The Magitech War
A CCS Fanfic
by SyaoranSword
Notes: Phew! FF.net is still on, and I'm still writing! As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed! Don't worry Tomoyo fans, I've already thought of a way to return her to normal. In the meantime, I think "Madison" is really fun to write for! She kicks serious ass and has a bad attitude!! But don't think I don't miss the old Tomoyo. I definitely like her sweet, proper, and cunning (especially when it involves getting S+S together)! Oh and thanks to Tomogirl for leaving a HUGE spoiler in the reviews section. -_-' It's all right though. Unless you're as dense as Sakura, there really is no secret as to who our mysterious Green Phantom is. It's one of those things where the characters in the story don't know about it, but it should be obvious to everyone else. This chapter is the longest yet due to the fact that a lot of stuff happens. Read on…
WARNING Minor sappiness spread throughout, with one intense S+S moment stuck right in the middle!
~~~ (place) ~~~ = scene change
" " = dialogue
[ ] = thoughts
= flashbacks
( ) = commentary
Chapter 9: The General's Announcement
~~~ Hylan ~~~
"Then it's agreed."
"There's no reason why we can't work this out, seeing as we both want the same thing."
"Don't think that this ends our dispute."
"After what you said last night, I wouldn't dream of it."
"Last night was almost a debacle!"
"Thanks to me, it wasn't."
"I couldn't believe you actually said that!"
"And you could have done better?"
"………"
"I rest my case. What's important is that everyone believed me."
"Could we get back to what we were talking about?"
"Right. The ones pretending to be the prince and the princess."
"Knowing them, he's probably been up for at least an hour now."
"And she's most likely still asleep."
Both men sighed. "How is it that those two look and behave so much like them?"
"I have no idea."
~~~~~~
"Lightning!" Bolts struck various points of the ground around Syaoran. He was doing what he did every morning… practicing. However, this session was different from every other one he had done in the past, for one reason. A pair of emerald-green eyes observed him, watching his every movement.
[He's able to do all that and even get to school before me??] Sakura leaned on the railing of her balcony. She didn't know how long she had been watching him.
She looked down and took the necklace into her hand. "Silvercloud. Isn't that the name of… the princess?"
"Lightning!"
"Hoe?" Sakura heard a voice shout outside. She got out of bed and went over to her balcony. Looking out, she spotted Syaoran with his sword in one hand, and a charm (those yellow-orange sheets he carries around) in the other. [It's Syaoran! What is he doing?] She had never actually seen him train before. [I guess I'll find out.]
"Now, fire!" Flames streamed out of the paper as he pressed the flat side of his blade against it. Syaoran seemed to feel Sakura's gaze, as he immediately turned his head upward to where she was standing. "Sakura, good morning! Did I wake you?" he asked while a blush crept into his face. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be," she responded. "Do you train like this every morning?"
"Yes." He climbed up to her level. "What are you doing up so early anyway?"
"I had this dream…" Sakura began.
Syaoran went wide-eyed. He knew what that meant. "You had a dream last night?!" Sakura nodded. "Do you remember what it was about?"
"This strange boy… that I met when I first arrived in this world… he called himself 'The Green Phantom'…"
[The Green Phantom?! What is he doing in her dream?] (Syaoran still gets jealous, very easily ^_^')
"He wanted the necklace," she said while holding the stone around her neck.
His eyes narrowed. "Well he's not getting it." Syaoran was a little protective, seeing as he did spend a lot of money for it, and it was a gift to the one he loved.
"Syaoran, he said that this necklace was the only way to bring the real princess back. (Forgot to mention this, but they both know about how they look like the missing monarchs, and are taking their places.) For some reason I trust him, and… the next I see him, I'm going to give it to him."
Seeing Sakura's determination on that issue, he said, "I didn't tell you this, but I also met him during my first few hours here. From what I've seen, I still don't really trust him, but it's up to you." He sighed. "I guess I can always get you something else."
"You don't have to get anything for me, Syaoran. I know you love me. That's all I want."
"Really?" he asked, while his cheeks started to burn. "Thank you, Sakura." He climbed back down. "We can talk more later. I have to finish my morning practice."
"If it's ok with you, can I watch?"
"It's really not that exciting," he warned her, slightly blushing at her request.
"Anything you do is exciting, Syaoran." Sakura gasped at her words. She turned bright red and covered her mouth with her hands. [I didn't just say that!!]
Syaoran couldn't help but laugh at Sakura's little slip. "Was that a flirt or do you really think that way about me, Sakura?" he asked teasingly.
