Chapter 11: Sanctuary

Sakura swallowed as she looked at the door of 'that' room. The way Eriol said anything always made her think the worst, though she hadn't known either for more than a day. That and the state of the mansion left her well enough reasons for worry. Much like the sitting room, the other parts of the house were equally as trashed. Even the stairs... were she to attempt them in the dark she would die for sure!

Knowing all that, just what kind of room had they decided to give her? What kind of piles would she have to push aside simple to sit—as much as lay—in order to feel some kind of rest in this place most unfamiliar and intimidating.

And what was this about protection—that she should be removed from everything she had, and landed in possibly the worst place if she was trying to avoid trouble... even if it was under the pretense that she was suffering as a result of punishment. She wondered if living a lie was the punishment and that the entire ordeal wasn't just a new kind of purely mental torture.

She felt as if she was going to hyperventilate.

"What's wrong?" asked Syaoran, his voice edged with concern at her diminished spirit. "You should go in, and then you can get some rest. I'm sure this day has been more than taxing. Since that's the case..." He backed away a bit and left her with her hand upon the door knob. "I'll go see if there's anything I can assist Eriol with..."

"Um... right." Sakura said with a failed attempt at a smile. If that's how it is...

She hesitantly looked back at his retreating form. They weren't even going to watch her horrified reaction? She turned the knob and took a deep breath.

It was now or never...

She held her breath and closed her eyes as she pushed the door open. It sounded as though it opened unrestricted, considering that it should have been blocked by something, knowing the state of the other rooms.

With no other choice but to look, she slowly began to let out her breath and opened her eyes—only to have that very breath freeze in her throat from the shock!

It was... unbelievable... but how was it so? Such a room... in this house... amidst the ruin of what should otherwise be glory, how was it that this room be utterly spotless? What's more—it was absolutely gorgeous!

Like a piece from her dreams, or that of nature captured from the most gentle of settings... her vocabulary lacked the depth to explain it perfectly. Though it was surreal enough to misplace her from the world she knew. So profound that she removed her shoes before taking the first hesitant step through the portal that led her here, almost afraid that the mere touch of her foot would remove her from the dream and back to the disaster of reality she had left behind.

She was thankful that when the touch came, her vision of what she had perceived reality had not changed. It was real!

So soft... the carpeted floor, a broken blue of different shades, such that it was easy to confuse it with the gentleness of water, embraced the entirety of the floor. Likewise, a ceiling of a much lighter shade made her feel as though she had stepped under a summer's sky. A false sky made all the more so by the lack of lights or obstructions, possibly hidden by the ceiling and wall's meeting, where the lights lay hidden in the recess between the two.

Walls, though she knew there, were far apart from what she had always known; giving the illusion that she was in a wide open expanse. Furniture of a dark wood in the forms of desks, dressers, closets, and other wonders lined the edges... but nothing could have distracted her from what she found most astonishing. A bed unlike any she had ever laid eyes upon.

Made of a dark cherry, it seemed as much part of the room then separate, as it seemed to come out of the very floor, with no sort of distinction that suggested and underneath. What's more, it stretched to the ceiling, as though continuing up through—an upper extension branching outward as would the branches of a tree—branches which supported an additional illusion of flowers... flowers that were in actuality were a form of a pink and white veil that encompassed the "tree" bed.

Sakura's chest felt as though it was burning steadily, and it was at that point she realized that she had forgotten to breathe. She let the air out and watched as the veil shifted in the suggested breeze. With its rippling and design, it really looked as though the blossoms of a cherry tree were falling. She reached out with a hand to dispel the illusion.

It was soft... like silk.

Spellbound in the pursuit of what additional treasures awaited, she parted the veil, revealing the wonders of the elaborate sheets and pillows, that in all reality as though a bed of snow and petals.

It was truly fantastic.

She backed up as she tried to take it in... To think of a name for this fantasy world she had entered.

A world existing under the sky, removed from land which was the source of misfortune, yet given comfort under the branches of a tree whose falling flowers not only gave her a soft place to lie in the tree's roots, but shielded her from the eyes of an outsider...

A natural protectorate... comfort attached to her name for the first time, in a space removed from that of the world she had come to know. If not only for her mind alone, this was...

This is... this could be... my...

"Sanctuary."

Sakura nearly cried out in surprise as her thought to come came out of another's mouth. But more than that... was that Eriol had been there for who knew how long...

"Don't be worried," Eriol said as he placed her bags down next to what was to be her desk, "I just brought the bags, as promised."

"Right..." said Sakura warily.

"Heh, I see that I'm not trusted at all." Eriol said with a slight laugh. "That should go without my mentioning it though... And since that is the case, I thought I should lay the basics before I permit you to retire for the evening."

"Okay..."

"First off, this house is now your own as well as ours. We all will share it together, so it's best that you come to terms with it. However... that having been said... this room is only yours. It always has been."

"What?" Sakura started. "Always? Then!"

"I'm sorry," said Eriol with his hands indicating that she calm herself, "I said that wrong. I didn't quite mean it like that... that it was only yours. True that it looks as though it was tailored to your name and all, unfortunately, we have only just taken notice of you now.

"What I meant was that this room has always been reserved only for another apart from ourselves. Not that we knew who that would be." He smiled. "As such, we will not come here without your permission. It is true to its name after tonight."

Sakura looked at him as though to discern the truth from his eyes.

"Hey now, don't be like that." Eriol smiled. "I know it's natural to mistrust, but I'd like to at least be granted the benefit of the doubt at least for a little while. That being said...

"There is a bathroom down the hall to the right, so you will have to come out once in a while. But worry not, Syaoran and myself room at the other end of the house... in separate rooms I might add... not that you'd believe me just like that." He started to back towards the door as her eyes began to fall from tiredness. "Don't worry about stumbling across us either, we use a different bathroom altogether. As for linens, you should find ample supplies in your walk-in closet.

"Oh yes... before I forget." He paused at the door. His hand on the door knob. "I wouldn't worry yourself with school tomorrow. It wouldn't be uncommon for you to not show up with us in charge of you, so in your absence, familiarize yourself with the house. Go and do whatever, if it will help ease your concerns, please take that action. That... and one last thing..."

Eriol pulled out an apple from his shirt and set it on a nearby piece of furniture.

"Eat this if you're hungry. Otherwise wait until breakfast.

"Night."

Sakura watched him leave and heard the door shut with an audible latch.

Sanctuary... eh? She looked at the door and thought of the ambiguity of Eriol's words and the sketchiness of his actions. A sanctuary... was it?

She just didn't know.

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A/N (3/18/08): Here everyone! A long time in waiting update. I had a lot of issues in my life. Hopefully I'll be able to release on a faster rate now. And for all you Syaoran and Eriol fans, next chapter should contain some goodies (although don't expect too much). Thanks for reading!