Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura is strictly property of CLAMP.
I must admit, these past few chapters have been surprisingly difficult to write. I knew that I wanted Sakura to "disappear" from Syaoran's view for a while and I knew what I wanted their reunion to be like, but it's harder than I thought to get from point A to point B! I can only hope that I've been doing a satisfactory job keeping things interesting and giving you readers an inside view onto the perspectives of our hero and heroine. It was a good thing that I finished off my exams before tackling these chapters. This is hard stuff to write.
However, the time has finally come for individual moping to cease! Read and find out what I've got in store. :D
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Inscribed in the Blade
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Chapter Twenty Eight
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Sakura pulled off the dark cloth covering her face and collapsed onto the tatami floor of her room, pulse racing.
"That…" she breathed. "Was way too close."
Emerald eyes fluttered shut as she pressed a hand to her pounding heart. For a few minutes, Sakura had seriously believed her game was up. Rolling onto her stomach, she smoothed out the piece of paper she'd hurriedly scrawled some notes onto.
Breaking in and finding this had been wonderfully, amazingly easy though. Bu still, she should have known that the rest mission couldn't possibly go so smoothly. It had been with wide eyes and forced calmness that Sakura had watched the other group of intruders come in quietly. Just recalling it made her heart pound. To think, she had almost forgone checking before jumping. If she had been late even one second in taking notice of their presence, there was no way she could have made it out without being caught. Just keeping her head cool enough to plan her split-second escape was all that she could handle.
But that didn't mean the men hadn't seen her. It would have taken a blind man not to notice the quite obviously suspicious person jumping off of an Academy official's roof, so why hadn't they made an attempt to catch her? Did that mean they weren't under Gaoran's orders but someone else's?
Sakura shook herself slightly. That wasn't her concern. Politics and worrying about the country would have to come later. Her first priority was getting revenge. She had to keep her focus.
Unfolding the crumpled piece of paper, Sakura read it over slowly once again. She'd hardly been able to believe her luck when she'd broken into Gaoran's rooms. Obviously this was a new piece of information that had just reached him, or else he wouldn't have left it on his desk, unguarded. It was a perfectly wonderful coincidence that the judges had all been called into an emergency meeting for the day, and better yet, Sakura knew immediately what her discovery meant.
"… hidden in the Sakura lake… underneath stone and gravel… Clow's most beloved treasures," Sakura whispered, hardly able to conceal her glee. She'd copied the parchment that had been on Gaoran's desk exactly, and by the looks of how sloppily it had been shoved under a pile of books, the bastard probably hadn't had the time to hide it properly. Well, if he thought the clues were worth taking a second look at, then that was all that mattered to Sakura. She had the perfect way to lure him out now.
"… Clow's most beloved treasures…" she mused aloud.
If the 'treasures' was plural, then it was likely the riddle indicated the swords the Li brothers had been searching for, for so long. Sakura grinned. There could only be one Sakura Lake in the Academy, and if what he had told her was correct, then only three people were aware of its existence. According to Rika, there was going to be an announcement after dinner about the rapidly approaching hanamasturi. Perfect. She would be able to search for the swords without having to worry about anyone disturbing her.
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After losing the cloak Rika had lent her, Sakura was forced to make due with a dark, veil-like scarf that could cover only her hair and the lower half of her face. Still, it was better than nothing, and worked rather well, considering a dark kimono would blend into the night just as well as a cloak would.
Before entering the forest, Sakura paused to light her lamp, since she was far enough that no one would notice her, and then went in.
"Right… right… left… second right… circle back here," she whispered aloud to herself as she walked swiftly through the maze Syaoran had led her through so many times before.
Her emerald eyes dimmed slightly at the thought. Returning to the Academy wasn't helping the growing hurt in her chest. Almost three times she'd nearly bumped into Syaoran at night while she was wandering around, only to find a hiding spot just in time. And strangely enough, she never bumped into anyone else either, only him. Ruefully, Sakura wondered if she was simply masochistic. She knew well enough the kinds of place he might turn up at, so perhaps she was unconsciously trying to draw near to him. Of course, just thinking about him could cause her a world of pain, so needless to say seeing him was much more bitter than sweet.
