touya's glare darkened for a moment.

"How is she?" he asked finally, shrugging off his drenched jacket. Tomoyo was already handing him a small, translucent plastic sack. He could see something yellow within it as well as a hastily scrawled note. He swore he could recognize Ruby's distinctive handwriting, and a chill ran up his spine at the memory of Ruby's usual taste for clothing. A small voice in the back of his mind told him that he would most likely be better of in the clothes he was wearing. But a quick sigh – along with an urgent shove by one Tomoyo Daidouji – sent him off to the restrooms to change.

The clothes were not the fashion disaster that Ruby Moon had planned them to be or, at least, the disaster that he expected. The shirt was devoid of any accoutrements save a small breast pocket. The pants were a simple but matte black. The socks were even tame by Ruby's nature. He looked at himself in the mirror for some foolish addition to his clothes and found none other than a price tag on the shirt. That was tugged of without a second thought. He pulled the note out last and scanned it. A smile flashed over his face for a moment. Written neatly were the words: "Daidouji-san is a mean hag. She won't let me choose your clothes." He rolled his eyes and tossed the scrap of paper into the bag with the remainder of his wet clothes.

He emerged to a similar scene to what he left. The only difference was the addition of about five empty styrofoam cups. Tomoyo was still trying to dig herself a furrow in the floor as she paced about the room. Yukito was now lounged back in a chair that had been pulled up against the wall. He sipped on the cup in his hands, taking small glances at the entrance to the waiting rooms as well as the entrance to the operating area. The chair was, as Eriol expected, mere inches away from Touya's current position. Touya had his gaze plastered on the doors to the actual emergency room. Eriol chose a seat near Tomoyo and plopped down in it.

"You should sit down. The carpet is practically screaming in pain."

"Shove off," she said darkly, matching her words with a glare that would have turned a lesser man to stone or at least sent them running in fear. She stopped pacing to smile sweetly at him. "I'm a little stressed, that's all." And the routine began anew.

"I understand." He gave her a nod of acknowledgement and went off to find a coffee machine. "She'll be okay, I'm sure of it," he said before walking away.

Tomoyo stopped, rushing toward him. The light patter of her feet on the carpet alerted him to her presence. He was spun around as she grabbed his wrist. Her hands clutched his almost desperately. "Will she really be okay?" A glimmer of hope shone in her eyes. He nodded and her shoulders sagged in relief. Releasing his hands, she turned and sank into the seat beside him. "I'm glad. She's been through enough already."

"She'll definitely go through much more. This will definitely be taxing on her mentally as well as physically. In the end, she'll be alright, Kaho said so." He looked over, taking in her features. One hand went up to cup her face and she shied away from his touch. They both made a noise of apology before a silence settled over them. "I trust her judgement," he said finally. Using the armrests, he pulled himself up. "Right now though, my judgement will be faulty unless I get something warm into my system." He extended a hand. "Shall we venture off to find something? I'm sure that you'll be the first to know if her condition changes." Tomoyo had crossed her arms over her chest. "You look like you could use some food." She was staring forlornly at the still-unopened door to the emergency room. The ashen-haired girl paused for a moment in thought before taking his hand. She nodded, swallowing audibly, and walked with him on wobbly legs to find the nearest vending machines.

( Post Fiction )

Nothing really to say here. I got most of it out in the introduction. Basically, this begins the second arc of my story. It's all about first finding Sakura and mostly about nursing her back to health. And (gasp) Syaoran will make his appearance in Japan by the end of this arc. Though I won't say when I'll put him in again. I'm planning on doing a sweet little Tomoyo/Eriol bit for some of the next chapter as well as a few WaFFy moments. Hopefully it will all go well in the end.

I'm doing yet another Meilin/Touya fiction in the near future. It's called "Covered in Rain" and will be coming out sometime before I go on spring break next Thursday or Friday. And I promise to try and update Fallen over the break.

That said and done, please send in those reviews!

See you next update: Ciuline Ihmenjo