Sakura stepped out into the cool autumn air and just smiled as the breeze played with her honey amber hair. School had been a long and tiring process, but it seemed nothing could ruin her mood. Reaching into her bag she grinned at the object she pulled out. There in her hand were all three signatures of her favorite singing group. She wanted to just kiss Touya for actually thinking about her. Letting out a content sigh, she jumped off the stairs to the school and began her trek home not noticing the dark haired girl running after her. "Sakura-chan! Wait for me!"
Sakura stopped in mid stride and spun about to look at her best friend. "Tomoyo-chan? Doushitano?"
The girl merely shook her head as her deep purple eyes began to sparkle. "Nani mo! I heard you say that Estrella would be going to school with Touya-san, and I was wondering if I could walk home with you!" Instantly the small pre-teen pulled out her beloved video camera, while smiling brightly.
Shaking her head, Sakura only smiled in return. "You're almost as dreamy about this as I am! I can't believe their going to school with oniichan! It's so exciting!"
"Hai! Honto!" Sakura slowed her base dramatically as she stared on ahead. "Do you think we could meet them Sakura-chan?"
"Mm! I'm sure Touya will try to introduce us! If he doesn't I'll hurt him!" The two began to laugh softly as they headed in the direction of Touya's school. "Ah! Look Tomoyo-chan!" Pointing to the soccer field, they saw Touya and Yukito practicing with the team in a game of scrimmage. But the thing that truly caught their eyes, were the four girls sitting in the bleachers watching the game. "It's them!"
"Hai! But um… who's that one girl? I thought there were only three…" Tomoyo looked slightly confused as she looked at the little group huddled together.
Sakura looked at the petite black haired girl beside the lead singer and tilted her head in curiosity. "I don't know… Let's go say hi!" Tomoyo nodded and the two sprinted in their direction. Unfortunately for Sakura, she hit someone in the process and fell was in the process of falling when a hand gently grasped her shoulder. "Gomen nesai! Gomen! Gomen! Gomen!"
A soft low chuckle was heard causing one emerald eye to open slowly and gaze at the tall man before her. "Iya… Daijoubu, demo genki da na?" Now both eyes were open as she peered up at him in awe. His feathery black hair was short and silk like as it caressed the sharp contours of his face and jutted out over his eyes. His eyes in them selves were a wonder. One was a misted white color where the other was like a shadowed emerald that shied away from the light.
"Hai… Daijoubu… Arigauto mister." Merely smiling down at her, he turned slightly to look at the glaring eyes of green coming from the stands.
"I take it you want to meet my friend in the stands?" Sakura nodded mutely never once looking away from him. "Ore wa Sumeragi Subaru. Anata wa?"
Sakura smiled brightly and tried to hide the soft blush on her cheeks. "Atashi wa Kinomoto Sakura! You're very much like a bishounen Sumeragi-san."
Subaru laughed softly, barely allowing his lips to form a smile. "Arigauto. How about I introduce you to Lis-chan now? You are Kinomoto Touya's imouto I gather." Blushing even further she nodded in reply as they walked over to the others. "He was right when he said you were adorable. You're name is very pretty I might add." This comment seemed to draw him farther away into his mismatched eyes as she peered up at him while blinking.
"Arigauto Sumeragi-san. Ano… Doushitano?" The man nodded slowly before stopping at the foot of the stands and staring up at the four girls.
"Lis-chan, ladies… This is Kinomoto Sakura, Touya-san's imouto." Instantly Yuzuriha jumped to her feet and ran to Sakura.
"Ah! Kawaii! You're Touya's imouto? That's so wonderful! Atashi wa Nekoi Yuzuriha, demo call me Yuzu-chan!" The short dark hair swayed with her words as she offered Sakura a hand in greeting. "I think we've already met your friend Tomoyo-chan. She says you tend to run into people a lot. Sumeragi-san didn't scare you did he."
Subaru arched a brow at her elegantly as Sakura shook he head emphatically. "Iie! He was very kind to me."
"Surprising…" The lower female voice was soft, causing Sakura to lean to the side in order to see who was speaking. Finally her eyes me the dark jade colored eyes that had been watching them earlier. A circular brimmed hat was resting on her brow that was black making it hard to see her hair for the most part.
"Lis-chan! Be nice to the cute young lady!" Sadira beamed and then turned to Sakura happily. The long blonde hair wavered in the wind as she out reached a hand to her. "I'm Sadira Chantry. Sorry, I don't speak Japanese very well."
