BISHLOV NOTES AND WORDS OF GRATITUDE:
I wasn't supposed to update this until next month but my guilt was slowly eating its way through my internal organs. From this chapter on I'm going to include this fic in my regular update cycle again. No need to worry anymore. Thanks, minna-san, for your vote of confidence.
Saky-li – I know it's been so long. Please forgive me.
ARCHANGEMON – Thanks for the all-caps and the nice words. Your review was one of the reasons why I decided to continue this. I have to admit that I'm having a hard time writing this fic but I'm gonna try my best.
lozza-pilgrim – Here's the update. It's a lot late but, hey, it's better than never ne?
My mystery reviewer a.k.a. blank - You've already sent me enough reviews to make me feel good about myself again. Thanks.
?????? – I guess I just needed you to cuss me some…Thanks for the push!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS or any of its characters. CLAMP does. This plot is a product of my imagination. Any similarities to other fan fictions are unintentional.
KINOMOTO'S ANGEL
By bishounen lovah
Chapter 13: Syaoran's Training
"What are you going to teach me?" Syaoran asked. They had been sitting in the gazebo and staring at the house for quite some time now. He was anxious to start his training.
"The first thing you should learn is patience," Naomi replied with a small smile.
"Nani! What kind of training is this anyway," he demanded as he jumped up to face her. "We don't have any time to fool around. I need to get stronger before Mori attacks again."
"There's no use in being strong when you keep on insisting on rushing into a fight without thinking what your tactics are." She patted the cushion beside her, urging him to sit back down.
Syaoran conceded that she had a point. He thought about the first attack. He did not stop to think what he should do back then. Instead he focused on what he could do. He had almost used up all of his powers before he got to use the right ofuda.
No. I couldn't think of anything else but to save Sakura. My carelessness had cost me in almost losing her. He took a deep breath to calm himself then sat down again beside his cousin.
"In order to become strong you must first learn what your weaknesses are. Do you know what yours are?"
He thought about that. They had already established that one of his weaknesses was rushing into a fight. But what could be the others? All he could think about was that he's weak, period.
"Think about it, Syaoran. What was it that went wrong last night?"
He recalled what had happened starting from the moment he and Keroberos arrived. He had agreed to release Touya while the sun guardian helped Sakura and Yue. The first attack had taught him to slow down a bit and he almost had Touya freed if only Mori hadn't caught him by surprise and bound him with that dark mist. He looked back at Naomi and knew that he was on the right track.
"You must learn to be aware of your surroundings," she said. "Never turn your back to your enemy. That could be fatal."
He nodded in agreement. That was a huge mistake on his part.
"And it's not enough to just keep an eye on him. There will be moments when you won't be able to see your enemy. That's why you must learn to sense auras."
"I know how to sense auras," Syaoran defended.
"Yes but you only sense an aura when the person is right in front of you. Am I right?" Naomi did not have to wait for an answer. She nodded to gesture at the window in front of them. "Tell me whose aura you feel in that room. Close your eyes and relax. Feel the energy emanating from your surroundings."
He did what he was told. He closed his eyes and emptied his brain. Soon he saw his surroundings in his mind. He could feel the wind gently blowing the leaves of a tree and the birds playfully flying around them.
And then he sensed them. Different auras with different colors were swirling around the room. He focused on one aura after another, trying to identify whose they were. "I can sense Eriol. His ki is the most powerful among them. Then there's Sakura, Yue, Keroberos, Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun."
"Very good. Now can you tell me their exact positions in the room? It is important to pinpoint an aura. You can't always use your lasin board." She continued when Syaoran looked doubtfully at her.
He sighed impatiently before closing his eyes again. It took him twenty minutes or so before he could make himself sense ki without them swirling. In his mind's eyes he could see each aura staying in one place floating like an undisturbed mist.
"Eriol's sitting across Sakura. Ruby Moon's seated beside her while Yue is standing behind them." His head jerked to the side when he felt two auras zinging across the room. His mouth twitched in a smirk. "The sun guardians are chasing each other again."
"You learn fast, Syaoran. Let's broaden the field then. Search the house for the others."
He stood up as though to take a better view of the house in his mind. His head was starting to thump from tiredness but didn't stop. He wanted to learn quickly. Several minutes later, he found Meiling and Tomoyo in the kitchen. It took him some time before he could locate Kinomoto-sensei and Touya in a room at the far end of the second floor.
He looked at Naomi who was smiling at him in approval. It was then that he noticed something. "You have no ki."