Not that she didn't deserve every ounce of the pain she was feeling, Sakura reminded herself. After all, she was the one who wanted his brothers dead.
The familiar sight of a serene lake and cherry blossom tree greeted Sakura when she finally emerged from the mass of wooden blockades, but it only served to make her feel more uncomfortable.
This used to be the place she took refuge in when she needed comfort. It was so ironic that now she felt like an intruder. Expression a bit downcast, Sakura went to the third tree on her left and pressed the hump in the middle of its bark.
The steps sprang up from the water like always, and within seconds, she was walking across the wet path and standing on white sand. With a small smile, Sakura noted that the formerly barren cherry tree was already beginning to bud. Spring would be here soon.
Okay, so now she was here. Where were those swords hiding?
"Underneath stone and gravel…"
Walking up to the large boulder next to the tree, Sakura placed her lamp on the ground, bent over, and tried pushing it to the side. No luck. She frowned. Well of course it couldn't be so simple… but then how was she supposed to get underneath the rock?! …supposing that this was the "stone and gravel" the riddle had indicated.
Bending over once again, Sakura went in a full circle around the boulder, checking to see if there were any cracks or bumps she could press or anything, but it seemed completely solid and unwilling to budge, no matter how much she poked or prodded or pushed. Surely there was a way to move the giant stone without lifting it straight off the ground. Sakura doubted even five men together could manage such a feat.
At length, Sakura plopped down onto the boulder with a sigh. Maybe she was going about this in the wrong way. There was probably another tree with a bump somewhere that she was supposed to press to get the stone to move to the side.
This… was impossible. It was dark, she could barely see, and the wind was beginning to pick up. Sakura gave an involuntary shiver.
"I'm so tired," she whimpered suddenly.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Sakura sat up, in surprise, at her own pathetic words. What was she doing? Wasn't she supposed to be concentrating on getting revenge for her parents?
"Revenge. Focus," she repeated to herself firmly. It wasn't difficult to regain her focus. Just the mental image of her parents lying facedown in their own blood was enough to steel her resolve.
Hopping off the rock and picking up her lantern, Sakura checked around the boulder once again, determined not to miss anything. Satisfied that there was no magical opening anywhere, she moved to the other object on the island, the Sakura tree.
Sakura sighed. The tree too, unfortunately, seemed for the most part ordinary, without any secret hump to press or mysterious twig to pull.
… hidden in the Sakura lake… underneath stone and gravel… Clow's most beloved treasures…
But that note had to have meant here. There were no other lakes in the forest, as far as Sakura was aware of, and underneath stone and gravel… surely that meant the boulder. Or was she supposed to have brought a shovel to dig up sand? Her eyes strayed over to the Clow insignia carved onto the rock. Reaching over, she felt the impressions in the stone carefully. No, this had to be it. She was so sure. But then what was she supposed to do?!
Another sigh escaped her lips. She really did feel so tired… physically, mentally, emotionally… just drained, but that was all the more reason for her to finish this quickly, and get the hell out of the North. By killing Gaoran and Dairan, she would be finally avenging the deaths of her parents and helping Touya out in his mission. She wasn't about to fail her family.
Sakura groaned. She'd come so far! There was no way a stupid rock was going to keep her from completing her mission.
As if almost to spite her, a strong gust of wind began to pick up at that very moment, and it blew the candle in her lamp out, leaving Sakura in darkness.
"Darn it," she mumbled, pulling out her flint stones from the folds of her kimono. This was beyond frustrating.
Before she was able to strike up her match, however, a second gust of wind blew her black scarf loose, and Sakura looked up in surprise, reaching out to snatch it from the air before it flew away. The instant her fingers closed around the smooth fabric, however, her eyes noticed something shimmering on the lake.
Quickly wrapping her scarf securely around her head once again, Sakura straightened and walked over to the water's edge.