Sakura laughed lightly and took her hand. "Nice to meet you Sadira-san! You're one of the singers aren't you? You're just as pretty as I imagined you to be!"
Sadira grinned broadly and began to poke Solis. "You hear that! I told you I was gorgeous! I'll never believe your mean comments again!"
A flicker of laughter ran through Solis' eyes but soon vanished as she looked out onto the field once more. Her deep green eyes were trained on something, which caused Sakura to look. Following the intense gaze she found it focused on her oniichan's best friend. Yukito-san? Ne, Solis-san likes Yuki? Sighing softly she looked at the other girl with short black hair whom was speaking with Tomoyo enthusiastically. "Sakura-chan! This is Naisumi-san! You know! Nguyen Naisumi! She's telling me all about the way the camera's are worked in videos and on stage!"
Sakura laughed softly at her friend and waved at Naisumi politely. Then a hand lighted on her shoulder. "Sakura-san, this is Genki Solis. I imagine she doesn't intend to warm up to you right now." Subaru had a small smirk on his face as he gazed at Solis whom merely ignored his remarks.
"Kakkoii! I'm happy to meet you Genki-san!" Solis peered at her coolly then nodded in acknowledgment. "Ah…"
"Iya… ignore her Sakura-san. She's not the warmest of people when you first meet them." Subaru smiled kindly at her before looking back at Solis.
"Ee! You remind me of someone close to me!" Sakura continued to smile undauntedly at Solis. "Too bad you can't meet him!" She acts a lot like Yue-san!
Sadira laughed and poked Sakura. "That's the spirit! Don't let that old witch scare you!" With that Sadira yelped as Solis smacked her on the back of the head. "Don't be so touchy Lissy-chan!" With that the two were running down the field yelling at one another. Subaru just sighed and shook his head.
"Those two… I can already tell… Are utterly hopeless." Sakura giggled at his words and just smiled.
"You seem to have a very strong kindness about you…" Subaru suddenly looked down at her seriously. She's too much like me… Just like Solis was… but… His eyes widened as he shook his head. "Sakura-san… don't ever let anyone change you."
With the surprise evident in her gaze she just nodded in reply. I wonder why… he said that… For a while he looked at me like I was something walking out of his past…He seems so sad… But I can almost feel the steady stream of power ebbing off of him… Who is he? I felt it on Solis too. How strange…
~*~
Solis walked slowly down the street trying to ignore the questioning glances Subaru continued to give her. After the soccer scrimmage, Sadira had convinced Kamui that he just HAD to take her to the shopping district so she wouldn't get lost, and Naisumi had agreed to take Tomoyo to meet their manager. This arrangement left her with Subaru alone for the evening. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy being with him, it was just right then, something in the depths of her mind was dragging her deeper into her own mind.
"Nani desu ka?" Subaru arched a brow curiously while giving her an empty stare.
"Nani mo, something is just nagging me. Subaru-kun… Mind if I walk around a bit? I need to clear my thoughts a bit." Subaru hesitated a moment before finally nodding to her.
"If that's what you want. Try not to stay out too late." Turning to walk home he smiled at her one last time ignoring her small tantrum.
"I'm not a child anymore Subaru-kun!" Fuming slightly she made herself calm down. She hated to admit it, but she actually liked how protective he was over her. Smiling lightly, she took small strides out into the dwindling daylight. All she knew was that she was heading toward the Tomoeda district slowly but surely. The even colder fact was that with each stirring step, she grew even number and began to lose every bit of her sense of being. What's happening?
Suddenly she found she wasn't moving any longer and her head turned to look off to the left. There she incoherently made out an entrance to a small park with a large penguin shaped slide. Wearily she step in its direction, but stopped to drop her head into her hands. "AH! It hurts!" Whispering forcefully she squinted her eyes closed in sheer pain. As the pain grew she yelped and doubled over. With the wave of sheer agony two large silvery white wings sprouted from her back and wrapped her trembling form inside of them. As the wings moved away, her attire was completely different sporting a black and silver kimono and a pearl white lace up dress on top of it. Above the knee boots were black with silver trim and a small sun and moon adorning the uppermost lip. Elbow length gloves were the same pearl white with a tiny star just below the joint. The wind began to blow tousling her chestnut locks and blowing the feathery strands into her face. A small smirk traced its way across her cold porcelain face as the icy eyes of green and silver glared off in one direction. A chilled whisper broke the silences as she pulled out a single ofuda. "It has begun Mistress of the Cards. Prepare for your final judgment." The smirk slowly melted into an evil glare as she threw out the slip of paper. "Inukari!"
