Essence of Blood
He had met girls throughout his life but never had he met a woman as unique as her. Not only did she defy him in an erratic way but her blood held an essence that differed from everyone else. Her blood was special… her blood made her, his.
Chapter Twelve
Essence of Continuation
.xx.
- Sakura -
August 3rd, 2001 – 10:18 pm
Munching on a rice krispies bar, I was heading from the kitchen up to my bedroom when I heard talking coming from the living room. In all honesty, I really hate intruding and imposing on people (although, ironically, I end up doing that a lot, hm?), so I kind of just hid behind the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room.
It was Xiao Lang, and he was talking to Ceroberus and Clow.
"Here it is," I heard somebody that wasn't Xiao Lang speak and kind of peeked out past the archway to see him handing something to the leader of the Bloodhounds. "Like he promised."
I could hear Xiao Lang sneer (ain't that a bowl full of creepy?) and he replied with. "And Gin knows that I'll deliver the goods, like I promised?"
Goods? I frowned. What goods?
The other two guys laughed. "Yeah, he knows…and he promised never to steal shit from us ever again."
"I'll bet." Xiao Lang shrugged and I saw him slowly look over his shoulder. I pulled my head back and pressed my body flat against the wall, not even breathing. Fuck…
"But nobody steals from me and gets away with it… and he should be dead in about three… two…"
"One," Ceroberus finished for him. I closed my eyes. Alright, they killed the poor guy that stole from them…
"It was his fault." Clow shrugged. "Who told him to go steal the vial from the safety deposit box at the bank? Not us. Karma's a bitch. Question is, how did he even know we stashed it there?"
"There's a rat in the gang…" Xiao Lang responded. "And when I find out who it is, I'll strangle him with his large intestine." Ew…gross. After a few more words were exchanged, I heard the men disperse. Counting to fifteen, I peeked back out into the living room and saw nobody was there.
Coast is clear, I told myself before trudging up to my bedroom.
.xx.
August 4th, 2001 – 2:13 am
I couldn't sleep, which wasn't exactly something new. But the events of what happened earlier at the mall still haunted my memories: seeing Yue, fighting with Li, that girl that claimed Yue was her boyfriend… How long was he her boyfriend for and why? Was it because I refused to sleep with Yue most of the time?
I mean he didn't exactly take my virginity, and I was sexually active with him… well sometimes, hence the cheating thing, I think.
I was lying on my bed, staring at the dark ceiling, not really thinking but at the same time thinking about everything. My mind mostly revolved around the Essence of Blood book and the entire Yue thing. Plus Li calling me his wife really didn't help my mental situation that much either.
Knock. Knock.
Glancing at my door, I heard faint knocking and tried to make out if I was imagining it or if it was real. A second set of knocking told me that I was not imagining anything, so I got up and went to open the door.
"Xiao Lang!" I gasped, seeing Li, err, Xiao Lang standing in front of me wearing black sweat pants and a white tank top. I saw his tattoo poking over his shoulder and trained my eyes to look at his eyes—not his torso.
"How'd you know I was awake?" I inquired as he stared down at me.
"I smelt your blood in the kitchen earlier," he muttered and I ended up blushing out of embarrassment. Ok, totally not inconspicuous at all. When I didn't say anything, he exerted a heavy sigh out of annoyance. "Here." He thrust a folder into my hand and, uninvited, stepped into my bedroom. Frowning, I shut the door behind me and followed Xiao Lang. He sat on my bed and I sat down beside him, staring at the red folder in my hands.
"What is it?"
"Open it and find out." He rolled his eyes and I did. Raising an eyebrow, I saw a picture of that blond girl that we saw at the mall earlier.
Name: Zeta Katherine
Gender: Female
DOB/Age: June 19, 1988 / 23 years old.
Profile:
Zeta Angus, father, born and raised between Japan and Greece. Pilot for Air USA. Zeta Vanessa, mother, born and raised in China. Housewife. Both alive, mother living in Japan with daughter and father on flights for work. Zeta Katherine attends College for Photography and is transferring to Canada for her final year. Zeta has two younger brothers, Brian and Adrian. Twins. Both attending university. Brian Zeta majoring Astrophysics and Adrian Zeta majoring Organic Chemistry.
Zeta has been dating Tsuki Yue for seven months. Both met during an internship Zeta had which resulted in her making Tsuki her model for a photographic assignment.
Zeta and Tsuki are sexually active.
My eyes were wide as I read the profile slowly—taking in all the information in front of me. Looking up at Xiao Lang, I saw that he was reading the information that was compiled in on the sheet of paper over my shoulder.
"What—how…?"
Xiao Lang shrugged. "It isn't that hard. We have undercover agents working for the National Archives. Zeta's father has to be constantly under check since he's a pilot for international flights. Finding her information wasn't that hard."
