Agent08 Reporting for Duty

Now… on with chapter fourteen!

King of Hearts

Lost, II

Sakura –

"Sakura-chan," I heard. "Sakura-chan, wake up. Wake up!"

I rose from my bed, groggy and still half asleep. I had gone to bed so early last night, and yet I still felt exhausted. I was just so tired; I couldn't even bring myself to meet Syaoran at the tower. I tried, I had tried so hard to meet him, but whenever I made any kind of movement to stand or sit up from bed, I'd just end up collapsing. I had no idea what was wrong with me, maybe it was just sleep starting to catch up to me, and the effects of trying to heal Queen Yelan, but whatever it was, it was really putting a cramp in my romantic plans.

I felt like lead as a hand placed itself firmly on the small of my back to help me sit upright. I slumped forward, my crazy, auburn bangs hanging loosely in terrible, curly tangles. With my eyes still closed, I could still tell that it was Tomoyo trying to wake me up. I could hear the impatience in her voice and recognized the familiar shape of her hand as she patted me on the back with force.

"Tomoyo-chan," I mumbled, dozing even when she was shaking me. "I'm still tired… please let me sleep a little while longer…" my words came out slurred and hardly audible.

"Sakura-chan," she hissed, and I could hear the urgency in her voice. I wondered why she sounded so distressed. "Please, Sakura-chan. What is the matter with you? You need to wake up, please, you must wake up!" she cried, sounding more and more worried.

"Don't worry about me…" I sighed, feeling myself yawn but still wanting to reassure her that I was fine. "Nothing a little more sleep won't fix…"

"For the past four days all you've been doing is sleeping," she said, frustrated, taking me around the shoulders and seeming very determined to get me up. "That's enough now, Sakura-chan. This isn't a joke; you need to get up right now."

"What is the matter?" I snapped, slipping out of her grasp and falling back onto my bed. "What is so important that can't wait until I'm feeling better? Surely it's nothing Syaoran-kun can't handle on his own?"

"That's just it, Sakura-chan," she whispered, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's the king. The king is…"

The moment the words escaped her lips, I sat upright immediately, fighting any tiredness I felt. "What is it?" I asked, the worry and concern clear in my voice. "Is he okay? What's happened? Is he alright?" I asked hurriedly, watching as the sadness became more evident in her eyes.

I didn't wait for her to answer. I was already standing up and heading for the door to see what was wrong for myself.

"No, Sakura-chan, wait!" she cried, taking me by the hand and pulling me away from the door.

I looked over my shoulder at her, an eyebrow raised and confusion flashing through my eyes. First she was forcing me to get out of bed, next she's making me stay in the room? "What do you want me to do, Tomoyo-chan?" I asked, now completely unsure of the situation. "Stay or go? If Syaoran-kun is in trouble, I have to go to him."

She started to wring her fingers nervously and I saw her amethyst eyes begin to shift nervously from side to side. The corner of her bottom lip was being chewed on mercilessly as well. Just by the looks of her, I could tell something was wrong, and not just with Syaoran. My confusion and anxiety, began to abate and I walked up to her once more, taking her by the hand and sitting her down on the bed.

"Tomoyo-chan, what's going on?"

She stared down at her lap for a long time. It was killing me to have to wait for an answer, and by the look in her eyes and her bizarre body language, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to know anymore.

"This morning, the king… he announced his… he announced his engagement."

I took in a deep breath.

"He has?"

She nodded.

I closed my eyes for a moment to take in what I'd just been told, and waited. I released a slow, shaky breath and broke out into a smile. "He's announced our engagement, when he hasn't even proposed to me yet?"

Tomoyo's eyes narrowed at me. "No, Sakura-chan. I don't think you understand, he announced his engagement to—"

"So that's why he wanted to see me at the tower last night! He wanted to propose to me. Oh no, and I practically stood him up… well, it's good to see he went through with announcing an engagement anyway. He must be so eager to make that an announcement without proposing first!"

Tomoyo's mouth began to move, trying to form some more words, but there was nothing more that I needed to hear. "Tomoyo-chan, it's alright," I laughed. "You didn't have to be so nervous to tell me. I thought you were going to tell me that something terrible happened! Really, you're my best friend – you should've known I'd be happy about this."

I rose and went straight for the door, still fighting my tiredness. I found enough energy to allow me to start sprinting, running straight for the court room where I knew he'd be, doing his royal duties with Eriol at his side. I would go straight there, let him take me into his arms, and kiss him back when he planted a big, wet one on my lips.

"Sakura-chan, wait!"