Suddenly the object burned a brilliant white light and formed into the shape of a wolf composed completely of blue-white light. It whimpered softly then walked over to her and bowed its head in greeting. A gentle smile took the place of the cold look as she caressed the creature's head gently. "It's time Inukari… Are you ready?"
The animal nodded slowly as she allowed a stoic look to glue itself in place. "The Card Mistress must undergo the final test determining her worthiness. I don't want you to hurt her seriously… but go… give her warning and a taste of what's to come." The animal turned and was about to disappear when her soft voice halted its actions. "Inukari… come back alive…" The animal yapped softly in love for its master then leaped into the shadows and out of view.
~*~
Sakura walked slowly down the street that passed by Penguin Park and sighed softly. Touya had wanted to go to the ice cream parlor with Yuzuriha, and Tomoyo had gotten a chance to spend the evening with one of the girls from their favorite group. That left her all alone. Looking about with bright green eyes she felt an eerie presence filtering from the confines of the park. Surprised, she just blinked her eyes and shook her head. Eriol-kun is back in England and I have all of the Clow cards. There's nothing to worry about. Is there?
Shrugging her shoulders she began to hum one of her favorite songs by Estrella and looked up at the darkening sky. The words of Tainted began to slip past her lips as she sang to the silent melody in her head. Suddenly forgotten questions emerged in her head. Why did Solis seem so cold and distant? Her demeanor had really matched her songs unlike the fake smile the singer always wore in pictures and in concert. This puzzled her even more. "Hoe! I don't understand! I wish she would let me be her friend…"
"Eh? Who Sakura-chan?" Whirling about her green eyes met light chocolate brown through rich brown bangs. Instantly all her thoughts melted away as she catapulted herself at Syaoran happily.
"Syaoran-kun! Where were you today? You could have met the girls from Estrella if you'd been at school today! They're going to school with oniichan now. Isn't that great?" The smile on her small countenance seemed to light up the whole area causing him to smile back gently.
"That sounds great indeed Sakura-chan. I'm sorry I wasn't there… demo… I need to tell you something…" Blinking, the smile on her face only vanished slightly leaving the presence of the warmth it had given him amidst his solemn thoughts.
"Ne? Doushitano?" Li Syaoran moved uncomfortably as he pulled from her grasp and rubbed the back of his head. Peering at him curiously she didn't notice the large wolf like dog step out of the shadows. Glowing eyes of electric blue rested on her form intently without making a noise. Ebony colored fur tipped in white rippled slightly with each breath having the only indication of it being alive.
"Well… you see…" Suddenly he looked up sadly to see her troubled expression and all his words seemed to escape him. Desperately he looked away from her only to catch the eyes of blue glaring coldly at Sakura from the shadows. Blinking a wave of energy hit him and all he could do was take a step back numbly. "Sakura-chan… Do… do you feel that?"
With wide eyes she nodded slowly and looked around cautiously as to not provoke the watching eyes into attacking. Turning very slowly she barely had the time to see what was coming. A loud growl escaped the animal's throat as he slammed full force into the petite girl. "Syaoran-kun!"
Wildly the boy drew his Tai Chi styled sword and rushed the animal only to be halted into his steps. With a strangled cry he looked around to see what exactly had grabbed him, but found nothing. Sakura cried out in fear as the black animal flickered then changed into a form composed entirely of blue-white electricity. Her body ached as every part of her in contact with him absorbed the painful electricity. "Help! I can't move! Syaoran-kun! What do I do?"
Watching from above, the angel just smiled coolly while her lips moved silently as she weaved a small illusion. An illusion that resembled that of the Sakurazukamori, but not as powerful and only served in hiding reality from the eyes of other people. Fogging the minds of humans was an easy task that she enjoyed immensely. Turning to the struggling boy she just arched a brow. "You have no right to interfere… I will accept no such thing."
Syaoran tried desperately to move, but failed miserably. "Sakura-chan! Get him off of you!" The girl looked so limp beneath the immense animal of light making Syaoran come to the grim reality that there was no way Sakura could release her key. "Chikushou! Let her go!"