Now that the light from her lantern had been extinguished, the reflection of the moonlight on the water became more pronounced than ever. Oddly enough – was she seeing things? – it seemed to be lighting up something pink underneath the water, on the floor of the lake. Sakura strained to see what could possibly be the source of the glow, but even when squinting she wasn't able to quite make it out.
She turned and looked at the boulder before hesitantly returning her gaze to the lake. Was it worth checking out?
Sakura began pulling off her scarf and outer layer of kimono, folding them by the side. She also removed her sandals and socks, and even tied the inner layer of her kimono in a knot above her knees, but she knew that it would still be getting wet.
The shiny object just, had to be in the middle of the lake, away from the path, didn't it?
Taking a deep breath, Sakura took a few steps forward and shut her eyes tightly as her right foot plunged into the cold lake. She jumped back instinctively, repulsed by how cold the water was. Emerald eyes gazed helplessly at the body of water before her. The pink glow refused to disappear.
"I hate Clow and his stupid mysteries," she grumbled before forcing herself to take several large steps forward, submerging herself from the waist down into freezing water. "C-Cold!" she squealed, teeth chattering. Forcing herself to think about anything but how numb her toes felt, Sakura kept moving forward. Within seconds she'd made her way over to where she'd seen the moon catch the pink light.
Teeth still lacking together uncontrollably, Sakura's eyes began searching the watery depths for whatever it was she was supposed to be looking for. There it was, Sakura realized as she stared at a pink, metal-like object sitting imbedded onto a raised pedestal of white… was that marble? – in the ground. Grimacing, she rolled up her right sleeve and plunged her arm into the water.
Sakura stared at the object she had retrieved from the lakebed in wonder. At first glance, it was a pink, metal cherry blossom, about the size of her palm, with sharp edges and intricate designs all over it, but then she noticed that on the back there was a series of bumps of raised metal, arranged in a shape that seemed familiar…
"No…" she exhaled in disbelief. There was no way…
Turning, Sakura made her way quickly over to the island again, shivering as the icy evening wind hit her soaking wet torso, chilling her to the bone. She didn't bother to put her outer layers back on, but went straight to the boulder and knelt on top of it so that she could see the incisions and markings on its hard surface clearly. Taking the metal cherry blossom she had found in the water, Sakura pressed it to the Clow insignia on the rock carefully, so that all the bumps on the back of the metal matched up with the impressions in the stone. It fit perfectly.
Sakura looked around, waiting for something amazing to happen. Nothing did.
She frowned, taking her hand off cherry blossom. It stayed there, fitting to the insignia like a key… but why wasn't anything happening? Sakura sighed before going to her pile of clothing and drawing her flints from them. Swiftly lighting her lantern once again, Sakura went back over to the rock to stare at it some more.
Her fingers played lightly over the cherry blossom design on the up-side of the metal. If it was a key then maybe… Hesitantly, she took it by its sharp edges and turned it to the right slightly. Sakura sprang back as the earth beneath her gave a low groan and began to rumble.
Astonished, she backed up all the way to the Sakura tree, holding onto it as she watched the stone move to the left… all on its own. Within roughly a half a minute, the rumbling ceased and Sakura had calmed down. Cautiously, she stepped over to the large chasm the boulder had shifted to reveal, and stared at the long set of stairs leading down into a thick darkness she couldn't see through.
Another icy breeze shook through Sakura, and she trembled violently. She looked wistfully at the kimono she'd left folded on the ground… but it would have little meaning to simply put on another layer. As wet as she was, the outer kimono would simply soak through too. But she would need her shoes.
Swiftly slipping on her sandals without socks, Sakura swallowed her nervousness and began walking down the stairs, holding her light securely in front of her.
The darkness receded slowly in front of her as she moved forward, but Sakura still felt a bit scared. It was still dark, it was still hard to see, and she had no idea what could be hiding in this huge, underground cave. She wished fiercely for Syaoran to be there, reassuring her and teasing her fears away, but Sakura knew that even if he were there, his words would be far from reassuring.
It took a good few minutes for her to reach the bottom of the stairs, since she was moving so slowly, and as Sakura stared back up at the hole she had come down from, it was with a growing anxiety that she noted how much smaller the entrance seemed from all the way down there.