"Thanks for waking me, Tomoyo-chan!" I called, as I ran down the hallway.

Learning of our engagement was a bit of a surprise, definitely, but it gave me strength like I'd never imagined. It would've been nice to have him propose to me, see him get on one knee and say the three words I had yet to hear him say… but just knowing he already announced to the world our engagement told me just how much he loved me, and how confident he was in that love for me.

I was nearing the court room and I could barely contain my excitement. At the sight of the big double doors that stood between me and my fiancé, it took me all I could not to force them open with my magic. I had to make a poised, graceful, elegant entrance. I was going to be queen – all my appearances had to be like that now.

When I pushed open the doors, my eyes immediately began to roam and search, so that I could be greeted with the loving amber eyes that were waiting to greet me. And when I finally found him, standing on the platform near his throne, I didn't see what I thought I would.

Standing stiffly, arm in arm with Rei was Syaoran, his face hard and expressionless. He was staring straight ahead of him, looking but not really seeing, his amber eyes stonier than I'd ever seen in my life. Slowly they rose to barely make eye contact with me.

"Ah, sorceress!" Rei cried as soon as she saw me approach. She was dressed nicer than I'd seen her last. Her gown was fancier, almost as if she was a princess. I looked down at myself for a moment, feeling suddenly insecure, still in a plain white nightgown and my hair a terrible mess. "You're finally up. I take it you've heard the good news?"

I could feel my breath becoming shallower and raspier by the second as a slow realization began to dawn.

"Good… news?" I echoed, unable to take my eyes off of the diamond ring around her slim finger.

"That's right," she replied, and I could hear a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "The king and I are to be married. Isn't it wonderful?"

Hearing her confirm it and not hearing Syaoran deny it tore me apart in ways I didn't know I could be torn apart. My eyebrows rose and drew together and my lips began to quake with the coming tears, creating a face so helpless and heartbroken, I'm sure it would've hurt Syaoran to look at me, but he wasn't even staring in my direction. To my confusion, Rei looked perfectly content.

"No," I gasped, shaking my head. "Is it true?"

"Of course," Rei answered, as if there was no other possible answer.

I ignored her and waited for the person who could easily make things right again to answer me for himself. "Syaoran-kun," I whispered. "Tell me. Is it true?"

He looked down to the floor, allowing his bangs to shield his eyes. He nodded.

I gasped and began to hyperventilate, the tears and knot in my throat not making it very easy for me to breathe. Before I knew it, I was on my knees, shaking uncontrollably and taking increasingly shorter and labored breaths. The mixture of my exhaustion and heartbreak had caused me to collapse right there at the foot of his throne.

An attendant came to help me to my feet and out of nowhere Tomoyo appeared. As I was being handed off to her, I tried to meet Syaoran's eyes, but he still wasn't looking up. I wish I could say the same for Tomoyo, because the looks she was giving to both him and Rei were simply murderous, worse than when she thought Eriol was in love with someone else.

I could hear someone clicking their tongue in disdain, and I realized that it was Rei.

"Someone, please take the sorceress back to her chambers. She's obviously not feeling well just yet."

"W-What?" I gasped, trying to remain still as Tomoyo began to drag me out of the room. "But… I have to stay, I have to talk to Syao—"

"Nonsense," she interrupted. "I insist you go back to your chamber for more rest. Anyway, you look positively dreadful. And I need you looking your best at the ball tonight."

I heard Tomoyo growl at her comment on my appearance, but at the moment I couldn't have cared less. "Ball? What ball?"

She giggled and pulled on Syaoran's arm tighter, hugging it as though they were the most in love couple on the face of the earth. "Oh, what little you know," she chided, "Syaoran, the little dear, is throwing the ball in celebration of our engagement. The people will of course be expecting their sorceress to be present."

"Please, I have to talk to Syaoran-kun before that happens tonight," I very nearly pleaded, trying to walk forwards to grab him and shake some sense into him. But Tomoyo held me back.

"That would be Your Majesty to you," Rei corrected, shaking her head and looking unimpressed. "I won't have you addressing your king by his given name. How utterly disrespectful. No, you will call him by a royal address. No more of this first name basis nonsense."

My eyes grew defiant and incredulous. "What are you talking about? Rei-chan, what is the matter with you? We're friends!" Or at least, I thought we were. What had I done to her to deserve such treatment? Such a betrayal?

"To bed now," she said, waving her hand in the direction of the exit distractedly and ignoring my question completely. "You won't be needed to work for the day so there's no reason for you to leave your room. That will be all." The tone of her voice sounded dismissive.