The flickering eyes of the animal rose slowly to meet the boy's and gave almost a smile at his helplessness. Sakura could feel her consciousness dwindling with each electrical pulse finding it harder to think as each second passed. Suddenly, the weight was gone and she barely caught sight of the lightning streak at Syaoran and slammed his limp body into the brick wall. Twitching slightly from the blow, he finally collapsed to the ground unconscious. "Syaoran-kun!" Even in her half conscious mind she could still feel the anger well up inside of her heart.
As brilliant eyes of green met those of blue she could almost hear a voice speaking into her mind. "Why do you act so angry? Can't you see his heart is shadowed by a strong lie? He is not dead mistress." Sakura blinked a few times in surprise then shook her head fiercely. The animal once more smiled before crouching into a position that spoke of an oncoming attack.
Spring green eyes highlighted in silver danced happily at the sight before her. "Very good Inukari." With that soft whisper she turned to look at the girl trembling on her knees as she made an awkward grab for her key. "Let her at least release the key Inukari… then show her that she is nothing when she is alone… I won't let her hurt you…"
With a slight nod of his head in acknowledgment, he didn't move from his readied position as she cried out the words to release the key in her hand. He didn't really listen, he was too busy picking out her weak points as she spoke and put them into action as he heard her final command. "Release!" With one glance, he looked at the pink staff with the gold star on the end before launching at her with incredible speed. Pulling out a card she cried out in surprise. "Shield!" The card formed into a large shield and would have blocked the animal, except her vanished and reappeared behind her slamming her roughly to the ground while tainting the blow with an electron pulse.
Quivering she rose to her knees and gazed at the animal helplessly with tears rimming her eyes. What do I do? How do I fight him? He's so fast… The animal grinned slightly and took a few steps in her direction. "It's hard being alone… isn't it? You're afraid… why? In the end… you'll be alone. In the end… when your life is on the line."
Shaking her head furiously she shot up onto her feet. "No! I'll always have my friends with me! I won't let you hurt them!"
Suddenly a chuckle seemed to fill the air, but not just one, but two. The wolf tilted its head slightly and glared at her icily. "You're friends are of no concern to me Mistress. Only you."
Shaking beyond control she ripped out a card and screamed out her command. "Time!"
Fear flashed in his eyes as she found he could not move. "What do I do my lady?" The pleading voice whimpered as tears streamed down the young card mistress' face.
"Sword!" Instantly the staff changed into an intricately designed sword, which was intended to strike the defenseless creature before her. But as she reached her target she felt as though she'd slammed into a wall and fell backward. "Itai!"
"My lady!" Opening one tightly closed eye, Sakura saw what looked like a beautiful brown haired angel whom was stooped next to the trembling animal. "I wasn't afraid! I knew you'd save me." The angel smiled lightly and caressed the animal's head before staring coldly at the small girl on the pavement.
"Today Kinomoto Sakura… you were warned of what is to come. Remember today and how helpless you felt, for your pathetic magic will not phase me like it did poor Inukari." Turning back to the wolf she smiled once more and opened her arms to him lovingly. "Come home my sweet Inukari." The animal barked happily and leaped into her arms as his form changed into a solitary slip of paper. Holding the item gently to her she looked at the girl again in fiery anger. "Had you hurt my sweet Inukari, I would not have been so gentle on you. Get stronger Mistress… or you will die." With that, the angel disappeared in a swirl of pearl white feathers.
Green eyes flashed in pain as she forced herself onto her feet. In all her fighting, she had never felt the numb ache that the wolf had infringed upon her. Breathing in weakly she allowed her staff to shrink back into its normal charm size then turned to see the still unconscious Syaoran. "Syaoran-kun!" Running to him she pulled his limp form into an embrace. To her relief, his heart was beating and his breathing was steady. "Daijoubu Syaoran-kun…" Hugging him tightly she let out a long sigh. It all happened so suddenly. Who was that angelic being? What had the animal and her meant in their few words to her? Whatever it was, she knew that if she wanted to protect her friends, she'd have to grow stronger. Silently her eyes strayed to his peaceful face. "I'll protect you Syaoran-kun… so… so you won't have to anymore."
~*~
The swirl of feathers died down to reveal the unconscious form of Solis on a bench not even a block away from the Kinomoto's home. Erratic breathing was heard as she gasped for much needed air. The black hat slowly slipped from her head and rolled a few feet away before falling onto the pavement. The shivering form felt extremely numb and cold as she struggled for consciousness. Consciousness that refused to come.