"Calm down Sakura," she whispered shakily. "Focus. Revenge. Focus."
Sakura held out her lantern far in front of her and looked to her right and left. There were walls on both sides. Continuing forward, she walked carefully and unhurriedly, watching her feet so that she would not trip. Unfortunately, her faced slammed straight into something solid in front of her, and Sakura stepped back, whimpering.
"Stupid- stupid!" she hissed, feeling her nose tenderly. "Itai…" Lifting up her lamp to check what exactly she had crashed into, Sakura felt the pain begin to disappear as a mix of panic and curiosity overtook her. It was a thick, wooden door.
Swallowing nervously, Sakura slid it open.
The first thing she noticed, because she had been looking for it, was a pair of oiled torches on either side of the doorway. Quickly uncovering her lantern and lighting the torches with her candle, the thick wooden posts burst into flame, throwing the room into bright light.
"Wow…" Sakura gasped, looking around in fascination. The room itself was small enough, no more than ten feet on each side, but the walls were layered with old, beautiful paintings and hanging scrolls, as well as several ancient-looking weapons, and in the far side of the room was a low, mahogany table embossed with gold markings. On it rested a long, rectangular box made of redwood, held shut by a large, golden lock. There was a large hanging scroll with a poem written on it, hung on the wall just above the box.
"When an ominous force arrives on the land… a new age will dawn on the land of the rising sun. Those who wield these blades shall usher in a dynasty – of balance and of peace. You, oh children of prophecies, fear not, but remain united. Take up the oaths inscribed in the blades, and protect your people… Clow Reed," she read aloud, awe evident in her voice. "Then this must really be…" Sakura murmured.
Setting her light on the table, Sakura knelt down and touched the long box carefully. Its red wood was smooth and still firm, even after what must have been hundreds of years. Her gaze shifted over to the large, ancient-looking lock keeping it shut. Almost as if by instinct, Sakura's hand reached into her kimono and pulled out the key Gaoran had lost so many months ago from her neck.
She held her breath nervously as she fitted it to the lock and turned.
Click.
The lock sprang open and fell from the box, and it was with great nervousness and anticipation that Sakura opened it up and stared at the twin swords lying together on a black, silk cushion.
For a good few minutes, Sakura merely knelt there and stared. In front of her… all around her… the very room she was in was the stuff of legends and fairytales. A part of her could hardly believe that any of this was real at all. Finally, she took into her hands the sword nearest to her. Its sheathe was white and looked as if it was made of ivory, wand there was a thin spiral of pink cherry blossom petals covering its entire length. The hilt was black and white, and it gave Sakura goosebumps when she realized it fit perfectly in her small hand, as if it had been made for her.
Hesitantly, she pulled the weapon from its sheathe slowly, and gave another quiet gasp as her eyes fell upon the beautiful, silvery blade. It was, she noticed, extremely light, weighing next to nothing, and there was writing inscribed onto the blade.
"For love and for mercy…" Sakura whispered aloud. As if it had reached up and slapped her, she recoiled and sheathed the sword hastily, putting it back on the black silk. She wasn't allowed to wield that katana if its oath was "for love and for mercy". She was here to avenge her parents, not fight for peace and justice. Sakura rubbed her hands against the wet fabric of her sleeves. It felt like she was dirtying the sword just by touching it.
Her emerald eyes shifted to the next sword. Unlike its twin, this weapon's sheathe was a black ivory, and a silvery embossment of what looked like lightening ran down its length. The hilt was a black and dark green. She hesitated. "You'd better not say anything about love and mercy too," she warned apprehensively, picking it up and unsheathing the blade.
This sword was much heavier than the white one, but it seemed to be made of the same, silvery sort of metal. "For faith and for honor… better, but still not quite me," she mused, a wry smile on her face. It was all right though, even if she wasn't allowed to use either of the katana. They weren't meant for her, they were meant for whatever heroes Clow's scroll told of, and she certainly wasn't a heroine. She was a traitor and an avenger, hardly worthy of even looking at these awesome blades. The very least she could do, however, was take them with her to keep someone like Gaoran from getting his bloody paws on them.