"Syaoran-kun!" I screeched, still trying to break free from Tomoyo's iron grip. "Why aren't you saying anything? Why are you letting her talk to me like this? Syaoran-kun, please talk to me – please, just look at me! Syaoran-kun!"

I heard Rei gasp and take on a look of insult. "How rude! That's enough out of you now, sorceress. To your chamber, now. And don't emerge until it's time for the ball."

"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo whispered in my ear, "there's no getting through to him right now. Just come back to your room with me. That's enough."

With a look that could've bore a big, burning hole through Rei, Tomoyo bowed whilst holding back a savage growl and pulled me with extraordinary strength out of the room, saying soothing words as I protested all the way out, calling out Syaoran's name and pleading for an explanation. An explanation that never came.

xxxxxx

Tomoyo practically had to shove me back into my chamber. I was struggling against her, even when we exited the court room, even when we were nowhere near Syaoran anymore. What happened? What had changed? Had I done something to upset him? Was he trying to pull a fast one on me, the same way we had on Tomoyo with Eriol?

That couldn't have been it, though. It all seemed too… real. And I didn't like that at all.

I was hurled back onto my mattress by Tomoyo who had strength I was not aware of, and couldn't fight anymore. There was no point. I began to cry and shake uncontrollably, trembling with every heave and whimper that escaped my lips. Tomoyo stood before me as I curled into a pathetic ball, hugging my knees tight to my chest, staring on in sadness.

"I don't know what happened," she whispered, as if reading my mind. "He wasn't supposed to propose to her. He was going to ask you to marry him last night."

Hearing her confirm that he really was going to propose to me the other night made me cry even harder. Her face crumpled at the increased volume of my whimpering.

"When he called everyone in the palace this morning to make the announcement, I thought it was you. I was sure it was going to be you. But it was Rei-chan, and she was acting so terribly, like she ruled the whole kingdom – no, the world and she wouldn't even explain how or why she—"

"I have to talk to him," I interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore.

Her face took on an expression of uncertainty. "Oh, well, yes… of course, you have to talk to him. But…"

"But what?" I asked, wiping the tears with my blanket.

She started to wring her fingers again. "Well, Rei-chan ordered you not to come out until it was time for the ball, so…"

I sat up, looking at her incredulously and almost angrily. "You're not going to let me out of my chamber, Tomoyo-chan?" I asked. "You're going to take orders from her and keep your best friend locked in here?"

She shook her head, looking both devastated and completely helpless. "There's nothing I can do, Sakura-chan! I told you, Rei-chan is acting like she rules the whole kingdom, and all the attendants are following her commands. They heard her; you're not supposed to be out. Even if I tried to take you to see the king, they'd just take you back here. I wouldn't even put it past her to put guards just outside your chambers to make sure you stayed inside."

I gasped. "She would do that?" Tomoyo nodded, and I was shocked. "But why?"

She shrugged. "I guess it's because she must know what is… was, between you and the king, and she's threatened by you."

I felt myself deflate again and my eyes well up with tears once more. I flopped back onto bed, feeling more worn out than I had felt the past four days. Everything was drained from me. But no matter how tired I was, I was determined to see Syaoran that night. I could've very easily just seen him right away if it so pleased me (that's the beauty of having magical powers at my disposal), but my fatigue kept me a slave to my bed.

"Threatened by me," I grumbled, snorting and half yawning. I was already beginning to fall asleep. I hoped that maybe, when I woke up, it would all just be a bad dream.

Tomoyo sniffed angrily, and pulled the blankets higher over me. "As she should be," she replied.

I smiled gratefully at her, glad that I at least still had her and Eriol by my side, when Syaoran wasn't. "Wake me when it's time to prepare for the ball," I told her as sleep slowly but surely began to claim me once more. "I'll be ready."

xxxxxx

"When I'm through with you, the king will be kicking himself for choosing Rei-chan over you," Tomoyo said confidently as she did my hair and make-up.

I had slept the rest of the afternoon, only to be woken up my Tomoyo just three hours before the ball. It was already dark out, and yet I still felt like I'd only really slept a few hours. I was still immensely tired for God only knows why, but I ignored it. I was rested enough to spend the rest of the evening being pampered, chatting with the guests and confronting Syaoran about why he was with Rei.

To my surprise, Tomoyo was already prepared for the ball, in a beautiful purple gown and her raven hair in an elegant twist upon her head. She told me she had to get ready early so that she could devote the rest of the time leading up to the ball to me, getting me all dolled up and gorgeous.