Yukito walked slowly toward Touya's house deep in thought. He could feel the troubled stated his other self was in and it puzzled him as well. Had something happened to Sakura? If so, why hadn't Yue appeared and went to her aid? What he hadn't expected was an answer. "Forget it Tsukishiro-san. Just as I felt her distress it disappeared… I assume… hope… she's alright."
The teen just smiled happily and bobbed his head in agreement. "She was probably just having some stressful problems with that boyfriend of hers." At this he could almost hear Yue complain about that brat that wasn't worthy of his mistress. "You're as bad as To-ya." That shut the guardian up and brought a soft chuckle out of Yukito.
Sighing softly he walked past a bench slowly, but stopped as realization hit him. Somebody was there. Turning to look, he saw the limp form lying there unmoving with a familiar black hat lying only a few feet away. Leaning down to pick it up his hazel brown eyes went extremely wide. "Solis-san!" Moving over to her he nudged her shoulder gently. "Solis-san! Wake up!"
The girl moaned softly but didn't move only making him worry more. Frowning in thought he finally leaned over and gathered her into his arms. Blinking a few times he marveled at how light she was. "Solis-san… you feel so deathly light…" Shaking his head he looked in the direction of the Kinomoto's then down at the still form in his arms. Debating for a moment he shook his head and turned towards home.
~*~
Subaru looked up at the clock silently and arched a brow. It was dark now, not to mention VERY late. Taking a deep breath he debated over whether or not he should be worried. The protective side of him won as she picked up the phone and dialed Kamui's number. Anxiously he listened to the rings and waited for the younger man to pick up. When he did, the voice seemed rather distracted. "Sadira! Don't…" There was a sudden crash then a long sigh before his attention went back to the phone. "Mushi mushi?"
The older man allowed a small grin to momentarily cross his face. "The American getting to you Shirou-san?"
"No comment Sumeragi-san… Did you need somethi… Dira-chan… Don't worry about it. I'll fix it later." The even more distant voice tried it's best to remain polite even though Subaru could tell he was very flustered.
"Lissy-chan hasn't come home yet… Have you seen her?" There was a momentary pause before the boy on the other end spoke up quietly.
"She didn't come home? No… I haven't seen her… What happened? Did you upset her?" The worry and shock was evident in the boy's voice as Subaru cringed. He didn't want to think she was still avoiding him, but it was a possibility.
"She had wanted to take a walk… but she never used to stay out this late…" Looking out the window blankly he stretched his senses in search of the missing girl. He had become rather good at it since he'd heightened his abilities. But the results scared him enough to flush his face extremely pale. "Kamui-kun… Her aura… It's so weak…"
Instantly the boy nearly freaked. "NANI? That can't be! She's so strong! She should be able to take care of herself! Subaru! Why did you let her go off alone?"
"Calm down… I'm going to look for her… whatever happened… it must have really drained her. The important thing is that she's alive." The silence that followed told Subaru that the boy understood. "I'll call you later Shirou-san… Just don't let Sadira-san know. I don't want her and Naisumi-san on my case till after I find her."
"Hai… find her. Onegai? I don't like this feeling. It's almost like… something is going to happen."
"I know… That foreboding feeling is almost suffocating me. Talk to you soon." With that he hung up and walked to the door and grabbed his coat. Slipping it on he just closed his eyes a moment. What happened Solis? Please be ok… With that thought he disappeared out the door.
~*~
Streams of sunlight filtered in through the window onto the bed crawling slowly to the pale doll like countenance resting against the white pillow. Moving ever so slightly, one deep green eye fluttered open to see the approaching dawn within the haze filled morning. The fog seemed to rest on the ground like a blanket just as it shrouded her mind. Brushing stray locks of chestnut hair behind her ears she looked at the bed calmly. "Where… am I…?" Keeping all of her emotions in check, she finally looked to her side and found a lithe young man sleeping uncomfortably in a chair beside the bed.
The sunlight danced upon his silvery hair bringing a soft smile to her face. "Tsuki… eh… Yukito-san…" Her gentle voice somehow reached his ears and him rustled about before opening one hazel nut eye.
"Etto… Ohayo Solis-san…" Smiling nervously, he straightened his posture trying not to groan at the frozen joints that refused to move. "How are you feeling this morning?"