"Hoeeeee…"
Syaoran never did get an answer to that last question. He had tried to continue his training as if Sakura wasn't there, but he always felt like he was trying to impress her. He also took occasional glances at the balcony where she stood and was surprised that she had stayed for the whole time. Syaoran paused for a moment as he saw Westley approaching him.
"Good morning, my prince," Westley greeted Syaoran. "Today is the day. Are you ready?"
"Yes I am," he said while nodding.
"I need to talk with you right before the meeting starts. As soon as you're done, meet me in my room."
"Sure, Westley."
As Sakura watched Westley walk away, there was a knocking on her door. "Come in," she called.
Magus entered her room. "Princess, you're already awake. That's good." Seeing that she was on the balcony, he asked, "Enjoying the view?" Sakura blushed slightly as he strolled over to where she was. Magus saw Syaoran down in the courtyard. "Oh… I see that you are."
"MAGUS!" Sakura screamed as she reddened further.
"Sorry. I just came to tell you that we need to discuss something before the morning meeting starts." He turned to leave. "When you're done admiring the prince, I suggest you get ready."
Becoming as red as a tomato on the word 'admiring', she asked, "Where should I go to meet you?"
"Go to Kazu tower and find Prime Minister Westley's room."
Sakura smiled as she said, "Thanks, I'll be there in a few minutes."
~~~~~~
The four of them were gathered in Westley's room.
"It seems we both thought of the same idea, Magus."
"Yes, we have."
"We both found someone to take the place of the heirs to the respective kingdoms we serve."
"But one thing we didn't anticipate is the relationship that exists between you two."
Sakura and Syaoran smiled at each other, barely blushing.
"We found that out last night."
"But that kind of bond doesn't exist between the prince and the princess."
The couple looked surprised. "What do you mean?" they asked together.
Westley sweatdropped while scratching the back of his head. "You couldn't really say they were fond of each other."
"Get to the point Westley!" Magus said impatiently.
"Actually… you couldn't even call them friends. It was that bad."
Sakura and Syaoran were in shock. "Is that why everyone last night looked at us like that?" Syaoran asked.
Magus and Westley nodded. "Oh no!" Sakura cried. "So what do we do now? Is anyone going to believe that we're the missing prince and princess?"
"They could not stand even seeing each other. At the coaxing of their parents, they tried to make it look like they got along, only when they were in the public spotlight though."
"But to play it safe, while you were out in the courtyard, I managed to convince everyone that you were just going through… a phase," Westley said, nervously laughing.
A sweatdrop rolled down Magus's head. "You were a little more blunt than that."
Sakura and Syaoran both had perplexed looks. "A phase?"
"I explained that both of you were experiencing new feelings because of… this phase."
"What are you talking about?"
Magus shook his head. "Just say the word! It's not like they don't know what it means."
"That's exactly why I don't want to say it!" Westley glared at Magus. "I said that you were going through…" he mumbled the last word, "… puberty." (*sweatdrop* Um…)
"What did he say?" the couple asked, not able to understand the mumbling.
Magus had a hand over his face. "Geez! If you won't tell them, I will. He said you two were going through pu- ber- ty," he said, clearly annunciating the last word.
Sakura and Syaoran both fell over. (I think everyone reading this did as well -_-' *sigh*.) When they got back up, both timidly looked at each other, wide-eyed and suffering from blushing overdose.
"Told you it was a bad idea to say it! Now they're nervous wrecks."
"It's not like it's going to affect the summit, since they don't need to say anything."
The two lovers stopped blushing and looked up in surprise. "We don't need to say anything?"
"What Magus was trying to explain was that we are going to be doing most of the talking for you. The representatives are going to assume that the two of you are much too young and inexperienced to be handling the affairs of your countries."
"If anyone asks you a question, confer with us before answering."
"So other than that, we're just going to sit there?" Syaoran asked.
"Your mere presence is more than enough to convince them that there will be stability within Midos."
"Do you understand your roles in all this?"
"Yes," they said together.
"The meeting starts in 20 minutes in the central tower. Don't be late!" Magus then left.
"I, uh… need to practice my speeches, so I'll just… go someplace else."
Westley hurried out, leaving the door to the room ajar. Before they knew it, the two then realized they had been left alone. Dark blushes spread across their faces as amber and emerald met. "Um, Sakura?"
"Syaoran?"
"About last night… do you feel… that we've… become…"
"Closer?"
"Yes… even closer than before?" He hesitantly stepped a little way toward her, making her heart pound in her chest.
