Konnichiwa Minna-san! Oh Kami-sama! ARIGATO FOR THE REVIEWS!!! ^.^ *hugs all reviewers* You guys really gave me the motivation to get good n'busy on this fic ^^ I wasn't sure if the idea was very good, but you all assured me that it's definitely worth writing. God, I can't thank all of you enough! *cries* You're so kind! Gomen, I don't want to get too sentimental, or it might rub off on the fic ^^;
Special undying thanks to: DoubleOevin~*, Priya Palaparthi, Curli curli, Ruka-chan, Rik, Krissie, Rei, Windy, Kya, Eli, Jackie, sox, Sakura Li, dersert_rose11, Monica, dreamyblue, Lera, Kiseki, ~*Kokimiyoi*~, XlittlewolfX, flag on the moon, CHiNGuS189, setsuna, SAkurA, soil, anime lover, Kloud, caitlin, ~*~Cutie Blossom~*~, Empress Sarah-sama, Drak, Teardrop, Spiffy, Klre, April, Ashely-chan, Jurei (thanks for the e-mail too!^^), Anny, *Lynnie*QRW*, Cherry blossom, S+S, E.B., Sakura1301, Mizzkitty9886, LittlePet, *~Baby Blue~*, *Lynnie*QRW* (twice?), ~*~Starlight Princess ~*~, MORE!!!!!!!!!!, Bunny, lep99, obiwankatie, beth, troulp, magic key, Gia, sana, katgal94, and young listriker951. ARIGATO GOZIMASU!!!
Here's chapter 1 for your enjoyment! Please DO continue to review, I love feedback! It gives me the motivation and purpose to write, write, WRITE!! ^.^
Disclaimer: CCS and all its characters don't belong to me. HA! Now you can't sue me, so have a raspberry! :p
Alone in the Woods Chapter 1: Nature's Song
Kinomoto Sakura, the world's most powerful young sorceress, could hardly contain her bubbling excitement. She had just finished her conversation with Chinese future Li Clan leader, Li Syaoran. Needless to say, it went quite well; a lot better than she originally thought it would.
She was doubtful at first, that he would even listen to what she had to say. But she was wrong to think of him that way. She may not have known him well, but she knew Syaoran would never do something like that. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, she knew what a kind and caring person he really was. It showed in the deepest reaches of his liquid-amber eyes.
And now...
The auburn-haired Card Mistress didn't even bother to fight her sudden urge that swelled through her. She stood up and screamed about as loud as she could, "OH MY GOD! I'M GOING TO SPEND TWO WEEKS CAMPING WITH SYAORAN!"
On a normal basis she wouldn't yell like that, but going out camping ALONE with your secret crush didn't happen everyday of the week. That was something incredibly special, something worth screaming for. Besides, with the house being empty of people and guardianless, there was no one to hear or reprimand her.
With a blissful, contented sigh, she flopped onto her bed, snatching a fluffy feather-filled cushion in the process. She shut her eyes tightly, hugging the bubblegum-pink cased pillow close to her. Pure, electrifying anticipation coursed through every inch of her body. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.
Her excitement was much like that of a young child waiting impatiently on Christmas Eve for the coming of Santa. It was unbearable; knowing what was coming soon, yet not knowing what was going to happen. She was almost positively going to have a rough time falling asleep this evening. Perhaps the dreams of possibilities and hidden confessions could lull her into a promising dormant state. Or make things even worse.
Whatever the case, tomorrow would come, that much was inevitable. 'But the possibilities...oh kami, the possibilities...'
Would she tell him? Could she scrounge up enough courage to confess the deepest secrets she held inside her aching heart?
She billowed that particular question back and forth through her mind constantly, like a ball that wasn't sure which way to roll. First would come the advantages and burden-lifting of spilling her heart to him, but then those thoughts would slowly disappear one-by-one, bringing out the downsides and terrible whispers of rejection. Back and forth, back and forth, like the rolling ball or a ship on raging waters.