She replaced the swords and was about to lock the box shut once again when the sudden sound of footsteps descending the stairs reached her ears. Sakura froze.
Her eyes scanned the room swiftly. There were no other exits.
Her pulse quickened. Gaoran or Syaoran? Either way, she hadn't brought her sword with her!
Glancing up, Sakura noted that there were several short swords and intricate-looking knives on the wall, but they all looked rather old, and she was hesitant to remove them from their positions. The footsteps drew closer.
Panicking, she turned to the box and pulled from it the white sword and tied it quickly to her waist. Drawing it from its sheathe, she stood there, waiting with dread for whoever it was that was coming.
She could see the light of that person's lantern now, drawing closer and closer from the dark hallway towards the brightly lit room. Sakura was half-hidden behind the door, but when the figure emerged from the shadows and into the room, she dropped the katana, and it fell with a shrill clang to the floor.
"S-Syao…" her voice was nothing but a pathetic whimper. "Syaoran…"
The tall figure whirled around quickly at the sound of her voice, and a pair of all too familiar amber eyes widened and locked onto her own emerald ones. For a few moments the two of them remained completely still and perfectly silent.
Dully, Sakura reminded herself that she was supposed to be running away, but her limbs refused to listen to any of the commands she was giving it, and that was just as well. Her mind was too busy reeling to think clearly, so any escape attempt it was concocting at the moment was probably fatally flawed.
"Sa… kura," he whispered, not quite believing what he was seeing.
At the sound of her name on his lips, her heart gave an involuntary squeeze. She clutched her stomach tightly as if he had knocked the air out of her. Deep within her, an emotion of unmistakable longing and hurt began to rise.
It wasn't supposed to be like this, Sakura shook herself mentally. Move! You idiot! Move!
She wasn't supposed to be paralyzed with… what was this feeling… fear? She was supposed to have gotten a grip on herself by now – she was, she was supposed to concentrate on her mission, on what she had to do.
Sakura swallowed the tears that threatened to spill over. After a week of nearly bumping into him over and over again, why did the place she had to finally be caught in be impossible to escape from?! Her hands trembled and her gaze strayed over to the fallen sword. As strange as it was, looking at the legendary katana lying on the dusty floor, Sakura felt a sudden urge to pick it up, despite Syaoran's presence. After all, it wasn't right, even if she was unable to wield it, to leave so amazing a weapon on the floor in that manner.
Her heart thumping madly in her chest, Sakura bent over and picked the legendary blade up before sheathing it quietly.
"Sakura, you-" Syaoran's deep, cultured voice flooded her senses, and Sakura had to shut her eyes tightly, the ball of emotion unfurling within her chest too great to contain. "You're… here."
Sakura fisted her hands into her wet clothing, fighting to keep calm. Suddenly, that she was wearing only a thin, soaking wet inner kimono became extremely, blatantly apparent to her. The fabric clung to her body like a second skin, and she was too terrified to check for herself it had begun transparent due to the water. She raised her arms so that they were now hugging the upper half of her body insecurely, though it didn't do much considering she was dripping water from the waist down. Sakura bit her lip. She felt vulnerable, way too vulnerable. Why hadn't she just put the stupid outer kimono on?! There couldn't possibly be a worse location or condition for him to find her in. She didn't know what to do.
He didn't know what to do… and was at a complete loss for words.
After a week of dreaming that she was by his side again… after a week of believing himself hallucinatory… of insomnia… of loneliness… of dodging his own guilty conscience and of trying to forget her completely… she was here, in front of him, in the flesh. Not running, because there was nowhere to run. He had her completely at his mercy.
And he couldn't even form a single coherent sentence.
His first impulse was to drop everything – his lantern, his sword, his pride – and just wrap his arms tightly around her and bury his face into her hair, as if nothing had every changed. But his mind held him back, wouldn't let him act so freely upon the emotions welling up and overflowing in him. Syaoran knew now that without a doubt he would probably never be able to forget the girl in front of him. Not when what he was feeling felt so strong and so tangible. Surely she could see, just from his heated gaze, how much he longed for her?
