Konnichiwa Minna-san! Arigato once again to all the reviewers! *hugz* You guys are really great and I thank from the bottom of my heart!
But please don't kill me yet! I would never let Sakura die (I can imagine how many flames I would get if I did )!!! Besides, how can S+S get together if Sakura is dead?! I could never do something like that (just think of poor Syaoran!)! *whew* I hope that's clear now... Anyway, finals are this week, but I'm sure I'll find time to write somehow (and hopefully have both of my stories updated by Friday night/Saturday morning).
Also, I'm thinking of doing a kind of 'Sequel' thing on, "The Effects of Chocolate: Syaoran's Wild Side", but I need your input on if I should or not (it's ALL up to you Minna-san, so please let me know!). In the meantime, enjoy the next chapter! Review please, it really helps!! ~Manda-chan
Arigatos: Cherry_Blossom, soil, sana, obiwankatie, Gpilot_04, Suppi*chan, Yuki Akuma, CreatiStar, Michiru, Jen, Anachia (Arigato and I'm glad the story made your day! It makes me feel good to know I added a little sunshine to someone's day with my story!! ^.^), Sakura1301, ashley-chan, April, SAKURAnTOKYO, *blinkblink*, Randi, Katie Marie, Fabi-chan, DoubleOevin~*, Syaoran Kinomoto (Arigato for reviewing all my fics!! ^^), Eternal Haven, E.B (Arigato for being such a great friend! ^.^), Katie, dreamyblue, ukime, Goddess Sakura, Mako-chan, kitten, Stars form Above (Arigato for you strange, yet very encouraging review! But I'm weird, so I really enjoy getting reviews like that!! ^.^ Arigato again!), flag on the moon (you're welcome! I'm glad love the fic! Arigato!), Kyla, Ultimate CCS fan, sword of destiny, ~*~Starlight Princess~*~, Eternal_Phire, Lady Tifa, d, KC's crush, and Leeman (Arigato SO much! Oh kami-sama…I simply can't thank you enough! *blush* I've never been complimented quite like THAT before! =^^=). ARIGATO, ARIGATO, ARIGATO and a million more!!!!!!! ^.^
Dedication: I dedicate this chapter to E.B., my very good friend Aura-chan! ^^ Arigato for reading and reviewing all my fics, giving me encouragement all the way, and for the art projects of Kero-chan and Suppi-chan! Also, arigato for dedicating your fic "Altantis" to me!!(everybody go R&R, because it's very good!) I really appreciate it and I'm glad you're always there to talk to. Thank you! And remember: BAKA/GAKI/KAIJUU ~forever!! ^.^
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the SUGOI and KAWAII characters of CCS. They belong to Clamp, so don't even try to sue me!
Alone in the Woods Chapter 3: Syaoran's Wish
He could sense it! His lovely cherry blossom's aura was a disorderly muddled mess! But the jumble of pink was so chaotic that he couldn't fix exactly where it was coming from.
"Damn!" he cursed, looking every which way, "Where IS she!?"
Syaoran was seriously beginning to panic. 'Hold on, Sakura! Whatever's going on, please just let me get there in time!' he pleaded.
He couldn't get a strong sense from any direction; his magic wasn't going to aid him in this one bit. He would have to rely solely on his sight. And if he didn't find her soon, he was afraid of what might happen to her.
'Left...nothing....to the right...nothing....toward the waterfall....nothing....the mountain...NANI???!!!!!!'
Something was plummeting from the mountain, something with a brilliantly irregular pink aura.
That something was the lithe form of Clow Card Mistress Kinomoto Sakura.
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Sakura had no clue what to do in her situation. She wasn't an experienced mountain climber or anything, so she didn't know what she could do when facing an emergency like this.
All she could do was scream.
Somewhere during her fall, she collided with a rocky ledge protruding out from the side of the cliff. She felt the skin on her right leg tear and screeched in pure agony. She was plummeting to fleetly to see straight and her leg felt like it had been incised or severed open with a jagged knife.
'Am I going to die?' she wondered tremulously.