Sometime, somehow, she had to get that circular object to stay on one side. Perhaps spending this quality time with Syaoran could make the decision. She could only hope for now.
Letting out a perpetually large yawn, she sluggishly made her way to the bathroom, leaving all her previous conflicting thoughts to perish for now. Instead, she could dream of the fortuitous chance of Syaoran returning her undeniable, undeclared love for him. 'There's nothing wrong with engaging in wishful dreams.' she thought, emersing herself beneath the friendly consolation of the warm bedsheets.~
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The bilious, stoically-faced young swordsman laid wide-awake upon his bed mattress, avidly and impatiently ticking off the seconds on his wall clock in expectation of the day to come.
The so-called 'Little wolf' hated waiting. Even more so now that it pertained to his object of unrequited affinity and plaintive, undying love.
He would have never expected that kind of phone call from the lovely Card Mistress in a million years. At first, he thought his mind had been playing cruel games with him, teasing him with the haunting, melodical voice he so adored.
But from the moment he felt that calm, allaying presence of her soft pink aura flowing and radiating through the thin phone line, he knew it was really her. However, his currently baffled mind could only come up with one reason for her to contact him: Clow Card. Why would she call unless something was wrong?
He would have been able to answer that if her next question hadn't been so abstruse and rushed. He could barely capture a single word that left her mouth. Politely requesting her to repeat, he was indeed stunned (to say the least).
If those hearing instruments on either side of his head had seized her speech correctly, she had just seriously invited him to join her camping for a couple weeks.
His heart leapt with rapture at that moment! If there were anything at all wrong with his ears (or whatever else for that matter) the Clan would have informed him long ago.
What he heard was the truth; not an aloof dream, but the real thing. It even came as a package deal. Not only would he get to spend two blissful weeks with an out-of-this-world living goddess, he would get the added bonus of being left with ONLY her, no annoying 'paparazzi girl' or agitative, obsessive cousin, and ontop of that, the fiery brother would also be absent. Hiiragizawa Eriol wouldn't be showing his sickeningly sinister smile either, nor the furry, stuffed cake-loving guardian who went along with Daidouji to tour England. Just him and the gentle cherry blossom.
Life was good.~
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As golden sundrops filtered through the transparent glass and spilled out over the bed like a river, the heavy eyelids of the once-asleep Kinomoto Sakura slowly opened, revealing slits of the tired, spring green orbs beneath. She blinked, still shaking dreamy illusions away from her mind's eye.
Abruptly recalling previous happenings from the day before, the eyes widened more broadly. She wasn't accustomed to waking so early (and actually following through by getting up), but there was a little more adrenaline pumping through her today. And she could only thank one person for that.
Li Syaoran.
There was almost nothing in the expanse of the universe that could ever motivate her to rise before noon if she didn't have to, aside from the handsome Chinese Card Captor. He had no idea what a remarkable affect and power he held over her. She would probably run all the way around the world if he asked her to. Maybe over the next few days he would finally know just how much he meant to her.
With an alarming amount of energy, the auburn-haired girl hopped out of her bedsheets and sped to the bathroom. A quick cold shower was all it took to fully awaken all her senses. After dressing appropriately for the hot, humid weather, she finished her last touchups and checks on the items she had carefully packed the night before.
"All set!" she spoke aloud, dusting her hands in an approving gesture, "Now I just need to wait for-"
*DIIIIINNNNGGG DOOOONNNNGGGG*
Dismissing the rest of her sentence, she rolled her eyes with a smile. 'I wonder who that could be...'
Sakura sprinted out of her room at top speed and tromped down the stairway in a very un-ladylike way. There was no use pretending to act sophisticated in front of Syaoran, he must have a least known what a disorganized person she was. Not at all who you'd expect to have a lot of prissy princess-like manners. In addition to that, she was especially eager to see her Chinese warrior friend.