Tilting her head to the side she glanced at him curiously. "Truthfully… I don't know…" Looking down at her clenched fists, her normally steady gaze faltered. "How did I get here?"
Yukito blinked a few times before standing and walking over to her bed silently taking a seat beside her. "You mean you don't know what happened? I found you unconscious on a bench while I was going to To-ya's house."
Her eyes flashed in surprise as she looked at him with fear in her deep forest green eyes. "I…I was? Demo… how…?"
At this, Yukito couldn't help but smile and rest a hand gently on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. You're ok now and that's what matters." Retracting his hand slightly he looked at her in surprise. "You're trembling…"
"Gomen ne… I don't know why… but I feel so tired and weak… Like all of my energy has been sapped out of me." Leaning back into the pillows she turned her head to gaze up at his worried face. "Daijoubu… don't worry. Ano… could you call Subaru-kun for me? He's probably worried sick…"
"Mochiron…" Turning to the bedside table he picked up the cordless phone he'd brought with him that night. "What's the number?" As she called it off to him he punched in the numbers slowly. "What's his family name?"
Smiling softly, she let her eyes fall closed heavily. "Sumeragi… His name is Sumeragi Subaru… aa… I'm going to sleep now… Arigauto Yukito-kun…"
At her words he couldn't help but smile, but upon the realization of who this man was, he grew very worried. The onmyouji… the greatest in Japan… She lives with that guy? Kakkoii… Walking out of the room he listened to the phone ring a few more times about to hang up when a deep voice answered in an extremely tired voice. "Mushi mushi…"
"Ano… Sumeragi Subaru, Onegai?" There was a long pause, as the other person seemed to be contemplating the timid voice Yukito used.
"Hai… Subaru-san desu. Can I help you?" Instantly the anxiety grew inside of the young teen as he fidgeted with a picture on the wall of his home.
"Aa… Sumeragi-san… Solis-san asked me to call you. I found her last night unconscious on a bench in the Tomoeda area. I didn't know where to take her, so I brought her home with me." He knew he was talking fast, but the knot in his stomach made it hard not to.
Subaru on the other hand suddenly came alive after his entire night of no sleep. "Honto ni? Is she ok? May I ask your name?"
"Tsukishiro Yukito. I'm a classmate of hers. She's extremely worn out, but she doesn't even know why. If you would like, you can come get her or I could continue to stay with her. But I'm not going to school unless I know she's ok." Yukito started to feel a bit more comfortable as Subaru let his cold disposition melt away.
"Aa. Hai, I'll come right away. Domo arigauto Tsukishiro-san." The relief in his voice was very noticeable even as he anxiously took down the instructions to the young man's home. He could only thank whatever being it was that had ensured her safety that night. "I'll be there as soon as possible. Sayonara."
As Yukito hung up he let out a soft sigh. Part of him was glad that she'd be going home soon, while the other half was sad to see her leave. It just felt so right having her there in his house. Turning to look into the room he marveled at the way the sunlight grazed her porcelain features and danced on the rich chestnut hair. Kirie na… like… an angel… Something inside of him fluttered and he knew Yue was trying to see what had gotten him so stirred up inside. With a small smile he closed his eyes in order to tease the moon guardian with in him. No peeking Yue-san… Chuckling lightly to the exasperated noise that was made in his head he only felt that much more delighted. Finally opening his eyes, they both gazed upon her lithe form and mentally sighed together. This made the grin broaden more on his face. How out of character Yue-san… Kawaii-o!
In his head he heard the distinct words that he had to bite his tongue over to keep from laughing. "Shut up Tsukishiro-san…" Picturing the cool glare only made Yukito want to laugh even harder, but somehow, he was able to keep it within the bounds of his mind and eyes so as not to awaken the beautiful girl in his bed. "Sleep well… Solis-chan…"
~*~
A mass of bodies moved with coordinated precision over the large soccer field occasionally calling out to a teammate. Today they were having a game with the girls against the boys, which wasn't the best of ideas. Some girls seemed to be very experienced where others, well… just needed to stick to the bench. Suddenly the ball flew past the female goalie and the boys erupted into laughter and smiles. Smugly the goalie apologized countless times to her team before kicking the ball up to the center of the field. At halfback, Solis stood with her arms crossed in boredom. She loved the game, that was true, but she didn't like how miserably they were losing. Finally she called up to her forwards that consisted of Naisumi and two other girls. "Kick it back to me please, then get ready to run."