As she did her work, I grimaced inwardly at her small comment. Just the thought and mention of what I learned earlier made the water gather in my eyes. But Tomoyo had just done my make-up, and quite masterfully, too. She would've killed me if I ruined it with tears. A nice foundation was carefully spread out upon my cheeks, heavy pink blush (because she said it was my best colour) and carefully done eyeliner and mascara were applied to make my emerald green eyes stand out more. She had never made up my face so beautifully before now.

My hair was put through minor torture as it had lathered in it liquids of all sorts during my bath earlier. There were different types, syrupy, water-like and smelling strangely. They all did something to make my hair look shinier, or make the scent of cherry blossoms stronger, or make it feel softer. Then a brush was run savagely through the tangles, and afterwards pulled through curlers, which were still in my hair as Tomoyo did the last of the make-up.

She did her best to distract me from thoughts of Syaoran, talking up a storm about her and Eriol. She told me about wedding plans, where they were planning to wed, when they wanted it to happen, how many kids they wanted to have, and all that romantic stuff. I would smile and agree and put in my two cents every now and then, just to make her think that it was working. But really, it just made me think more and more of Syaoran.

I would be talking about the same things as her, had he asked me to marry him, had my exhaustion not kept me from going to the tower that night. We'd be comparing wedding dates, wedding venues, everything down to the flower arrangements we wanted. Hearing all of it coming from her just reminded me that I wasn't in her position. I wasn't going to be married to the man I loved – someone else was.

But she only meant well. If she thought that her ranting about her wedding was making me feel better, who was I to tell her otherwise?

It wasn't all bad, though. Hearing her go on and on just made me even more determined to clear things with Syaoran. Why had he done what he'd done? What happened? I was still so unsure and completely confused. The minute I was free to leave my room (and Tomoyo was right, Rei did send guards to stand outside my chamber), I would go straight to the ballroom and seek out Syaoran to get an explanation.

There just had to be a plausible reason for what was happening, something logical. It couldn't be that he was actually in love with her – that just wasn't possible. He'd only known her for a short time, and they barely even spoke to each other. Maybe it was something she said or did, something that made him want to be with her? But what? And what would possibly make him want to be with her, instead of me? All these months I'd spent in the palace, I was sure he was falling in love with me and vice versa… but this turn of events was mixing everything up and causing confusion left and right!

"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said softly, as she removed the last curler from my head, allowing thick strands of my auburn hair to come out in tight coils. I shook myself free from my thoughts and stared straight ahead at the mirror, surprised at what I saw. "We're done with your hair and make-up now."

My appearance was, in a word, breathtaking. And I hadn't even put on my gown yet!

"Tomoyo-chan," I breathed, unable to look away from the mirror. "You really outdid yourself this time."

She smiled brightly at the compliment. "But of course. We're in a crisis, Sakura-chan. We need you looking your best."

She helped me out of my seat even though I really didn't the help, but she insisted, saying that she wanted me being extra careful so as not to ruin my hair. Rolling my eyes, I allowed her to undress me and help me into a corsage and a big, poofed up gown that would be my dress for the evening. I couldn't help but notice that the colour was dark, forest green. Syaoran's favourite colour.

As she finished fluffing my dress out in the right places, she stepped back to admire her work. She smiled at me in the reflection of the mirror I was still standing in front of, and she placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I tried to smile at her, but couldn't seem to find it in me to do it. Instead, I took her hand, brought it to my face and kissed it, pulling her into a tight hug that I really needed.

"Don't cry," she said softly.

"I'm trying," I sniffed, and I really was.

"No, I mean it," she said. "Don't you dare cry. That make-up I've done is a work of art."

I laughed and she did too, though I'm sure she wasn't kidding about the make-up. Her teasing made me feel better, if only by a little bit, and I was ready. Not just in terms of appearance, but in mental state as well. I was going to face Syaoran, with Rei there or not, and I was going to get answers.

Reading my mind again, Tomoyo asked, "Are you ready?"

I nodded. "As I'll ever be."

xxxxxx

As we approached the ballroom, I could hear the music and chatter. I could already tell that the ball was in full swing. And if it was in full swing, then Syaoran must have already arrived. And if Syaoran was already there… knowing Rei and seeing how attached she became to him from just that morning, it must've meant that she was already there too.

And if they were both there together, then the engagement must've already been announced to the rest of the kingdom.

I braced myself, just before we entered through the doors. Tomoyo noticed me as I stiffened and she gave me one last reassuring glance and smile. Squaring her shoulders and raising her chin, she entered the room and the announcer proclaimed her entrance. I watched her as she descended down the stairs and joined Eriol. They looked back up at me, still hidden before the masses, and tried to send me some courage.