But…
It was always the but. The magical, contrary and cautious side of him that made him who he was, that separated him from the foolish, immature others of his age. But, no matter what the situation with North and South actually was, she had come here to kill his brothers. But, no matter how much she might have seemed nice and sweet and lovable, she had lied to him and betrayed him – regardless of whatever promises he might have made in his ignorance.
After a few seconds of shocked silence, Syaoran became aware of his surroundings enough to note that she was trembling.
His hands itched. Every muscle in his body was practically begging to pull her into his embrace – but he held back.
Syaoran forced himself to stay rational. What were his options? At the moment, he could see only three. He could turn and leave and just let her go free, without or word, or he could take her with him and keep her a secret from the Academy. This second option would likely require much more effort, since Syaoran seriously doubted that she would so easily give up on her revenge. Third, he could strike her down now, while she was vulnerable to him, and give her over to the Northern authorities to see justice done.
Syaoran smothered a groan. The third, he knew, was impossible for him. The first, too, was unlikely to happen, since there was no way he could just let her go without – without something. What, he didn't know, but to just let her leave was too much. That left the second option, and yet that course of action was not particularly appealing either.
As the seconds and then minutes began to tick past, Sakura began to gather her wits. Steeling her expression into one of calm indifference, she pulled herself together.
Your. Parents. Are. Dead. You can think about this later. Kill the brothers first.
This was no place to fall apart; she had to do something.
"That," she said, her voice quivering. Grimacing, she started again, this time making sure her words were even. "That," Sakura said clearly, pointing to the redwood box on the other side of the room. "That's Clow's sword."
From the moment his eyes had locked onto hers, Syaoran had been staring at her intensely, as if removing his eyes would allow her to somehow disappear. At her statement however, amber orbs flitted over to the box in question, startled.
He looked back at her hesitantly, as if torn between blocking her path to the door and checking to see if what she said was real.
"You can go look," she promised softly. "I won't try to run."
Syaoran gazed hard at her for a few moments, struggling with himself, before taking two long strides across the room and pulling from the box the second, black Clow blade. "Is this real?" he asked in astonishment.
"It's yours, if you want it," Sakura continued carefully, emerald eyes flashing to the open doorway and back to the male in the room. "I know you broke your sword. I don't really care who gets it, as long as it neither Gaoran nor Dairan."
At this statement, he lifted his head and glared at her. "That was you in the forest." It wasn't a question.
Deciding that it was useless to argue, Sakura nodded, keeping her facial features as cool as possible. "Yes, that was me." Their eyes met, and something strange in the way Syaoran was looking at her made her control weaken, just a little.
"I thought it had to be you when I saw the pile of clothing next to the lake," Syaoran said quietly. "Have you been appearing around me all week as well?"
She fought to keep her racing heart in check. "Yes," Sakura said firmly, refusing to let her voice break. "It was pure coincidence though. I'm sorry I caused you trouble."
"It wasn't any trouble," he said quickly, startling the both of them. While Syaoran looked ready to murder himself, Sakura felt a familiar tendril of hope escape from somewhere deep inside her.
"I don't think I could ever hate you, Sakura…" … that's what he had said, but then, those words had been lies.
She swallowed the tears. She couldn't blame him for breaking his promise to her. After all, she'd lied to him first. But still it hurt so much… she'd been so vulnerable, so open to him, so trusting, so much like she was right now…
Suddenly, the room felt too incredibly small, and Sakura became painfully aware of how he was only a mere handful of feet away from her. He was too close, the space between them was too small! Carefully, so as not to alarm him, she took one more small step back to increase the distance between them, even if only by a little.
"Sakura," Syaoran said suddenly, taking a step towards her, sword still in hand. She backed away a little more.
"What are you planning on doing with me?" she asked him quietly, unable to look away from his face. Here was impending doom, and yet all Sakura could do was stare at him like a dumb animal.
His face was grave. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "But I've got to stop you."
Sakura nodded, her face pale. "I see," she murmured.