Flinging the door open and flashing a brilliant smile, Sakura exclaimed, "Ohayo Li-kun!"
Syaoran almost fell back down the Kinomoto's front steps in sudden surprise, but quickly caught himself before his body struck the concrete. Gaining his balance back, he advanced to the door once again, stopping in front of her. "Jeez...You sure have a lot of volume for someone who got up so early."
Sakura favored him with a cherry smile. "I'm just sooooooo pumped about going camping with you!" she exulted.
His honey-amber eyes danced inquisitively. "You are?"
She flushed lightly and timidly met his eyes, putting her hands behind her. "Yes."
Her shade of embarrassment darkened when he administered a grin in return. "I'm excited too." he admitted. "Spending a few weeks out in the wild, harmonizing with nature, and spending time with-" He abruptly broke off with a crimson blush, not yet willing to confess any signs of his love for her straightforward. The less she knew of his dotage, the better; at least, that's what he thought.
Sakura cocked her head at him, blinking repetitively. "Spending time with what?"
"Uh...S-Spending time with the great outdoors!" he stammered, immediately wincing at how lame and cheesy it sounded.
"Hoe? I never knew you liked the outdoors so much Li-kun!"
Syaoran smirked. "There's a truckload of things you don't know about me."
Emerald eyes grinned back at him. "Then hopefully we'll get better acquainted."
"I'm for that." he agreed, letting another small smile surface.
Concealing her newly-surfaced blush, Sakura trotted back into the house, hailing Syaoran to come in with a wave of her hand. "Just wait near the door, I'm be down with my backpack in a minute!" she called, dashing up the oak stairway.
Syaoran followed her instructions, crossing his arms over his chest as if he was standing guard inside the house.
In the meantime, Sakura gathered her pack and sleeping bag, being sure that nothing she needed had been abandoned and that all the electric appliances in her room were safely unplugged. With a quick nod of satisfaction, she left the room and descended the flight of wooden stairs.
She found Syaoran abiding where she'd asked and secretly smiled to herself. He wasn't the type to go snooping around people's homes; he had strict respect for people and property. It was strange to her how someone could be so wholly disciplined; but at the same time it was distinctly attractive.
Coming nearer to his tall stature, the weighted backpack tilted to one side, throwing her dangerously off-balance.
"Hooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeee?!?!"
Before Syaoran could make a move to break the incoming fall, the petite Card Mistress toppled to the polished floor in a messy heap.
Syaoran approached the fallen female Card Captor with concern. "Are you alright?" he questioned, kneeling alongside her.
"Hai." she croaked unnaturally, still recovering from her accidental fall, "Daijoubu."
He chuckled almost imperceptibly. "Not fully awake yet, ne?"
Sakura got to her knees (with his aid), massaging her forehead delicately. "As Ni-chan always says, 'Kaijuus are clumsy by nature'." she quipped lamely.
"I disagree." Syaoran stated, grasping Sakura's attention, "You don't look anything like a monster to me."
The Card Mistress reddened noticeably from his small compliment.
"I doubt there's any kaijuu that could be nearly as lovely as you." Syaoran continued, finding it amusing how pink in the face she was becoming.
Sakura looked up at him, a thin grin spreading across her lips. "Alright you sweet-talker you, that's enough."
The tall male Card Captor shrugged. "I was just trying to get on your good side for the day."
She punched his the upper part of his shoulder playfully. "Mou! You think I have a bad side?"
"I guess I'll find out." he replied, earning another flesh impact on his arm.
Sakura sported a fake smile. "We'd better leave before I decide to use your arm as a personal punching bag."
"Sounds like a plan." he agreed, walking out the front door. He rubbed his arm with the ball of his thumb. "I don't think my arm can take any more of your harsh abuse."
"Quit while you're ahead Sy-I mean, Li-kun."