I did the same as Tomoyo, only taking in a few breaths as I did so. I closed my eyes, tried to calm my nerves, and let out a long breath. I began my descent down the stairs.

As the announcer called out my name and my title, the crowd erupted into loud cheers and applause. I was a little taken aback, because I hadn't worked in some time, not since my abduction. I was glad that the people didn't forget me in my absence.

As I smiled and waved, I kept my eyes on Syaoran, who I found almost immediately. He was standing in the middle of the room, staring at me with an expression that I couldn't put a finger on, dressed so handsomely it made my heartache all over again. Rei was with him, her arm around his and smiling at me strangely as she watched me reach the ballroom floor. She was dressed nicely as well and it made the heartache even worse to think that they looked rather nice together.

I was ready to make a beeline for him and pull him aside to have a moment with him. But I was bombarded with questions and a host of comments as the crowd gathered before me. I smiled uneasily and waved, trying my best to reply to everyone who was talking at me.

"Sakura-sama, where have you been?"

"Sorceress Sakura, why did you go into hiding?"

"Sorceress, we haven't seen you in so long! Why?"

"Please," I said to everyone, as I tried to just make it to Syaoran. They were holding me back, and I was growing impatient. "Please, I can't talk right now." They didn't seem to be getting the message, so I said, a little irritated, "Please. Not now. I won't be performing any magic tonight. I'm not working. Please, please, I beg you all. Just get out of the way!"

They all looked somewhat affronted by my response. They had never heard me talk like that before. I just couldn't help it. I had been in a bad mood since the day began, and they were hindering me from speaking to Syaoran. If I had to be that way in order to speak to Syaoran, then I was going to. Nothing was going to stop me from talking to him that night.

Surprisingly enough, Rei was the one to pull me out of the throng. She took me by the arm and led me to the middle of the room, near where Syaoran stood. Knowing that they could not crowd an area near the king, the mob backed off and stood a few feet away from me, allowing me some breathing space.

"You are much loved by everyone, sorceress," Rei noted out of the corner of her mouth as she smiled at the guests. They were the first words she spoke to me since that afternoon.

I stared at her. "Not by everyone," I disagreed.

She turned to me and smiled. She knew who I was talking about. I could see it in her icy blue eyes.

"This afternoon was quite a mess," she replied, ignoring what I said. "You were just tired, I'm sure. You weren't yourself."

I nodded. "Okay," I said, for the sake of moving the conversation along. "Sure. I was tired and not feeling well. That's the reason why I acted the way I did – you're right. What's your excuse?"

She blinked at me and smiled at my quick and snappy remark. "My excuse?"

"Yes," I said boldly, drawing myself up to my full height. "Why were you acting so awfully? You know full well that Syaoran-kun and I—"

"I can't help it if the king is in love with me," she interrupted flatly, turning away from me to stare at the swarm.

It took me a moment to register what she had just said. It felt like being stabbed in both the heart and the back. "He is not in love with you," I countered, my voice low and venomous.

"No?" she asked sweetly. "Then why did he propose to me and not you?"

I tried to conjure up a witty comeback, a clever retort to get her back, but my mouth just moved and no words came out of it. With one last smirk she turned on her heel and walked the other direction to entertain some more guests. I stared at her retreating figure with steam rising out of my ears and my cheeks flushing with anger.

She really was chatting up the crowd that night. I figured, if she was going to be the future queen, she had to start acting the part. She was going from guest to guest, talking up a tornado and getting really into it. She was probably thinking, why stop at Syaoran? Might as well try to take the people's love away from me too.

I suddenly realized that she had left me alone with Syaoran.

He was staring at me out of the corner of his eye, his hands behind his back. I stared back at him a moment before picking up my gown and strolling towards him, my eyes sad and my facial expression disappointed. The moment he saw me make my way to him, he reverted his gaze to the floor but did not try to walk away.

"Your fiancée is a sweet girl," I said darkly.

He kept his eyes where they were. "I didn't know she was going to talk to you like that," he said quietly, referring to earlier in the afternoon. "I'm sorry."

I ignored his apology. That wasn't what he should've been apologizing for. "But she did," I said, and I could feel myself getting angrier and sadder. "And you didn't stop her." He didn't respond, and that only fueled my anger. "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

"I'm sorry," he said again, and his voice was smaller than it was before. "After what I've done… I don't have the right to come to your defense. I don't have the right to do anything for you anymore."

I tried not to tear up. The way he was talking to me – it had an air of finality to it. Like there was nothing that I could do to change what happened.