[Oh, Syaoran.] Sakura made sure her mouth was clamped shut, so as to not let another of her thoughts escape. [I just had to return the passion… you had in your eyes. Your cheek… was so soft. I wished it was your lips.] She slowly closed her eyes. [These feelings… of wanting you to hold me… of wanting to kiss you… of just wanting to be with you… I've never felt so strongly about them… even after I confessed my love…] Sakura opened her eyes partly. They then flew open to find Syaoran's face right in front of her.
"Sakura?" he asked with a concerned look. "Are you okay?"
She smiled brightly at him. [He cares so much about me.] "I'm fine, Syaoran."
"Maybe I shouldn't have asked you that question."
"No, you're wrong. I… I…" It was hard for Sakura to say what she wanted, when she was staring deep into the soft gaze that could only come from the one she loved. She began again. "Ever since I told you I loved you, I do think we have become closer."
"I think so too." His next question surprised her. "But what I want to know is… what exactly is our relationship right now?"
"What… do you mean?"
"We're more than friends. We've admitted that. So what… are we?"
Sakura felt her heart skip a beat as she felt his hand on her cheek. "I… don't… know." She couldn't think straight enough to give any other answer.
"Do you want to find out?" Syaoran slipped his thumb under her chin, tilting her head upward, and he started to move his face ever so slowly down toward hers.
Sakura was faintly aware that Syaoran's other arm was around her waist. "What are you doing?" she whispered. Her hands went flat against his chest, not to push him away, but just to keep him from going too deep.
The gap growing smaller and his voice becoming softer with every word, he said, "I'll let… you decide…" he closed his eyes, "… what…" Sakura felt his warm breath against her lips, and she let her eyelids fall. "… this…" his voice was now barely audible, even to her. "… means." Sakura sighed in anticipation. Their lips were just about to touch when the door opened.
"Westley, are you in-" The man's eyes bulged at the scene being played out in front of him. (It's the ever so infamous 'caught almost-kissing' scene! Mwahahaha!!!)
They quickly turned their heads to see someone standing in the doorway. Their faces could only be described as ripe tomatoes as they cried out in surprise and literally jumped back about a foot from each other. Syaoran landed on his feet, but Sakura hit the side of the bed and fell onto it. "General Haddock!" they exclaimed at the same time. (They had to memorize what important people looked like during their training, so they know who he is.)
"We were… just, um… talking…" Syaoran said, sweatdropping.
"Yeah, just… talking," Sakura sweatdropped as well.
Haddock forced a cough as he gave a small bow to each of them. "Excuse me. I was looking for Westley, but obviously he's not here. He's probably already at the summit." He glanced at his watch. "Speaking of which, shouldn't we all be heading there as well? It's not becoming of royalty to be tardy."
Syaoran held out his hand to help Sakura up. "We'll be there soon." Haddock nodded and turned to leave. "You okay, Sakura?"
He pulled her off the bed a little too strongly. Sakura stumbled, and she threw her arms around Syaoran to keep from falling again. Both of them blushed, when her face ended up pressed against his chest. She said, somewhat muffled, "I'm alright. Thank you for helping me up, Syaoran."
Haddock had overheard their exchange as he headed out. [Sakura?!? Syaoran?!? I walk in on them almost kissing, and now I hear them calling each other by their first names?! There's something strange going on around here.]
Syaoran helped Sakura back upright, and the two of them walked together. He let his hand grasp hers. [I was sooo close! We'll get it right next time.]
[He almost kissed me.] Sakura sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. [Too bad. I was ready.] She smiled as she thought, [I wonder if he knows that I really wanted him to kiss me.]
~~~~~~
"Onii-chan! You're home! Where have you been all night?"
"*yawn* I was called to help rebuild a refinery. Don't worry about breakfast for me, or lunch for that matter. I am so dead."
"Get some rest, onii-chan."
"Thanks, I will, and you had better not disturb me with your loud kaijuu mouth."
"I AM NOT A KAIJUU!! And you won't be disturbed because I'm going out now."
"Where are you going, and when will you be back kaijuu?" (If you're a CCS fan, then it's obvious who they are!)
"I'm going to see a friend. I'll be back to cook dinner onii-chan. Is Yuki coming over tonight?"
"Yeah. What's the basket for?"
"I'm going to invite him for a picnic."
"Wait a second. Him?! You don't mean that terrorist that caused me to stay up all night, do you??"
"HE IS NOT A TERRORIST, ONII-CHAN!!! I can't believe you would call him that!"
"Anyone who goes around at night and blows up buildings is a terrorist in my book."
"But onii-chan, you know why he does it. You've even given him some help! And he doesn't do it every night!"
"Whatever kaijuu. Be careful and make sure to tell me if he tries anything. I'll pound him for you."
"He won't, but thanks onii-chan. Go to sleep."