"But why?"
Xiao Lang's eyes were heavily trained on mine. "You won't believe me, beautiful, but I am willing to do anything for you."
My eyes searched his, wondering what on earth possessed him to do something like that for me. He was originally against the thought of me having a boyfriend—err, ex-boyfriend, but now he was compiling a profile about the woman he was using to make me a cuckold. I folded the information back into its original casing and handed it to Xiao Lang.
"I, honestly, appreciate all this but it's pointless. He thinks I'm dead, or rather should be, and if not, then now he definitely thinks I'm married." I didn't mean to say that last bit with venom, but I guess it just came out.
Xiao Lang leaned forward slightly, his right hand reaching towards me. My eyes widened and I simply watched, unable to do anything as he caressed my cheek. I couldn't help but feel a spark of electricity course through my body from where his fingers touch my bare skin.
My body jolted.
"You love him?" Xiao Lang murmured in inquiry as I raised an eyebrow. I wanted to laugh, he looked so in thought. Maybe the entire deal of me having a boyfriend was really affecting him in more ways than I could comprehend.
But why would he care?
"No." My answer was strong and fierce which only caused Xiao Lang to look at me in an incredulous way.
"Then why date him?"
I looked at Xiao Lang who, eventually, pulled back from his ministrations on my cheek and was staring at me with intense force. Gulping, I shrugged. "No idea. I guess I was just fond of him…"
"Did you have sex with him?"
My eyes widened. "That's kind of personal!"
Frowning, Xiao Lang stood up and, before I could even realize what was happening, he had me up against my bed, straddling me. I was lying down, my heart racing as I felt his knees lock me down and his hands pressing my wrists against the mattress.
I gulped.
"Nothing about you is personal to me, Ying Fa," he whispered in a rather—enthralling tone. "I've waited endless millenniums searching for you…"
Frowning, I began wrestling Xiao Lang. Smirking, he leaned forward slightly and my whole body froze. I felt my molecules begin detaching and soul begin wondering away from my body. "Xi—" My words were cut as I felt my entire being flash. Within nanoseconds, I found myself in a larger (and a much more comfortable) looking bedroom. Before I realized what was happening, Xiao Lang pulled off of me and walked towards a dresser.
"Is this… your room?" I asked slowly
He grunted (how civil) before throwing a book in my direction. I caught it, expertly.
"This is the Essence of Continuation—part two of the Essence of Blood, I guess you could say."
Raising an eyebrow at him, I opened the book to find blank pages. Why did that not surprise me?
"Let me guess, we have to trigger something for the book to tell us what's happening?" I was surprised to find Xiao Lang sitting beside me—wasn't he just at the other side of the room less than a second ago? I smelt his masculine musk… why didn't I realize he smelt so good earlier?
"No, this isn't that easy."
Grimacing, I looked up at him. "Not that easy?"
He shook his head as he pushed the cover close, revealing the black leather-cover. "This is the continuation of the first story. This isn't about Xiao Lang and Ying Fa anymore."
I looked up at him, my mouth ajar.
"This one is about us."
I was holding my breath as I pushed a bit away from Xiao Lang. "Answer me something."
He smiled at me, his smile an echo of something distant. "Anything, beautiful."
"Are you the original Xiao Lang?"
He nodded. "In the flesh."
"But how?"
Smirking, he stretched his hands over his head before plopping down on the mattress beneath him. His eyes were closed and I was beginning to wonder if he had fallen asleep.
"You'll find out, Ying Fa."
I snarled. "Find out? If I was actually born, then what're you?"
"I," Xiao Lang growled, opening an eye to look at me, "was dormant. Do you have any notion of how hard it is to sleep for thousands of years, waiting for the one woman you have ever loved and ever will love?"
"But how can you love me?"
He shot up, and while I was blinking, Xiao Lang had me pinned against the headboard. "I've loved you since before Jesus came unto Earth. I've loved you while you were still in the Garden of Eden. I loved you before you even knew you existed…"
My eyes were burning in tears. This was all beginning to pile onto me.
"I hardly even know you Xiao Lang," I murmured. "I can't return these—feelings you have. I mean, just up until yesterday evening I was—dating Yue."
"Whom you obviously did not love," he kindly pointed out. I glared daggers in his direction.
"Despite that, he was still my boyfriend and I was being cheated on. Perhaps sleeping for the majority of your life has made you lose some sense…" My eyes widened as I felt his lips press tightly against mine. My body fell limp as all of my senses failed.
I felt his tongue brush by my closed lips, perhaps asking me to open them. Yue had never kissed me with such tenderness—always forcing me to comply.
I felt him pull back. I was staring into his eyes.