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Syaoran was sure that if he were racing with the Dash Card right now, he would leave the little bunny-like animal in the dust. 'Kami, Kami, KAMI! Please let me get there in time, onegai...'
Things weren't looking so well. At the rate she was falling, his legs wouldn't bring him to her point of impact in time.
'Not if I can help it!' he thought.
Even though his legs were already torrid and numb, he picked up his speed to the maximum he could make his legs pump. He kicked up clouds of dirt and gravel behind him as he sprinted and large amounts of perspiration saturating his dark bangs. 'Kuso!! I didn't see those trees!'
Now he would definitely make it in plenty of time, only the treetops were so thick that he wouldn't be able to see where she would fall from!
'I've got to have more faith than that!' he self-berated, closing his eyes as he ran into the forested region beneath the mountain, 'C'mon Syaoran, just feel it...you'll know where she's coming from.'
His eyes snapped open suddenly and he dashed about ten feet straight forward, gazing through what little light was spilling through above, and holding his arms out in anticipation...
"AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"
*SNIP SNAP RUSSLE RUSSLE*
'...right on target.'
*THUWUMP*
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Curious as to where she landed so softly, Sakura opened her eyes. "H-Hoe?" Her eyes went wide at the sight of her savior. "LI-KUN!!!??"
"That was quite a fall." he remarked, "Are you okay?"
"Hai, arigato." she responded, "But....how did you know..?"
He gave her a half smirk. "I had a feeling."
Startling the young Chinese warrior, she folded her arms around his neck. "Arigato, Syaoran-kun. I'm glad you had that feeling."
His amber eyes widened considerably and flushed deep red. "Syaoran-kun?" he questioned, "When did you start calling me that?"
Sakura pulled back and averted her eyes to the forested ground. "Gomen...I just...I don't know. I felt we were getting a little closer."
"Sakura?"
She gradually lifted her eyes back up to meet his. "Hai?"
He offered her a tender smile. "I feel we're getting closer too. And I'd like it a lot if you would call me 'Syaoran'."
Her face brightened into a smile, her cheeks turning a warm pink. "Hontou?"
He nodded. "Really."
"HANYAAAAAAN!" she sighed blissfully.
"Nani?"
She looked away sheepishly. "Nothing."
"Ready to go back to camp?" he asked, not pressing any further.
"U-Un."
She tried to lower herself from his robust grip, but he grasped her more tightly to himself. "You must still be in shock from your fall, so I'll carry you back."
She ceased her fidgeting and leaned her head against his chest, giving in. "Okay," she sighed, "If you insist. But don't dump me in the river this time!"
"Sorry about that...the look on you face was priceless though."
She kicked the side of his leg with the heel of her right foot. "Mou, Syaoran!"
'ITAIIII!!!!' she thought, as a burning sensation engulfed her right leg. She bit her lip to keep her mouth shut, so as not to worry Syaoran.
"Gomen, Gomen! I was just joking!"
"Jeez, if you keep acting like that, I'll start wondering where you hid the REAL Syaoran."
"You mean this guy?" He glared at her coldly and grunted.
She giggled girlishly. "Now that's the Syaoran I know!"
The teen Card Captor was astounded. "You liked me BETTER that way?!"
She smacked his chest with the back of her hand. "No! It was just the only side of you I knew up until now!" she argued.
"I guess you're right. I'm not an open book, like you."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Sakura, the day I met you, I knew what a cheerfully, lively little flower you were. You didn't even try to hide it. When you're happy, you certainly show it, when you're sad, you show it, and when you're angry, it's written all over your face."
"And what about you?" she queried.
He turned his head away. "I've learned to block out those feelings."
"That's not true, Syaoran! I've seen you get mad at Eriol-kun a lot!"
Syaoran blushed. "T-That was a different anger." he stammered.
"Hoe?"
"Nande mo nai." he spoke lamely, shaking away his blush, "We're back."
He let Sakura down from his arms and she sat down in the plush green grass.
He pointed back out into the woods, where the sun was beginning to set. "I'm going to go get some firewood. Do you want to come with?"