"Of course I have one. You just can't sense it."
"How come? How can you do it?"
"That's you next lesson. Hiding a ki is very useful ability especially if you want to spy on somebody."
"Now why would I want to do that?"
"Oh I don't know," Naomi shrugged although her eyes were glinting with mischief. "You may be able to use it someday. Besides, hiding your aura could save a lot from your energy once you get the hang of it."
Though he was doubtful of the use of hiding his aura, he, nonetheless, followed her instructions. It wasn't long before he could learn how to hide his green ki. "So what now?"
"Now we're going to play hide and seek," she said as she released a small amount of aura. Syaoran could see the silvery light covering her entire body. "I'll hide while you seek. Just give me a five-minute head start then come look for me."
Before he could react, she had already ran towards the nearest tree and climbed up to jump onto the roof. He blinked unbelievingly at the amazing speed and agility that his cousin showed. Less than a second later she was gone. He sat down again and concentrated. Her aura was already getting weak as she went farther and farther. By the time the five minutes were up he could no longer sense even a tiny bit of her ki.
He followed suit and jumped on the roof. There he could see most of the residential area of Tomoeda. He looked from left to right, a little irritated at the way the wind was blowing his hair to his eyes.
There will be moments when you won't be able to see your enemy, he recalled what she said. He closed his eyes again and a second later he felt a flicker of the silver aura far left. I'll get you, you'll see.
~Hours later, before sundown~
Kuso! Where is she? Syaoran stood on the rooftop of Tomoeda Elementary School. He had been close to finding her several times but every time he though he had her he'd lose the aura and return back to square one. He sat down cross-legged on the cement roof and thought hard. What did I do wrong? Why does her aura kept on disappearing?
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud growling. He sighed (anime-style) at the sound. His stomach was starting to protest because he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. He placed his chin on his hand and thought grimly. I'd better find her before I die from hunger. Naomi's aura was weak although noticeable. She wouldn't deliberately hide her aura because that wasn't fair. So why would it suddenly disappear?
He lied down on his back and stared at the remaining visible clouds. One suspiciously looked like a plump chicken leg. He stared at it hungrily until a larger cloud covered it.
That's it! Syaoran no baka! You'd been staring at her the whole time. He got up and jumped from roof to roof until he got to the Tsukimine Shrine. He had been losing her aura around this area every time. He had thought that it disappeared because she kept on moving away. But now he realized she was hiding here the whole time. He quickly ran to the Sakura tree and looked up. Sure enough, high up on a branch was Naomi's sleeping figure. Her feet were dangling down and her upper body was leaning against the trunk. He could now see her silver ki.
No, she didn't hide it. Well in a way she did. She used the strong power of the tree to cloak hers, he thought, slightly angry at her for being so conniving and at himself for not realizing it sooner.
"There you are," Naomi yawned as she stretched her arms. "What took you so long?"
"You cheated."
"You know very well that I didn't," she replied as she jumped down. "Besides, didn't I tell you that you should always think of tactics and possibilities?"
Syaoran glared at the ground. He should really learn to use his brain. He looked up when Naomi leaned in front of him and laid her hands on his shoulder.
"It's all right. You're doing quite well actually. It took me two weeks to learn how to detect and manage an aura. Just remember to not let your emotions cloud your judgment. It could be dangerous to the point of being lethal. Just like what happened to me yesterday," she gave out a dry laugh. "See, even I make mistakes."
"It just frustrates me so," he sighed as he sat down on the ground.
"I understand how you feel. It is frustrating when the one you love is in danger."
Syaoran quickly looked at her in surprise, his face reddening in embarrassment. "You noticed."
"It's not that difficult to see but you shouldn't let frustration get the better of you. At times when you doubt yourself, try to remember Sakura and your love for her because her belief in your capabilities would surely give you strength."
"But that's my problem. I'm not strong enough. Mori is much more powerful," he whined despite of his deepening blush.
"That's where you are wrong. You are stronger than him because you have friends who love and support you while he has no one."
Syaoran heard the slight bitterness in her words. He decided to ask her the question that's been nagging him since that morning. "Anou…do you hate your father that much?"
"I hate what he did to my mother," Naomi said after a long pause. "What he did was unforgivable."
"Then you must hate me too." Seeing his cousin's confused look, he explained, "We disowned you and your mother, remember?"
"What a person did does not reflect another one's action. I cannot hold you responsible for what the elders did to my mother. You weren't even born then. Besides, it's their loss when they disowned us, not ours."