"I will find a way to release your memories, beautiful." His fingers brushed back strands of my bangs. "Until then, I guess I can humor myself and court you all over again from the beginning…"
I pushed him off of me. "Will you cut that out? Don't go all touchy, feely on me like you own me! Despite the damn fact you're totally in love with me, I don't know you!"
Xiao Lang let out a low chuckle. "That's the best part. You're more like Ying Fa than you even realize. When we first met, she yelled at me for courting her while she had no notion of who I was."
Glaring at Xiao Lang, I chose not to listen to what he said as I made a move to the door. Before I could reach it, he whirled me around and planted his lips on mine once again. Screwing up, I pushed him off of me.
"Damn you," I hissed. "Don't do that!" And with nothing else said, I turned and left.
.xx.
August 4th, 2001 – 7:11 pm
It was sweet how Xiao Lang had gotten me the information on Katherine and Yue, but all the lip assaulting I received last night was unfair. I was at the dinner table with Tomoyo, Hiiragizawa, Mei Lin, Ling, and Xiao Lang's sisters, having a tuna casserole. Mei Lin had prepared it, and despite fore-warnings I had received, it was really good.
"Syaoran, Ryu, Takashi, and I are leaving tonight," Eriol murmured over a sip of his wine. Tomoyo looked up at him.
"To where?" she asked as I was faintly aware of the fact that Xiao Lang had entered the dining room precisely at that moment.
"Punta Cana," Xiao Lang answered as all eyes turned to him. "Mother shifted to Punta Cana and has some information. We're leaving tonight and coming back in a week." He turned to me and I raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement. He merely winked at me, subtly, and I wanted to groan in annoyance.
Chauvinistic male pig.
.xx.
August 4th, 2001 – 10:43 pm
We bade farewell to Xiao Lang, Ling, Yamazaki and Hiiragizawa. Their flight was at midnight and they left around half past ten. Tomoyo was in the shower, and the rest of the Li sisters were scattered around the mansion. I think Fuutie was sleeping, Feimei was in the in-house gym, and I had no idea what Sheifa was up to, but I had an inkling she was with Mei Lin.
Sitting in my room, I ran my fingers over the cover of the Essence of Continuation. Xiao Lang said that it was our story, not about Ying Fa and him. But why? I don't even understand why any of this is happening. And then the guys go leave to Punta Cana.
I swear it's probably a falsity and they're actually going on vacation. Hearing my door open, I looked up to find Tomoyo enter in her pajamas. Her hair was dripping wet, but she frankly did not care at all. "What's cookin', good lookin'?"
I snorted. "Nothing much, honey bunch."
Giggling, my cousin came and sat down beside me. "What's that? Oh don't tell me, another mystical book that needs to be unlocked?"
I shook my head, "Nope. It's a mystical book, but it can't be unlocked because it isn't written yet."
I saw the confusion on Tomoyo's face. "But… the Essence of Blood wasn't written. It writes itself."
"Yeah, loser," I muttered. "But it was pre-written to begin with, riiiiiiiiiight?" I dragged out the i part of the right. "This isn't pre-written because the events haven't happened yet."
Tomoyo raised an eyebrow. "…say word…?"
I burst out laughing. "Where'd you pick that one up from?"
Blushing, Tomoyo smacked my shoulder. "I heard Mei Lin say it earlier today and I remember how much we used to say it when we were in high school. But, going back to the matter at hand, the events haven't happened yet?"
I nodded. "Yeah, the shit in this book is about Xiao Lang and Ying Fa but Ying Fa isn't Ying Fa…"
I saw her eyes widened. She's a smart girl. "You Ying Fa?"
I nodded.
Her jaw dropped.
"Fuck me hard…"
She killed the mood. I laughed again. "Mei Lin?"
"Shut the hell up, Sakura!" She laughed, throwing a pillow at my face. Gosh, I love my cousin.
.xx.
August 5th, 2001 – 1:11 am
I probably need to go to the doctor to get this insomnia thing checked out. I seriously cannot sleep till ungodly hours of the early morning. Even still, I decided to tour the mansion instead of going to go grab food. Besides, I heard laughter from the living room downstairs and it sounded like Mei Lin and Yasui. Mei Lin I wouldn't mind facing but Yasui seemed bitchier after I learned about her and Hiiragizawa's secret.
I came across Xiao Lang's room and was surprised to find it ajar. Looking around and finding the coast to be clear, I slowly tiptoed into his room. The smell of him enthralled my senses.
Walking over to his bed, I saw that it was neatly made. Breathing in deeply, I pulled back the covers and got into his bed and immediately my eyes began brimming with tears.
I miss my father… my brother… my friends… my life…
And, unexpectedly…
I miss my midnight encounters with Xiao Lang.
.xx.
Special thanks to my beta-editor, Sakura-chan Master of the Clow
Edited/Updated: September 25, 2011
Re-edited: February 03, 2013