"Oh, before you go… I've heard that the General is going to siege Hylan sometime today."
She gasped. "WHAT?! ON THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY!?! THAT'S TERRIBLE!!"
"Don't you dare tell anyone else that you heard it from me," he gave a wink as he headed upstairs.
Behind her back, her fingers were crossed. "I won't onii-chan," she said as she headed out.
A girl left her house and headed to where her friend lived. Her bright green eyes shone in the morning sun, and her auburn hair bounced as she shifted her weight from side to side, picking up speed on her rollerblades. She stopped at the point where she couldn't skate anymore and changed into her normal shoes. Even though she had walked this path many times before, she still looked around at her surroundings like a five-year old, taking in everything with amazement. Her destination was in sight. The trip had taken her about 45 minutes.
She went up to the mouth of the cave and hollered, "Hello! Are you in there?" She could hear her own echo, but she didn't hear a response. The girl went a little into the dark cave and yelled again, "It's just me! I thought we could have lunch together!" Her eyes became adjusted to the darkness, and she saw a lone figure near the back, lying on his side, and snoring. [He snores?!] She crouched to get a better look at him. [I've never seen him sleeping before.] His face was still masked, but the hood had come off, revealing his messy chocolate-brown hair.
"You look so different when you're asleep," she whispered, "like an innocent little boy who shouldn't have to be doing the things you do." Sitting down next to him, she felt a lump in her throat. [What is this feeling that I get seeing you like this?] Without thinking, she reached out a hand to stroke his hair. The look in her eyes shone with tenderness. "No matter what you may think, you will always have me as your friend."
[Huh? What? Someone's… CARESSING MY HEAD!!]
The girl felt the sleeping figure stir under her hand. She quickly pulled it back and blushed as he slowly rose into a sitting position. He turned around and eyed her in disbelief. "You?! What are you doing here?" [And what was she doing, period?!?] It was a shame he didn't hear anything that she said.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to wake you like that!"
[I wouldn't mind waking up like that more often. So gentle and soft…] Boy, did he blush! [No, wait! I didn't just think that!!] He yawned. "Oh, it's alright. I'm still kind of tired from last night, but I'll manage." He yawned again.
"Listen to yourself! You need your rest!!" She set her basket down and stood up to leave. "I'll leave this here for you and come back another time."
"Sit back down. I'll be fine. You came all this way, and now you're just going to leave because you woke me up?"
He saw that her expression was filled with concern. "But I don't… want to be a bother."
"You're never a bother to me."
Her eyes widened. "You really mean that?"
She did not see the blush that appeared underneath the scarf that covered most of his face. "Yes, I do." He picked up the basket. "What's this?"
"I was hoping we could have a picnic."
"You mean… you… and me… eating together."
"Well… yes."
"I see. There's just one problem." He tugged a little at the cloth over his mouth. "I can't eat with this on."
"You could just take it off."
"You know I can't do that. I don't show my face to anyone. Even you."
"Why? Because you think you're so ugly that you're going to scare me away?" The boy growled as she giggled none too quietly. "I'm sorry!" she apologized, suppressing another fit of laughter. "I don't know where that came from!" She smiled sweetly at him. "Honestly, I bet you're actually quite handsome under there." He thought his cheeks couldn't get any redder. "Anyway, I know you need to keep your identity a secret, but I've known you for a little over a year and a half now."
[Much longer than that actually.] "About that picnic," he said, trying to change the subject. "Let's go outside and eat. I'm starving!"
"But didn't you just say you can't eat with me around."
"I can loosen this enough to be able to get the food into my mouth without you seeing it."
"That should be interesting to watch." She smiled brightly at him. "Okay! Let's go!"
The Green Phantom put his hood on as they left the cave. They set up the picnic in a clearing not too far from the cave. "So how is your brother?" he said, trying to start a conversation.
"He's kind of mad at you for making him stay awake all night rebuilding one of those refineries."
"Please don't tell me that they are already rebuilt."
"I don't know. Onii-chan didn't really say anything else about them."
"I guess I'll have to check on them later."
"What's so important about that hurdonium stuff anyway that you don't want it to be used by the General?"
He sighed. "That hurdonium stuff, as you put it, is a very potent weapon. Its special properties are especially suited for Haddock's goals. Hurdonium has the ability to not be affected by any kind of magic." She gasped. "That's not all," he continued. "Sorcerers that get very close to it have their powers restricted. Those that have contact with it will be drained of their magical and physical strength. Prolonged contact is fatal. After a certain amount of time, they will be too weak to even breathe."
"That's so… inhumane. But what about those that don't have magical powers?"