She shook her head vigorously. "No, no, you can go ahead. I'm still...uh...feeling kind of dizzy."
He eyed her suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. "Sakura?"
She managed a twitchy smile. "H-Hai?"
"Are you hiding something from me?"
She winced slightly as she tucked her right leg out of sight. "No. Why would I be hiding anything?"
He still wasn't convinced, but let it rest there. "I'll be back shortly." he announced, heading off into the forest.
'Sorry, Syaoran...' Sakura apologized mentally, 'I don't want to stress you out more than I already have.'
Sakura waited until he was out of sight before pulling her legs out from their indian-style embrace and revealing a large, profusely bleeding gouge covering at least half of her right leg (How Syaoran missed that still remains a mystery).
She stood up shakily, making her way toward the riverbank. "Ow, ow, ow, ouch..." she whimpered.
Settling herself alongside the shimmering waters, she splashed some of the liquid onto her deep wound, making it erupt like it was consumed by flames. "ITAI!!!" she screamed in a whisper, trying to keep her voice from getting too loud.
She spun around, searching for something to force against the nasty burning slash. A cabbage-like leaf came into sight and she snatched it, wasting no time in pressuring it against her injury.
But no matter what she tried, the gash would continue to bleed, pouring salty red liquid down all sides of her leg.
'I need cloth.' she thought, using her logic, "It can do a better job stopping the bleeding than this greenery can.'
Crawling toward her backpack to fetch one of her less favorite shirts, she heard familiar footsteps approaching.
Syaoran set a bunch of twigs, branches, and a couple logs on the ground. "Here's the firewood." He turned to Sakura, who was still busy trying to get to her backpack. "Sakura....what in the world are you doing?"
'Urk!' Sakura thought, sweat-dropping.
"N-Nothing, Syaoran." she assured, waving her hands in front of her.
He raised an eyebrow, walking a little closer. "Why do you have blood on your hands?"
Sakura thrusted her hands behind her hastily. "I was just...cleaning up a few scratches I got from the trees I fell through." she lied.
"Oh, really? Let me help-"
"NO!" she shouted, making him step back. "I mean, I can do it." she corrected, "You start the fire."
'Something is amiss here...' the male Card Captor thought, using stones and rocks to create a circular shape on the rich earth.
"Sakura, I still have the feeling that you're-WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT?!?!"
Syaoran didn't waste a precious second in getting to wounded Mistress's aid, shredding off strips of his shirt and immediately bandaging the profound aperture. "HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! AND WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?!" he shouted.
Sakura shrank back from his acrid tone. "I-I hit a ledge on the way down from the mountain." she finally admitted.
Syaoran was fuming. "THAT COULD'VE BEEN INFECTED! DO YOU REALIZE THAT!?"
His acrebity was making her feel very uncomfortable. "Onegai, Syaoran, don't yell at me!" she pouted.
"WELL YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST TOLD ME!!!" he bellowed, tying the cloth.
Sakura felt her eyes begin to moisten. "I didn't want to worry you any more than I already have, Syaoran." she explained, on the brink of tears, "I wanted to take care of it on my own, instead of hassling you! Onegai, stop! You're scary when you yell!"
Syaoran blinked. "Gomen nasai for hollering like that. I was just really worried about you."
"I don't want to worry you, Syaoran!" Sakura protested.
'There she goes being altruistic again...' the Chinese teen thought, with an inward smile.
"I appreciate your concern, Sakura. But right now, you're MY main concern."
Sakura tilted her head slightly. "Hoe?"
"Let's go sit by the fire."
He helped her up off the grassy floor, letting her lean on him as they approached the circle of rocks. Resting her in front of the soon-to-be fire, he continued his earlier preparations.
Placing a few twigs and dry sticks in the center of his little hole, Syaoran expertly struck and battered two pieces of flint together, trying to bring a small spark to life from the friction in the collision. Finally hitting the right spot, a spark flew, igniting one of the dry leaves and soon setting all the tiny tidbits aflame.
Adding a log or two to the concoction, he sat down beside Sakura, gazing into the heart of the fire. Sakura looked over to his silent figure, a smile forming on her lips.
