The 7th Warrior Trilogy7 The 7th Warrior Trilogy
Chapter 7
By DragonLass
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" Wake up!"
" Wha???"
" Oh, Eriol! Please wake up!"
" I'm up, I'm up....what's going on?"

Eriol felt himself blush in the dark of the cabin; someone, most likely a girl, was hugging him very roughly. And, from the sound of the voice, it could only be...

" Tomoyo? What's going on?"
" All the lights are out!"
" I'm aware of that...but what's happened to the ship?"
" We got hit by something. The ship's beat up really bad," She was hugging him even tighter now, he could feel her ragged breathing next to his chest.
" Where's everyone else?"
" I don't know. The lights came back only for a couple seconds, and I saw you."
" Well, we shouldn't waste any time, we should find the other people."

Eriol could almost see the disappointed look on Tomoyo's face...he regretted having to part contact with her too, but they had important things to attend to. He felt along blindly, careful to go slow enough, so as Tomoyo could keep within touch distance of him. Suddenly, the lights flickered on, and Eriol wasted no time in looking around. The first thing he noticed was the huge gash Tomoyo had suffered along her brow. It was dripping, but she seemed oblivious. He pushed aside his concern momentarily, to look some more. There were 4 main piles of debris...(mostly chairs) that he could discern. Lucky for him, he'd been quick to note their positions, as the lights immediately sparked and darkened again. He reached out for Tomoyo's hand, then led her to the first pile.

" We have to dig."
" All right."

They pushed busily at the mangled material, but unearthed nothing. They were about to set on the next pile, when their was a jostling coming from one near the rear of the cabin. The duo was quick to follow the sound, and help the trapped occupants. The lights found this time, to flicker back on, and Eriol was relieved to see Syaoran huddled on the floor, his jumpsuit torn and bloody. But, where was Sakura? His question was answered by a small bundle moving beneath Syaoran's body. A moment later, Sakura was revealed, her fragile frame protected beneath Syaoran, but even he could not prevent her from coming out of this unscathed. Her arms were scratched to ribbons, and it took all Sakura's restraint not to cry out in alarm. But, even Syaoran could not mistake the look of fear in her eyes, and he quickly set about shredding the arms of his jumpsuit as makeshift bandages. As opposed to the alternative...too late. Sakura placed her hand above each wound, and began to systematically heal herself, little by little. And, little by little, her face began to lose its healthy glow. Syaoran glared reprimandingly at her, but could do practically nothing to prevent her from using the magic. It was when she began to heal him that she'd drawn the last straw.

" Sakura, stop!"

She didn't answer, but finished his healing, and moved on shakily to Tomoyo. Eriol caught the concern in Syaoran's eye, and glanced at Tomoyo. She nodded in understanding, and pushed Sakura's hand aside politely.

" Sakura, its alright...its just a scratch, nothing I can't handle."

But, Sakura was determined. She reached out and healed the wound, losing another notch of health. Syaoran finally managed to pull her aside. He reprimanded her in his own fashion.

[ Sakura, stop!]
[ Not until everyone on board is healed.]
[ By that time, you'll be the one who needs healing!]
[ Syaoran, relax. I'm just trying to help them.]
[ There is such a thing as too much help..]
[ Don't worry so much! I can take care of myself.]
[ Not from what I've seen.]
[ Look, I can take care of myself, so just lay off!]
[ Sakura!]
[ Look, I'm not some little baby who just came from the delivery room...I'm 10 years old,]
[ And has a curse as well as a gift...]
[ I can heal people...its not as bad a curse as you make it sound...]
[ It is when you kill yourself in the process!]
[ I am not killing myself, you exxaggerate.]
[ Exaggerate, nothing! I know the odds...]
[ And so do I!]

Syaoran sighed in exasperation. Stubborness must be an inborn thing. He watched as Marc and Meilin appeared out of nowhere. No way was he going to let those two take advantage of her magic. He had little to worry about of course. Marc and Meilin, still bearing a venomous grudge, shoved Sakura away mercilessly, refusing all treatment she tried to administer. Syaoran needed no other reason to sit Sakura down and get her to rest. She was pale as death, and looked on the verge of it too. There was a crackling, and the lights dimmed again, but only for a second; there was a high-pitched hum, then the lights returned, and along with it came none other then, Mr. Terada. He'd immerged from the cockpit, and looked like he'd had more then his share of bumps and bruises. His face was grim, as he made a horrific announcement.

" Class. I would like to begin, by telling you a bit of disturbing information...first off the pilot is dead."

There was a murmur throughout the group, as each turned to the other, the information shocking.

" I'm not finished...It seems, that that shockwave came from within the vicinity of the Station."

Another murmur, this time louder and reflecting the surprise of the populace. Mr. Terada motioned for them to quiet down.

" Class. I have some news, which you might not want to hear..."
" We might as well."
" The station....its...its..."

Everyone looked to him expectantly. He tried to articulate what he was trying to say, but couldn't find words to describe what he'd discovered. He pointed out one of the cabin windows, turning his back. Everyone crowded around to look out. There was nothing...the space outside was empty, except for a faint silvery dust that sparkled everywhere.

" I don't understand...What does he want us to look for?" Sakura wondered.
" Don't you get it, you nitwit!" Meilin said," That's exactly what he was trying to say. Sheesh, you think she could put two and two together."
" What?" Sakura looked around.
" The station's gone. Doy. It's been blown to a million pieces. The shockwave, einstein." Meilin chattered.
******

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