"Why did you do it?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He shook his head and tried harder to hide his eyes with his bangs. I was getting really sick and tired of his apologies. What I wanted to hear was an explanation. "You have to understand. Marrying her was what my ok—"

"Can you at least say it to my face?" I asked, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at me. I didn't care that we were around other people. I at least deserved to be looked at if someone was going to betray me the way he did.

He sighed and reluctantly lifted his gaze to stare at me with eyes that melted my heart. "I'm sorry," he said again for the millionth time, even quieter than last time, and I felt like I was going to explode. "But you must understand. I have to do this. I have to marry her. It was my ok—"

"What is this?" Rei interrupted innocently (but I knew better). She stepped between the two of us and pulled Syaoran towards her. I couldn't help but notice how easily he let himself be taken by her, away from me, as she hugged his arm to her chest. "A private discussion between the king and the sorceress? I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important."

I wanted to snort, but didn't. "No. Nothing important at all."

She stared at me a moment with a weird, knowing smile on her face. She glanced back and forth between Syaoran and I, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Before I could even try to figure out the look on her face, she had taken my hand in hers as well as Syaoran's hand and pulled us to the front of the room where there was a raised platform. She clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

Soon the chatter and music came to a stop and everyone was looking at me, Syaoran, and their queen-to-be. They smiled at the three of us, not knowing the tension that was between each of us. And because they didn't know, I could do nothing else but smile back and act the part of a good sorceress.

"Ladies and gentleman, I thank you all for coming to celebrate my engagement with the king," Rei exclaimed to the crowd and they broke out into cheers and applaud. My smiled tightened and Syaoran's eyes stayed where they were, to the back of the room.

"As an early wedding present, I beg our wonderful sorceress to shower us with petals of orchids, the king's favourite flower,"

I met Tomoyo and Eriol's eyes in the middle of the room. They stared at me sadly, knowing that this was the last place I wanted to be, standing next to the girl who stole the man I loved away from me. It felt like I was being humiliated in front of everyone. Even though everyone else had no idea what was going on, it was embarrassing to be up there, being asked to do that favor in celebration of their engagement. For me, there was nothing to be celebrating.

"Peonies," I mumbled. "His favourite flowers are peonies."

She looked at me and her smile tightened, looking peeved that I'd dared to correct her in public. She shook her head at me impatiently and whispered, "Of course – that's what I meant. Just do it, alright?"

Taking a deep breath, I put on the biggest, fakest smile I could muster and stepped forward. "Though I very much would like to, your sorceress is not feeling well tonight. I beg everyone's forgiveness if I do not comply with the request. I am tremendously exhausted. Please pardon me." I smiled again and bowed.

The crowd seemed to understand, but Rei would not hear of it. "Oh, nonsense," she laughed, coming to stand beside me. "We would all love to have you work your magic, if only just once for the evening. It's been so long since we've seen you use it. Oh please, won't you, sorceress? And you may rest afterwards?"

I opened my mouth to object. I really did want to do it for her, especially if it meant that I was celebrating their engagement. But the people below us started to clap and cheer, also encouraging me to do so because they'd missed my performances since I'd stopped working after the abduction. I sighed.

If we were alone, I would've told her exactly what she could do with her request… but we weren't, so there was no denying her of what she wanted in front of the guests, especially if they wanted it too. With a final sigh, I came forward and raised my arms, willing my magic to create peony petals in the middle of the ballroom ceiling, to shower the crowd as she wanted. We waited for it to fall like confetti.

Nothing happened.

I lowered my arms and stared at my hands, confused. With a shrug, I raised them again, concentrated harder, and forced more magic out of me.

Still no petals appeared anywhere.

"Is there a problem?" Rei asked loudly.

"Um… n-no, none" I stammered, beginning to worry. "No problem, I'm just – er – having a little difficulty…"

In blind panic, I brought my arms back down and held my hands out before me, palms up. Over and over I closed them to form fists and spread my fingers out to create something. A single petal, a drop of water, anything. But nothing formed. I realized that my breathing was beginning to quicken as the panic rose and the murmur of gossip and wonder ascended among the crowd below me.

"I – I don't know what's happening," I rasped. Something like that had never happened to me before, ever. "My magic – it's – it's…"

"What's going on?" Syaoran asked, coming to stand beside me, looking worried. "What's the matter? What happened?"

I looked at him, the terror clear in my face. "I don't understand, I —"

"No magic?" Rei said, louder than I would've liked. The chatter rose deafeningly among the guests and I had never felt more afraid. "Sorceress, why do you have no magic?"