"Syaoran?"
"Hmm...what?" he asked, still staring into the fire.
"Want to play a game?"
Syaoran half-grinned at her childishness. "A game? Aren't we a little old for that?"
"You can never be to old to play games!" Sakura argued.
"Well, what kind of game?" he asked, resting his head in his palm.
"Ano...Like, guess who I am?"
Syaoran examined her as she pointed her index finger up and closed her eyes.
"Did you know that fire originated in an Australian tribe 4000 years ago when-"
"Oh, I get it!" Syaoran interrupted, "You're Yamazaki, ne?"
Sakura nodded. "Hai! Now you try it, Syaoran."
Syaoran thought for a moment, then smirked in Sakura's direction. "Oi! Kaijuu! You're going to be late again! And stay AWAY from that gaki!"
The auburn-haired Clow Mistress was laughing. "You're Ni-chan!! Sugoi, Syaoran, that was just like him!"
Syaoran frowned. "I take that as an insult."
Ignoring his last comment, Sakura launched herself at him, glomping him. This of course took Syaoran completely by surprise and his face became an unhealthy-looking tomato.
"Oh, SYAORAN!" she purred, rubbing against him, "I love you SOOOOOOOO much! Let's go back to Hong Kong and get married! Kinomoto will never bother us again!"
Taking her acting the wrong way, Syaoran felt the blood rush to his head and passed out, falling onto his back.
Sakura panicked and shook him. "Syaoran? Syaoran!?"
His eyes finally opened back up and a little bit of red trickled from his nose. "What....What happened?" he asked, the images in front of him still spinning.
"I did a perfect Meiling impression!" she complained, "And you fell asleep!"
"Oh yeah..." he mumbled, wiping the small dribble from under his nose, "My turn now?"
She nodded in confirmation.
"Okay, see if you can guess this one."
Syaoran leaned one hand against the side of his head, while pretending to hold a video camera in the other. "KAWAII!!!" he squealed girlishly, "Sakura-chan is so kawaii!!!"
Sakura was rolling on the ground with laughter. "SUGOI, Syaoran-kun!! Tomoyo-chan couldn't do it better herself! You're really good at this!"
Syaoran cheeks flared in embarrassment. "I don't really think so..."
"Try and get this one!"
Sakura pretended to stuff food in her mouth, smiling like nothing mattered.
"Tsukishiro!" Syaoran answered, before Sakura even got the chance to speak.
"Mou!" Sakura pouted, "Unfair! You're good at guessing too!"
Syaoran went right on to his next idea, making 'O'-shaped rings around his eyes (for glasses) and smiling diabolically. "Sakura-san-"
"Eriol-kun!" Sakura intersected.
He nodded. "You're not so bad at guessing either."
Sakura grinned. "The smile gave it away."
"Well it wouldn't be Hiiragizawa without that smile."
Sakura nodded in agreement, then started her next impersonation by crossing her arms and glaring at Syaoran. "Baka! And you call yourself a Card Captor!? Let me show you the way it's done! Raiden Shorai!!"
"Enough already!" Syaoran broke in, vexed by her portray of him, "That's nothing like me!"
"How not?" Sakura challenged, placing her hands on her hips.
Syaoran smirked proudly. "You've got to have a colder glare than that!"
Sakura chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I would need the stoic and emotionless face too."
"I'll give you lessons sometime." he jested, "In the meantime, you'd better be able to figure this one out!"
Syaoran tried to form pretend ears on the top of his head. "I was created by Clow Reed! Aren't I cool-looking? Check out the wings ladies! Pretty impressive, ne? What's that? DID YOU SAY PUDDING?! AND CAKE!?!?"
"You're Kero-chan!"
"Yup, the stuffed animal. Pretty easy, huh?"
"I'll say! Do you think you can guess who this is?"
Sakura put her hands on her hips and illusionized that she was trying to hit someone with a mallet. "Yamazaki!! One more lie and I'll be forced to hurt you!"
"Mihara-san?"
"Sugoi! Not one wrong so far, Syaoran! Oh wait...You didn't get the Meiling one."
