Author's Notes:
Okay, so I'm not even going to bother being subtle about the spoilers from here on out. Some things will be changed of course, given the nature of this AU, but some things will definitely spoil the real manga. If you haven't finished reading the series, beware.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sakura tested the water with the tip of her toe, withdrawing almost immediately.
A few feet offshore, Syaoran treaded water, watching her. His eyes were alert, his movements sinuous and graceful in a way they couldn't be on land, but that didn't ease the quivering knot in her stomach. Sometimes, he fell asleep too suddenly to even make it to a chair or a bed. If he fell asleep in the water, with only her to aid him, he would drown.
Sakura knew all that, had acknowledged the necessity of learning to swim, but when her toes skimmed the water, all she could think about was how it would feel when the water rushed into her lungs.
"It's okay," Syaoran said, offering her a soft smile. "We won't go into deep water yet."
She bit her lip, trying to think of an excuse to delay her swimming lessons. "I . . . hold on. I'm not dressed properly for this."
"Oh." A blush crept over Syaoran's face, and he looked away, his movements becoming less fluid. "Um . . ."
Sakura turned away. "Just a second." She flitted to a shaded spot beside one of the cylindrical buildings, out of his sight. I have to do this, she told herself. I have to get Syaoran's feathers back. I can't let something as simple as not being able to swim stop me. She exhaled slowly, as Fai encouraged her to do just before she released an arrow. But you failed at that, too, whispered an insidious voice in the back of her mind. You've missed your target every single time. What makes you think you can just pick up a skill like swimming in a day? You're slowing everyone down.
"Sakura-hime?" Syaoran called. She heard the sound of wet feet slapping the stone steps and froze.
"H-hold on! I'm almost done." She stripped off the pink and white cloak she usually wore. Underneath the cloak was a tank top that concealed her most intimate features, but even with that, she felt horribly exposed, baring so much skin. Touya would've never allowed it, she thought. He'd say I'd get a sunburn.
She sighed; she was old enough now to understand the real reason behind her brother's reservations. Revealing clothing drew the wrong kind of attention, especially for a princess.
But her underclothes were the closest things to a swimsuit that she owned, and after almost a minute of trying to convince herself that she'd look even more ridiculous wearing a sopping-wet cloak at the end of her lesson, she stepped out of the building's shadow and started toward Syaoran.
His eyes widened when he saw her, his tanned cheeks turning red as if he'd suddenly developed a sunburn. Less than a second passed before he jerked his head away, averting his gaze.
Sakura winced. "Is it . . . Is it that bad?"
"No!" The intensity of his reply seemed to startle him; he flinched, then went on in a quieter voice. "You look nice."
Warmth rushed to her cheeks. "You really think so?"
Syaoran nodded vigorously, still not looking at her. "Yes. I mean, you always look nice. But you look nice this way, too." He took a deep breath. "Do you want to start swimming now?"
"S-sure."
She followed Syaoran to the edge of the ocean, waiting to stick her foot in the water until he was waist-deep in it. When he looked back at her, she took another tentative step, submerging her ankles. The water was cooler than the baths she was used to, but warmer than the drinking water she'd always had at the castle. She managed to get knee deep in the water before the panic started to set in. "What if I start to drown?" she asked, retreating half a step and looking to Syaoran for guidance.
"You won't drown. We won't go too deep today." He approached, chest rising out of the water as he ascended the steps. When he was close, he held out both his hands, palms up. "I promise you'll be able to touch the bottom the whole time."
Hesitantly, she took his hands and let him guide her a few steps from the safety of the shore. The water crawled up her calves, touched her knees, then rose up her thighs. When she was waist-deep in saltwater, she realized she could feel the currents moving over her skin, pushing her in different directions. She stepped back, heart fluttering.
Syaoran smiled. "It's all right. Can you lift your feet so you aren't touching the bottom?"
She bit her lip. I have to try. She allowed one foot to leave the ground, then the other. Panic jolted through her as her body started sinking, and her legs kicked frantically, arms pulling her toward Syaoran as her feet sought a stable surface. When her heel grazed the edge of one of the steps, she planted her feet there, the rest of her body going rigid.
"Easy," Syaoran murmured, tugging gently on her hands to pull her into deeper water. "One more step."
Sakura bit her lip and stepped down, letting the cool water caress her spine. She took a deep breath.
Syaoran paused, meeting her eyes. "We can stay here for a while. Just breathe."
She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing. She could still feel Syaoran's hands against hers, his palms warmer than the water around them. She let her fingertips trace the hardened calluses on his palms, curious. Reading probably couldn't cause that kind of toughness, even the excessive reading that Syaoran sometimes indulged in. Perhaps the calluses were from the more hands-on research he'd done with his father when they'd been traveling. Hands like his seemed to indicate either great experience or a hard life, and Sakura knew his life in Clow, at least, hadn't been exceptionally strenuous.