"I – I don't know!" I whispered, trying to keep the situation contained. The last thing I wanted was to make a big deal of nothing – surely there was a logical explanation as to why my magic refused to work. But that logical explanation completely escaped me. "Please, I don't know what's going on, I'm – I'm... this is impossible!"

"What was that?" she asked, and I wished that she said it quieter. The crowd was straining to hear every word we exchanged, not that they needed to try very hard, what with Rei speaking at such a high volume. "You're an imposter?"

The crowd gave a violent uproar. Syaoran came forward angrily to silence the yelling, despite what he said before about having no right to defend me, but Rei pulled him aside. She practically shoved him to stand behind her as she took center stage to deal with the situation herself.

"No!" I cried, looking from her to Syaoran to the angry crowd. "I'm not, I'm not! I only—"

"Then explain why your magic refuses to work," Rei demanded.

"I can't!" I screamed, trying to get myself heard over the chatter which grew by the second. "I haven't used my magic in ages, I haven't been working since my abduction – please, I have no idea why—"

"So that's why you haven't been out!" an angry man called out, pointing a finger. "You've lost your magic! You didn't want us to find out!"

"No," I gasped.

"That's right!" another person cried, a woman this time, staring at me as though she'd been personally lied to. "You've been trying to trick us all this time, haven't you? All so you could stay as you were in the palace."

"That's why you won't perform any magic for us anymore! That's why you've stopped working! You're a liar!"

"Imposter!"

"Fraud!"

"Phony!"

The names never ceased and the volume of the crowd grew louder and louder with jeers and angry accusations. Tomoyo and Eriol joined me on stage as the crowd began to advance, as if they were going to pick me up and throw me out of the room. I took their hands, afraid of what was going to happen next. From behind me I heard movement, and Syaoran pushed Rei off of him who appeared to be trying to hold him back, and stepped in front of me.

"Stop," he shouted, his voice making the word sound like a command. "This is all just a misunderstanding—!"

"You mustn't protect her, Your Highness!" they said. "She was using you, most of all!"

He shook his head and tried to get a word out, but there was no stopping them. Suddenly they had become an angry mob and it was no longer safe for me to be there. Taking off his cape, Eriol threw it over me to shield me from everyone's eyes and other things, in case they took to throwing objects, and hurried me out of the room with Tomoyo on my other side. Poking my head out through the side of the fabric, I stole a look at Syaoran.

He appeared to be arguing with Rei. It looked as though they were in a heated debate. Before we began climbing the steps, she spoke out in a voice that rang out, clear as a bell, "I want her removed from the palace, Syaoran! I want her gone, exiled. No one lies to you and the people of the kingdom and gets away with it!"

"No!" he roared. It was a lover's spat, made public. Which wasn't a good thing, because soon, the public began to shout their own opinions.

"Exile her!"

"Ban her!"

"Make her an outlaw!"

There was so much chaos and confusion. He hadn't realized I had left. When he did, he looked around frantically, perhaps afraid that I had been stolen from off the stage to be dragged somewhere and hurt. But when he saw Eriol and Tomoyo with me, protecting me and taking me up the stairs out of the room, he jumped down from the platform, tore through the crowd and raced to meet us as we made it out of the room.

Not wanting to talk to him and just escape from the nightmare, I hurried us along, faster out of the palace, down the hallways and corridors, past attendants and other servants. I could tell he was hot on our trail because of his loud footsteps, but I wouldn't stop. Not so that the crowd could catch up with me, or so that he could.

"Stop, wait!" he called, "Please, please wait!"

We arrived outside the palace when he finally caught up with us, but only because we stopped. Eriol took my hands in his, kissed them as well as my forehead. "I know you're not an imposter," he told me. "I believe you. But they don't. Until this madness dies down, you won't be safe here in the palace. I'm going to get you a carriage to send you to one of our estates out in the country side. I'll send for Tomoyo when the situation gets less hairy."

I nodded, shaking all over, not even able to consider my options – not that there were many, exactly. I knew, though, that he was right. I had to leave. Still shaking, I gave him a peck on the cheek. There were no words I could form to thank him for his kindness and his friendship, or his quick thinking.

He ran off to go retrieve the carriage, leaving me with Tomoyo and Syaoran. She took the hands that Eriol had just let go of and warmed them. "They're insane," she told me, referring to the people of the kingdom. "Something isn't right with them. This will fix itself soon. I promise you, Sakura-chan."

"They hate me," I cried, not caring anymore if the eyeliner ran like black rivers down my cheeks. "They hate me, Tomoyo-chan, and I don't know why. Everything's falling apart,"

She shook her head and held me tight. "Not everything. I'm still here. So is Eriol—"

"And so am I," I heard.