He lifted an eyebrow to where she stumbled in the sentence, mulling over the meaning in his thoughts. 'Did she almost call me Syaoran?' he wondered, his eyes traveling over her face for some sort of clue to prove his theory.
His thoughts ceased when the large white door closed with a dull thump.
"Everything is taken care of." Sakura announced, locking the cool, steel gate as they passed ahead of it.
Syaoran looked ahead, adjusting his backpack to fit more soothingly and comfortably on his shoulders. "Then on to the forest."~
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The promenade to their destination was quiet. Considering how talkative they were earlier, one would have expected the cool morning air to be filled with their chatter.
But it wasn't. Each seemed equally emersed in their surroundings, awed by all the plant and animal life that filled the forested area. The brisk wind floated through the trees with a silent purpose, causing the dew-tipped leaves to brush against one another, thus creating music of nature. Chirping birds were strewn everywhere, singing their cheerful songs along with the swaying trees.
'Nature is certainly beautiful if you stop and listen.' Sakura thought, letting her eyes close to pay heed to the forest's lovely melody.
As the gentle song played on, the Card Capting duo pushed on through the thick forested foliage, coming to large clearing.
It was breathtaking. A crystalline river ran through the open grassy area, rushing its clear waters south toward where the lake was located. A lush abundance of plants sprouted from every which way, ranging from a simple flower to huge berry bushes and richly-fruited treetops. The fresh green grass swam with the wind much like the river was flowing, bringing a sense of peace and serenity to the beautiful clearing.
Sakura inhaled deeply, taking in the heavy, yet sweet scent that enveloped around her. 'Kami...this is too perfect.'
Syaoran too breathed the surrounding scent, but caught another smell as well. He was forever familiar with this affably odorous perfume. Luscious cherry blossoms with just a touch of sweet honey.
Sakura's ever-present scent.
No offense to nature, but her smell was so much more pleasant and alluring. So attractive and intoxicating that he could hardly contain himself. He had to smile. That smell would always pertain to Sakura; it WAS Sakura.
"Isn't it wonderful, Li-kun?" the auburn-haired Clow Mistress breathed, still dwelling in the depths of the forest.
"Hai..." he answered aloofly, still tangled in the wisps of his favorite smell.
A sudden light tap on his muscled shoulder interposed his wafty daydream. "Li-kun, we ought to set up our camp soon." Sakura suggested.
He blushed imperceptibly at her honeydew eyes and nodded. "Of course."
The adept Chinese future Clan leader had his faultless fallout shelter created in no time. As for the young Japanese sorceress…things weren't going so well.
She was having great adversity completing her task. Trying to keep one part in place, another piece would come loose and she would scramble to fix it while the latter fell apart again. Her fragile figure wasn't as accustomed to complex burdens such as this [Well, they're complex things to Sakura, but probably not to anyone else].
Sighing at how disorderly entwined Sakura was in her work, Syaoran decided to alleviate the Clow Mistress of her problem.
"You look like you could use a little help." Syaoran acknowledged, making a hand gesture toward the untidy pile of fallen branches and leaves.
"I'm doing fine." Sakura stated tenaciously.
She stacked a few odd branches and began to arrange them in an incomprehensible pattern.
"What are you building?" Syaoran asked teasingly, "A fire?"
"Mou! No! It's not a fire! It's going to be a shelter!" Sakura corrected.
She stubbornly placed another load of sticks ontop of her "shelter" and the whole thing promptly collapsed in a jumbled mess. Syaoran watched the event as he leaned against a nearby tree, wearing a knowing smirk on his face.
"I'm still willing to help."
Sakura glared at him with contempt. "I can do this just as well as you can, Li Syaoran." she snapped.
Knowing that nothing was going to change in the matter, Syaoran continued to lean against the tall birch, observing. Her feeble attempts only became worse as she went along. Syaoran knew that Sakura wanted to prove that she could do it on her own, but he couldn't bear to see her struggle so much. Her increasing fatigue began to worry him; she was really pushing herself to the limit just to get this right.