Syaoran took another step towards her, and so she took another step backwards, but this time she had to stop mid-step, because the wall was at her back. When she realized this, Sakura looked to her left and her right frantically. She was cornered.
"Sakura," he repeated carefully. A strange, almost painful feeling tugged at him when he saw how terrified she was.
He moved slowly across the room so as not to startle her into running away, and didn't stop until their faces were only a few inches apart. Amber eyes narrowed as Sakura's trembling began again. She was having a hard time standing in his presence.
What was he going to do? What did he want to do? Syaoran wondered. His chest felt as if it was stuffed with a thousand different emotions, each pressing and rubbing up against the others, so it was difficult to decipher exactly what was going on in there.
His amber eyes flashed in surprise as a small pink tongue darted out from between her lips and wetted them. She was doing this unconsciously, too nervous to realize what she doing and how she was affecting him, but it made Syaoran's head spin.
He finally had her where he wanted her. So what did he want to do? Did he want to kiss her? The idea itself sounded appealing… but somehow he couldn't bring himself to just do so out of nowhere? Did he want to talk to her firs then? Syaoran doubted he could think of what to say, his mind was still in a jumble. Was he still mad at her? Did he hate her? Did he love her?
Syaoran shut his eyes, trying to understand the mess of emotions struggling with each other in his chest. It was difficult. He didn't know – and hated himself for his indecision. If he didn't do something soon, then she would.
"Here," Sakura gasped suddenly, a hint of desperation in her voice, and handed him a large key. "Lock the box for me, would you? I was – um, going to leave the box locked but empty so that maybe it would stall Gaoran if he managed to find this place.
He resisted the urge to groan. Here he was, so close to her! Close enough to smell the scent of damp cherry blossoms… close enough to kill her if he so chose! And she wanted him to-
"S-Syaoran?" she asked in a small voice. Then, flustered, she stuttered, "I mean – L-Li-san?"
Her correction hurt him, though Syaoran wasn't sure why. Hadn't this been what he had wanted, to put distance between himself and her? "Don't call me that. I believe we know each other a bit too well for surnames," he emphasized the too a bit harshly, and Sakura winced.
He sighed softly when he saw her reaction. This was so frustrating. Taking the key, he went over to the box in silent apology for speaking roughly with her. But after taking a few steps away from her, Syaoran scowled. Why did he have to be sorry? Technically, they were enemies. Technically…
He gazed back at her critically.
"W-Well," she stammered. "I guess I can do it if you don't want to – I mean, at the very least we agree on not wanting your brothers to get their hands on these swords… right?"
His eyes shifted to the open doorway.
"I won't run," she promised solemnly, slipping her hands demurely behind her back.
"Is that the other Clow sword?" Syaoran asked gesturing towards the blade strapped to her waist.
"Y-Yes…"
"Give that to me," he said, and she handed it to him obediently. Sakura started to tremble again as she gave him the sword, but the moment their fingers touched, it finally occurred to Syaoran that a part of her shaking might have been shivering. Her hands were icy cold.
Putting both swords to the side, he pulled off his gi and handed it to her. "Here," he said.
Sakura stared at it, not understanding. Her eyes flitted from the piece of clothing in his hand back to his face and back to the gi again.
"You're cold, aren't you?" he said.
Quietly, she took the gi from his hand and bowed slightly, showing her thanks, all the while wishing that he wasn't so kind. As he turned away from her and towards the table, she pulled it over her head quickly. Slipping out of her shoes and picking them up silently, Sakura stepped noiselessly from her position in the corner and out the door just as Syaoran was just about to put the key into the lock. That was all the head start she could get. Knowing that he would hear the door closing no matter how quietly she attempted to seal it, Sakura slammed it shut as quickly as she could. From the inside, she could hear Syaoran's shouting in surprise.
Taking the short sword she had removed from the wall of the room, Sakura put it against the side of the sliding door, successfully locking the Li heir in for a good few minutes. It was to her favor that the door wasn't a flimsy, rice paper shoji door, but a wooden one. She had no light, but Sakura didn't need one. Swiftly slipping her shoes back on, she darted up the stairs as quickly as she could without tripping.