I peeled myself away from Tomoyo, surprised at the voice I heard. Syaoran approached me as Tomoyo backed off to allow us some privacy. I looked up at him, my face a crumpled mess of ruined make-up and disheveled hair. He took my arms and stared at me, his eyes hard like stone.

"I won't allow this to happen to you,"

"What are you talking about?" I cried, trying to rip myself away from his hold. "You did allow this to happen. This is all because you proposed to that girl!"

"I didn't know this would happen," he said desperately. "You have to believe me Sakura, I didn't think I would lose you this way."

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "But you should've known… Syaoran-kun, you must've known when you chose to be with her, and not me… you would lose me anyway."

I removed myself from his suddenly limp grasp and stepped away from him, joining Tomoyo once more. Seconds later, Eriol appeared with a carriage and a coachman. He jumped off and walked towards us.

"We must be quick," he said. "The crowd must be gathering to come out here. When you leave the palace, you'll be out of the village in an hour or two and well into the country side. You must be seen by no one, which is why you must go during the night, right now. No time to waste."

I came forward to give him a tight hug. Where would any of us be without Eriol's wisdom and intelligence?

"Thank you," I whispered, the knot in my throat becoming harder to swallow. "Please, take care of my family. Make sure none of this reaches them."

"I'll do my best," he said, giving me a tight squeeze before letting go.

Tomoyo was next as she hugged me tighter and longer. "You'll be back in the palace in no time," she assured me. "I promise, everything will work out just fine. And you know I never break any of my promises."

I nodded, reluctantly letting go of her. I hadn't been without Tomoyo for a while. It was going to be hard leaving her.

And it was going to be even harder leaving Syaoran, in spite of everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

When we stepped away from each other, he was still there, staring at me. I stared back, but didn't have anything to say to him. Nothing at all. So with one last glance, I turned around and stepped inside the carriage, closing the door behind me. Eriol and Tomoyo approached to wave goodbye and Syaoran loomed closer as well, but still kept a distance.

"The coachman is sworn to secrecy," Eriol told me. "He will tell no one where you are or that he even took you away. As far as anyone knows, you took this carriage on your own to escape. And be sure to follow the back roads."

"You're brilliant," I told him, as the coach began to lead the way. "Do me a favor; don't get married until I'm back!"

They laughed and soon I was off, being carried away from the place that had been my home for four long months. Even though I was forcing myself not to, I just couldn't help it. I had to look back. When I did, Eriol and Tomoyo were waving sadly. And behind them stood the king, staring directly into my eyes as if I were standing right before him. I swallowed and turned back around to face forward.

As the coach exited the palace gates and took me through the more secluded, less used roads of the village, I couldn't ignore one nagging feeling. Even though I knew exactly where we were going, I still couldn't help but to feel totally and completely, utterly lost.

X.

Authors Notes: So… I guess it's safe to say you guys are even more pissed off at me?

In the majority of the reviews submitted, it's obvious you guys are not happy with me. I really am sorry – but! In my defense, I've had this planned as part of the plot for a long, long time, and without it, the story would just be another sappy romance centered on Syaoran and Sakura with little purpose or substance. I wanted some sort of action, adventure, mystery even – not even for me, but for your sake.

With that said, just keep in mind that I did say, things will get better, but not before they get worst. And we're almost through the worst, I swear!

Now to address FAQ/Cs…

1 – I never mentioned how long the story would actually be, because I don't usually let readers know which chapter is going to end it all. I do let you guys know in Author Notes when we're nearing the end, though. I wasn't about to do that for another two or three chapters, but since you guys asked, the story will be over soon, as it is less than 20 chapters on the whole.
2 – I don't plan on giving Sakura a secondary romance to make Syaoran jealous. A lot of you guys seemed to want that because you thought it wouldn't be fair to have just one of them be jealous. I'm totally on your side – I'm all for making Syaoran jealous rather than Sakura, or both of them at the same time – but for this story, I'm doing something different.
3 – I certainly do plan on writing a new story after this, thank you to those who were interested enough to wonder! More information on it to come later (I think. It's still sort of in the works). All I can say is keep an eye out for it! :)

Thank you as always for all of your kind, thoughtful, flattering (and this time, really angry) reviews! You guys are a great joy and comfort to me and I appreciate you guys more than you know ;).

PS – Did you guys see that? 400+ reviews at chapter thirteen, woah!

Signing off,
Agent08 - My life as a secret agent xD