"Okay, I've got one last one for you!" Syaoran announced.
Syaoran smiled as wide as he could, then faked a pouty face. "Mou, Syaoran! Stop teasing me! I'm not a klutz! Where did that pole come from?! OH NO!! HOOOOEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"
"I'm really not THAT much of a klutz Syaoran..."
"Not ALL the time." he corrected, "Just the majority."
That comment granted him a punch in the arm.
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"Aren't the stars beautiful, Syaoran?"
Syaoran looked up at the crystal-clear night sky, gazing at all the luminating stars and constellations. "Yeah." he agreed, "Beautiful."
"You know what, Syaoran?"
"Nani?"
"They say that if you wish on a shooting star, your wish will come true." she stated.
Syaoran sighed. "That's just superstition."
"I believe in it." Sakura admitted, "Try it, Syaoran. Then see if your wish comes true in the near future."
Syaoran searched the sky, trying to pinpoint where he could find one of the bright stars falling. Suddenly, one flew down along the right side of the midnight dome.
Syaoran closed his eyes and thought hard. "I wish that I could spend the rest of my life with Sakura,' he wished, 'that she feels the same way about me as I do her.'
"Did you make your wish?" Sakura asked.
He opened his eyes. "Hai."
Sakura gazed back up at the firmament. "I know your wish will come true, Syaoran. I can feel it."
"I hope you're right."
She winked back at him. "You know I am."
Syaoran yawned in exhaustion and sat up. "We ought to hit the sack for the night." he suggested, "I think we've both had a long day."
"Un." she agreed, sauntering tiredly to her shelter, "I just hope that THING, or whatever it was, doesn't come back."
"It won't get past me twice." Syaoran assured, "If it dares to come back again, I'll take care of it."
"Good night." Sakura yawned, cuddling up into the consolation of her sleeping bag.
The young Chinese sorcerer tread to where Sakura laid and bent down to brush her bangs from her face. "Sweet dreams, Sakura." he whispered.
She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. "Syaoran?"
He returned the smile, looking down on her amorously. "Hmmm?"
"Arigato." she spoke softly, "For everything."
He shook his head. "There's no need for thanks, Sakura. Seeing you alive and smiling is more than enough for me."
"Keep on smiling, Syaoran." she urged, reaching up to run a hand through is disheveled dark mop, "It suits you so much better than a frown."
"As long as you think so." he replied, returning the smile to his features, "Now get some sleep, I'll stay up awhile to keep guard."
"Okay." she breathed, "'Night, Syaoran."
He waited until her eyes began to droop with the heavy drowsiness, before setting himself on the ground next to her, keeping a vigil.
It wasn't until he almost nodded off himself, that he caught sight of something beyond the clearing.
And just as Sakura had explained, it was issuing a buzzing noise.
He squinted into what little light there was and picked up a tiny flicker of red. 'What in the hell is that?' he thought, his eyes growing wide.
He closed his eyes and rubbed them roughly, to make sure that he wasn't seeing a mirage or an illusion.
But when his amber eyes looked upon the previous sighting, it had completely vanished. "Must be seeing things." he mumbled, leaning his upper body against the tree, "Need sleep."
And before long, peaceful slumber came.
That concludes Chapter 3 Minna-san! All comments and questions are welcome! If you liked or didn't like the chapter, let me know (and give me some input about what you think of the possible sequel for the other story I mentioned up at the top). Feedback is of great importance to me, it lets me know how I'm doing with the story. Please spare a review, they're eternally appreciated! Arigato!!! ^.^
So, do you think Syaoran was seeing things? Or is there something out there in those woods? I'm not ready to tell yet. He may have just been imagining it, you'll have to wait and see!
Oh yeah! If you have time, please R&R my first songfic, "Forever Yours: Since I Can Remember" I'd really appreciate it!!!
Arigato for reading, flame me if you must (hey, at least it's FEEDBACK ^^;). I should be back next week with another chapter. In the meantime, enjoy the beautiful summer day! ARIGATO MINNA-SAN!!!!! ~Manda-chan ^.^