She opened her eyes to catch him staring at their hands. She let go, realizing how long she'd been contemplating them. Her arms moved sluggishly through the water, but the shift threw her off-balance. She started to fall backwards, the water sliding up her spine and consuming everything up to her neck. Her arms flailed, splashing water everywhere.
Embarrassment turned to horror as water rushed over her skin. Her eyelids squeezed shut, mouth closing as fingers of saltwater raked the sides of her face. Her lungs seized up, panic lancing through her heart like an arrow.
A hand wrapped around the back of her head, holding her face above the water. An arm coiled around her abdomen, supporting the rest of her body. "Sakura-hime?" Syaoran said, his voice rising with panic. "Are you all right?"
She didn't think she could move any part of her body, so she just stayed rigid in his arms for a few seconds, trying to remember how to breathe. When she finally managed it, a wild gasp broke through her teeth, and her hand snaked out, clamping down over Syaoran's shoulder. "Don't let go."
He pulled her closer. "I won't, but . . ."
"But what?" she demanded, eyes darting around in search of a threat.
"You're floating."
She blinked. "What?"
Syaoran relaxed his hold slightly, just enough for her to realize he wasn't supporting her weight so much as making sure she didn't sink under the surface.
"I'm floating," she murmured, still paralyzed. "I'm really floating."
"Yeah."
She released his shoulder, letting her fingertips trail down his arms in a silent plea for him to stay close. His hand traced the back of her neck, as if assuring her that he intended to remain at her side. "See? I knew you could do it."
Sakura closed her eyes and took a shallow breath, trying to remember the descriptions of swimming she'd read in books. Uncertainly, she kicked her feet, keeping her toes pointed away from her. Her body skimmed across the surface, disturbing ripples of seawater.
"That's good," Syaoran said, keeping close to her. When she opened her eyes this time, she saw him smiling at her. "I think you're getting it."
Sakura couldn't help but smile back.
"After you get the hang of this, you can learn how to swim under the surface."
She lost her smile. Oh my . . . "Not yet," she pleaded. "I like things the way they are now."
"Yeah . . . I like it, too . . ."
The slur in his voice gave her less than a second of warning. She tried to right herself, almost sinking completely under before her toes brushed against the stone steps. "Syaoran?"
He met her gaze for just a moment, pupils dilated so only a thin ring of amber was visible around the black, before his head disappeared under the water.
"Syaoran!"
Fei Wong Reed watched his pawns struggle in the water.
"Should we intervene?" Xing Huo asked, voice devoid of all emotion.
Fei Wong picked up the glass of red wine sitting on the table beside him, watching the scene develop. When the desert princess pulled the boy's head above the surface, he relaxed. "No. It's under control."
He took a sip of his wine. The taste spread across his tongue, a sweet wine with cranberry undertones. He set the glass aside and rose from his chair, joints cracking as they stretched. With the deliberate pace of a hunter stalking its prey, he crossed the vast room and observed another set of images, this one of his blond magician and the witch's hot-headed ninja. The pair was moving about their temporary home, chatting and cooking. Or rather, the magician was chatting and cooking. The red-eyed man was merely watching him, perhaps analyzing the wizard's too-relaxed actions.
Fei Wong didn't believe he'd made a mistake in who he'd chosen for this task—the blond wizard had been so malleable, so easy to manipulate once he'd brought up his twin. He'd intended to bring the ninja to his side as well, but the witch had intervened with one of her own before he could act, and so the party was split between what he'd wanted and what he'd wanted to avoid.
Behind him, Xing Huo spoke. "Do you think the ninja will discover the wizard's origins before we're ready?"
"No," he said, turning away and marching back to his chair. "The wizard acts frivolous, but he knows what's at stake. I'm more concerned about losing one of the images prematurely." He peered into the looking glass, watching as the desert princess pulled the boy's limp body from the water. "I'd planned to use the girl's body for this. The boy would make a much better guardian if their fates were reversed, but things didn't turn out as I intended. It makes no difference. The girl will grow strong enough to bear the burden, and so long as I keep them from the more dangerous worlds, I expect little trouble."
"Do you think the boy will realize—"
He cut her off. "Not yet. Even if he did, he doesn't know enough to understand what he is." His eyes strayed to the glass tube standing on the other side of the room, checking on the figure inside. The body seemed completely inert. "The seal will hold long enough. By the time it breaks, my plan will have reached a stage too advanced to stop."
Xing Huo stared at the looking glass for a moment. His eyes flickered to her expressionless face.
One day, he knew, he'd have to dispose of his black-haired assistant. But not yet. Not until her inevitable betrayal.
Fei Wong Reed sat down in his chair and turned his attention back to the looking glass.