"Where did you learn how to fight? I mean it's impossible for Eriol to teach you since you're older than us." He sweatdropped at the image of baby Eriol holding his enormous magical staff and teach toddler Naomi incantations.
"My mother taught me everything she knew about magic," she smiled as she gazed at the darkening sky. "She wasn't as heartless as you may think. She was incapable of loving me but she never shirked away from the responsibilities of taking care of me. She taught me how to read, write and fight until I was seven."
He looked at the older girl, not interrupting her. It was obvious that it had been a while since she last talked about her past to anyone. His heart ached with sympathy. She must have been really lonely as a child. At least he had his sisters and Meiling even though they're irritating as hell.
"She died of heartbreak. The day came when her heart could no longer stand the pain and anguish she felt."
"Gomen nasai."
"Iie. I was actually glad she died. Don't get me wrong though. I was not angry at her for not showering me with the affection that I craved. The day she died was a happy day because she became free from Yue's curse."
Syaoran nodded in understanding although he disapproved of something. Neilan Li may be free from the curse but her daughter was still suffering from it. He didn't voice it out though.
"She had entrusted me to the monks hidden in the mountains of China. There I learned kung fu and other defensive fighting techniques. Then I moved to England to look for Eriol-sama and now here I am."
"Demo," he still wanted to know how she knew Eriol was the incarnate of Clow Reed but was stopped by, to his embarrassment, the loud growling in his stomach.
"Come on. We need to put some food in you. You need lots of energy for your training tonight." Naomi laughed at that and stood up. Syaoran groaned at the thought but followed her back to her apartment anyways. "You're okay for a Li. I'm sure you'd make a great leader someday."
~Scene Change~
"Daijoubu?" Syaoran heard Sakura ask. He knew that he looked like a zombie. He was so tired and sleepy and was having a hard time keeping his eyes open, least of all answer her back.
"He's okay," Meiling answered for him. They were walking Sakura to school since Touya had left early for soccer practice. Syaoran, Touya and Naomi all agreed to take turns in walking Sakura to and fro school. It was imperative that at least one of them was with the Card Mistress since she was Mori's main target.
"Syaoran and Naomi trained all day yesterday and through most of the night," Meiling continued. "I didn't even notice what time he came home."
The main topic of their conversation suddenly snapped out of his trance, much to the girls' surprise. He had felt a flare of aura and could sense that the source came from somewhere near them. He quickly summoned his sword and ran forward, ignoring Sakura's bewildered exclamations.
Little daggers appeared from the other side of the street, flying directly at him. He turned to face them but it was already too late. Several kunai had pinned him against the wooden fence.
"Not fast enough, Syaoran." Naomi (with Neilan-doll) appeared from the shadows of a house across the street. "Ohayo, Sakura-chan. Ohayo, Meiling-chan."
"Put me down!" Syaoran glared at her. He was hanging from the fence, his feet dangling a few inches above the ground. Two of the daggers had pinned the straps of his backpack on the wood while the other daggers outlined his upper body.
"Are you crazy?!" he yelled as soon as his feet were on the ground. "You don't throw knives at little kids in broad daylight. Somebody could have seen you."
"And I suppose its okay for little kids to play with real swords?" Naomi countered, dryly pointing out that he was still holding the sword he magically conjured out of nowhere. "Besides, aren't you glad that you noticed my aura even before I threw my kunai? You should be, you know. That's definitely an improvement from yesterday."
He grunted his response as he hid the amulet in his pocket. It was true that he did improve but it doesn't mean such a big fuss. He was feeling impatient and frustrated because he thought that what Naomi was teaching him was of little use or significance. The four walked on and were greeted by Touya and Yukito at the entrance of Tomoeda Elementary School.
"Ohayo, minna-san." Yukito waved at them.
"Ohayo, Naomi." Touya smiled at her when they reached the entrance but frowned when he saw her yawn. He knew that she trained with Syaoran until God knows what time. He glared at the boy for not only was he trying to steal his sister, he was also spending a lot of time with Naomi.
Syaoran scowled back. The others went on chatting, not paying any attention to the guys' daily greeting ritual. The chimes for both schools rang, ending their glaring contest. Meiling grabbed Syaoran by the straps of his bag while Naomi dragged Touya by the hand. And so another ordinary day started in the extraordinary lives of these special kids. Too bad the peace wasn't going to last long.
To be continued…