Unable to be the watchful eye any longer, Syaoran stepped forward and made his way to the troubled girl. Sakura didn't even pay notice to him until he began to stack up her wood and carry it to a location near his own shelter.
"What are you doing!?"
"I'm going to instruct you on how to build a simple shelter." Syaoran stated, mater-of-factly.
"But I-"
"Just watch."
Giving in to his authoritative voice, Sakura kept a watchful eye on his apt building skills. He certainly was talented for this sort of thing. He expertly strung branches together and strategically placed leaves and extra branches across, to ensure the safety and dryness of the interior.
"Do you understand now?" Syaoran asked, brushing his earthy hands on his dark pants.
"H-Hai, I think so." she stammered.
To her immediate dismay, Syaoran destroyed the newly-built shelter with one swift kick.
"Why did you-"
"Now you try to build one." he explained, "And I'll help you along the way."
With her warrior friend as her teacher and adviser, Sakura constructed a decent birchwood shelter. She smiled appreciatively at him and he gave her a thumbs up.
"See? It isn't so hard if you learn how to do it first." he told her, giving her a proud pat on the shoulder.
"Demo...you still had to help me." she replied, downcasting her head.
"As long as you learned something, it was beneficial." he declared.
"You're right..." she admitted softly, "I guess I just wanted to be able to accommodate myself, instead of having to depend on someone else."
"Learning the ropes first IS accommodating yourself." he defended, "You wouldn't succeed if you didn't know how."
Sakura grinned in his direction. "You're really smart, Li-kun."
"Nah. Just logical." he amended.
Sakura yawned tiredly and went to retrieve her sleeping bag from where they had first entered the clearing. "I think I'm going to call it a day." she announced, lying her smooth sleeping along the cool ground.
Syaoran's eyes widened slightly. "Already?"
"Hai." she confirmed with another yawn, "Putting together the shelter wiped me out."
"Alright. Sleep well, Sakura."
His sweet and lulling words comfortingly escorted her to a peaceful dreamland.
The Clow Mistress eyes blinked open slowly, gradually trying to focus in the minimal amount of light. The sky was pitch black and the distinct sound of the chirping crickets could be heard throughout the whole of the forest. It was obviously night.
But had she really slept away the whole day?
Darting upright, and suddenly VERY alert, Sakura squinted into the dim streams of moonlight that filtered through the wood and greenery shield of her fortress/shelter.
Sakura unconsciously tugged her thick blanket closer around herself, shuddering.
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*ARRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*
'It's just a wolf.' she thought, 'Nothing to get anxious about.'
Just as she began to calm down and alleviate her worries, the night air erupted into howls, screeches, chattering, growling, scratching, and other horrifyingly unpleasant noises.
It was music of Nature...Nature's evening song.
And Sakura didn't like it one bit. She whimpered softly into the darkness, instinctively huddling to one side of the shelter (against the tree) wrapping her shaking arms around her legs for protection.
'There aren't any creepy things like ghosts in the woods, are there?'
As she was deliberating and debating the topic within her head, some sort of sound caught her attention. She listened closely, eyes open wide, frozen where she sat.
Crunching of leaves...coming closer...and closer...a strange buzzing noise...closer...closer...
"AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!!" Sakura screamed through the night, "SYAORAN!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!"
That's Chapter one!! ARIGATO AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!! YOU GUYS ARE SO KIND!!!! ^.^ Please review and let me know if I should still continue (I want to, but it's solely up to you, the readers). If you can spare a review, please do! Insight is extremely, heartfeltly (I know, it's not a word), deeply, graciously appreciated! It's important for an author to know what you like about the story and what you don't like, so please tell me what you think! If you have any questions, comments, or would just like an e-mail buddy, please e-mail me at: silent_angel777@hotmail.com
Chapter 2?? It's up to YOU! ^.^
~Manda-chan