The moment she was out of the underground cave, she broke into a run, grabbing the clothes she'd left on the sand and racing across the stone path speedily. She'd left the metal, Sakura key in the boulder, unable to bring herself to lock him in. In the end, the one she wanted dead certainly wasn't him, after all.
Yes, she had lied to him. But what was one more lie on top of all the other ones she had fed him until now? At least this one was an honest lie – a straight, blatant, clear and crystal falsehood not tangled up in a web of emotions and difficult relationships. He should have known better by now anyways. He knew best what kind of dirty, lying woman she was.
Sakura felt tears falling down her face as she ran, but it she couldn't stop to wipe them away. She had to get back to Terada-sensei's home before he could catch up. She had to get far, far away from him. Her resolve was already slipping.
--
Syaoran berated himself quietly as he stared at the door he had broken down just seconds ago. He should have seen it coming. It wasn't worth his time to try and chase after Sakura now, not when she'd had such a large head start.
His hands balled into fists by his sides. Damn it. Why had he believed that she wouldn't run away simply because she said she wouldn't? Was it because he had wanted to believe her?
Syaoran looked at the two legendary Clow swords sitting on the low, Japanese table. But still, she had left these swords with him – trusted him with them. Somehow, he didn't feel angry with her at all, only with himself for being so stupid. He should have expected this outcome. After all, he was the one who had forced her into a corner.
A rueful sort of smile rose to his lips. She'd probably grabbed the sword off the wall the moment she'd placed her hands behind her back while promising not to run. The little minx.
Picking up the dark blade, Syaoran unsheathed it slowly, his eyes widening when he realized there was writing on the metal.
"For faith and for honor," he read aloud. For faith…
Suddenly, everything made perfect sense. Syaoran understood now why he had felt so strange the moment he had stepped into the room. He knew now why a wave of warmth had hit him when he'd finally seen Sakura face-to-face. The pain had intensified, but then, so had a strange feeling of completion.
For the first time since he had thrown her unceremoniously out of the Academy, Syaoran had felt whole. The emotions that had been bombarding him, bouncing around his insides until they were undistinguishable suddenly sorted themselves out. For the first time after weeks of insomnia, of pain, and of confusion, he had not felt lonely. Even if the ache in his chest hadn't disappeared, it hadn't felt as if there was a gaping hole where his heart was supposed to be. He had felt complete and whole, albeit in pain. But he had still felt better, as if the injury was no longer lethal, but healing.
"For faith," he repeated firmly. That was it. He would believe in her – and in himself. He would believe in the Sakura he knew, the Sakura he loved. He would bring her home, because where she belonged was by his side.
Syaoran wanted and would trust her fully, would love her fully, and would protect her fully, no matter what the consequences. He would believe in her.
Ironic, that these feelings of trust would come right after she had lied to him and escaped again, but Syaoran felt strength and life returning to his blood. It was as if he was finally living again after nearly a month of restless slumber.
He needed her.
He wasn't going to let her go.
--
Somewhere else in the Academy, two pairs of wooden, brown eyes flashed with ominous glee.
"Dairan," a deep voice chuckled darkly. "Who would have thought, the cherry blossom came here to play all by herself."
"It saves us the trouble of chasing after her," a second voice agreed. "But this is quite the accomplishment, Gaoran. To think that we'd be able to capture so key a player of the enemy's team so early in the game."
In the darkness, a sound of slamming and someone choking painfully echoed. "Yes," the first voice hissed sadistically. "Don't worry Touya-kun… your sister will be joining you shortly."
--
Tsuzuku…
--
Don't kill me don't kill me!! Haha. I know I told you there would be an um –cough- reunion… and if you read carefully, technically they did meet each other again… it just didn't stay that way. If you want it to stay that way… how's about a few reviews? ;D
Guess what folks, I'm officially on summer break, so we'll see if that makes any changes in my updating schedule. More likely than not, there will be no changes since I'll need every extra moment to write ahead of time since I'll be going on vacation in July. Well, we'll see, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyways…
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hanamasturi – flower festival
itai – ouch
katana – Japanese, curved sword