"To them, hurdonium is perfectly harmless. It won't react because there is no magic to consume."
"So that's why…"
"Haddock knows he has the edge in technology. If he takes magic completely out of the picture, he would overrun the kingdoms in no time. But I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen."
They continued eating until… "Oh, that's right! You might want to know something my onii-chan told me this morning." He looked up. "Haddock is going to take over Hylan today."
His eyes were ready to pop out of his head. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!!! Go back and tell him that I don't appreciate his jokes."
"You don't believe me?"
"Why should I? That's so absurd! Why would he even-" he stopped as a thought suddenly dawned on him. "Oh no! Today is the 500th anniversary, isn't it?" [How dare you, Haddock!!]
"Yes, didn't you know that? Oh, that's right. You live in a cave!"
"I'll ignore that. Sorry, but I'm going to have to skip the rest of this meal." He set his food down as he brought Lightbringer up. "Yue, I command you to come forth!!"
The guardian appeared in front of them. "You summoned me, master?"
"Take me to Hylan at once!"
"As you command." He faded back into the sword as a transparent sphere surrounded the Green Phantom.
"You're not going to try and stop him all by yourself are you?" she asked, visibly worried for him.
"No, of course not," he said as he was carried upward. "I'm going to protect the ones that have no idea of what's going to happen." He called out to her as he was moving away. "Hurry back home, and don't worry about me!!" The Green Phantom faced the direction he was heading. "I hope I'm not too late… the two of them have to survive… if Midos is to have a future."
~~~ Hylan ~~~
The room at the top of the central tower of Hylan Palace was where the Alliance summit took place. The walls of the room were made of glass. The ceiling tapered up to a point, and was also made of glass. Besides Sakura, Syaoran, and the others that are recognizable, there were others representing other towns and cities that fell under the rule of one of the kingdoms.
When everyone was seated, Haddock opened the meeting. "I would like to personally welcome back Princess Silvercloud and Prince Stormwind, as this is the first time they have come to this table since before the… tragedy… that befell their brilliant parents." Murmurs of agreement went throughout the congregation. "However, this is a new day. This will be a great day indeed."
Outside Hylan, a large group of Hurdonian soldiers stood, armed with rifles, and prepared for battle. Jared was looking impatiently down at his watch. "We have our orders. The attack shall commence on my mark."
Haddock continued his long-winded opening. Some of the members were yawning. Syaoran was blinking, trying to stay awake, while Sakura already laid her head on the table. [This is worse than Math class!]
"In conclusion…" At those words, everyone in the room (except Haddock of course) breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps they shouldn't have. "I am withdrawing Hurdonia's agreement to the cease-fire, and I am also withdrawing Hurdonia from the Alliance itself." He gave a wicked grin as he saw their reactions. "Today I proclaim myself the new king of Hurdonia, and… I am making a declaration of war against the kingdoms of Adelphi and Kazu."
"Have you gone mad, General?"
"No, I'm not mad… yet. For too long Midos has been held back by archaic traditions, especially magic. I will sweep all that away, and lead the dawning of a new age!"
Syaoran already had his sword drawn. "You do realize you're not going to get away with this, Haddock. Not with us here."
"I think I will. Look up," the General said as he pointed upward.
Everyone did as he said. Three helicopters were hovering above the ceiling. They opened fire. The sound of crashing glass was the last thing heard before the soldiers started to descend…
To be continued…
Oh yeah! Now it's on! I know, I know, it's a terrible cliffhanger, but it does add some nice drama. Threw in a little something between the Green Phantom and a certain someone (and if you don't know who it is by now, Kero will give you 30 lashes with his pudding spoon!). This story is now going to take a serious turn. There will still be lightheartedness here and there, but now the war is on. Betcha can't guess what's going to happen next! In other news, keep an eye out for a new drama I'm working on, called "Everywhere I Am, There You'll Be". Yes, (sigh) I got the idea from listening to that Pearl Harbor song way too many times, but I think it's actually quite original (I hope). For my loyal readers, here's a sneak peek!
~~~~~~
"Sakura, listen to me carefully. KILL ME!!!"
"NO! There has to be another way!"
"HURRY! I can't hold on… much… longer…"
"No… please don't make me do this."
~~~~~~
"If you ever want to talk to me, just call, and I'll be there."
"No, please don't go."
"Farewell… cherry blossom."
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!"
~~~~~~~
"I haven't been able to see him lately. He doesn't come when I call. Why?"
"There's a good reason for that… but telling you may end up altering future events."
~~~~~~
"Syaoran… you're…"
Oh, so sorry! That's all I can give away for now. Hope I perked your interest! Until next time… cya!!