The three were completely shocked at her cool steady tone but nodded anyways. "Hai, Genki-san! Un ga ii!" As the whistle was blown, Naisumi spun about and passed the ball back to Solis. Eying the ball calmly, she sprung into motion and kicked the ball gracefully up the field, nearly all the way to their goalie.
"Run…" Shaking off all of the stares she finally sighed and ran forward to where a dumbfounded boy stood with the ball beneath his foot. After a moment, they snapped out of it and ran after her murmuring to one another about how amazing she was in every sport she played.
Sweeping past the boy she approached the goal, but as she was about to make a goal, a foot swept beneath her and sent her flying to the ground while the ball traveled out of bounds. Smiling lightly to herself she turned over on the ground and looked up to see who had stopped her. To her amazement, Touya stood there blushing deeply and offering her a hand. "I didn't mean to knock you down so hard. Daijoubu?"
Taking his hand he lifted her to her feet where she began to brush off her P.E. uniform. "Daijoubu. Good save Kinomoto-san."
Suddenly another boy ran up to her looking extremely upset. "Genki da na?" Solis looked up to see the startling hazel eyes of Yukito and just smiled at him broadly puzzling the blonde that had also been running to her aide from her spot on the bench.
"I'm fine Yukito-kun. Arigauto." The teen stopped and smiled back while resting a hand nervously on the back of his head.
"I was just worried since you weren't feeling so well yesterday…" Yesterday… That was the day she'd woken up in Yukito's bed not having any idea of how she'd gotten there. Then the persistent Sumeragi that wouldn't even let her walk interrogated her all the way home. Yes, the almighty Onmyouji slash Sakurazukamori, carried her all the way home. Quite a sight to see in her mind.
"Watakushi no koto a anjinaide kudasai. Daijoubu." With that she looked at Sadira and sighed tiredly. "Take my spot for a bit? I'm really tired."
The blonde nodded slowly while she attempted to decipher what her brunette friend had said. "Only if you tell me what you said! I hate it when you talk in Japanese! It's not fair! It's like you're keeping secrets!"
Solis laughed softly and nodded. "Beijin no baka. I just told him not to worry about me. Thanks Dira-chan." With those words she walked quietly off the field to sit under a nearby tree alone. Little did she realize, that Yukito was watching her all the while with a worried expression on his face. Sighing softly she wondered what had happened to drain her of so much energy. She hadn't used onmyoujitsu in years, or had she? Her mind tingled as though she had; yet she couldn't remember when. What's going on?
~*~
Sakura sighed softly as she packed her school bag as the bell rang marking the end of school for the day. Her body still ached from the battle the night before, and she didn't know if she could handle another attack that she was sure would come. Tired green eyes looked up to see Syaoran standing before her quietly shifting nervously from foot to foot. "Syaoran-kun? Doushitano?"
"Etto… Sakura-chan… I need to talk to you. Walk with me?" Sakura nodded slowly unsure if she really wanted to hear what he had to say.
Slowly they walked out of the building on the way to her house in near silence. Finally she looked at him with wide eyes ignoring the stiffness in her body. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
Syaoran turned his head to gaze at her a moment drinking in her honey brown hair and swirling sea green eyes that he loved so much. "Sakura-chan… I have to… They want me to come home…"
Shock filled her entire demeanor as she stopped completely. "Demo… Syaoran-kun…"
His face fell slightly at her look of shock and sadness. Closing his eyes, he looked away quietly thinking of what else to say. "I wanted to tell you the other day… demo…" His mind reeled at the memories. That night he'd only proven how worthless he was to her. He did nothing and ended up leaving her all alone to fight the enemy and even save him. "Doushite mo… I leave tomorrow morning."
Sakura felt the tears fill her eyes as the denial rose within her. "Iya! You promised you wouldn't leave me Syaoran-kun! Isn't there any way you could stay?"
Suddenly something flared inside of him as the words he hadn't wanted to use came to his lips. "Sakura-san, forget me. I'm the clan leader. I have responsibilities just as you have responsibilities here! Just forget me and move on with your life." Closing his eyes to punctuate his words, he finally turned and ran from her as fast as he could.
Tears fell freely down her cheeks as she found she wasn't able to move. "Syaoran-kun… doushite? Doushite?!" Collapsing to her knees she cradled her tear-streaked face in her small hands. "How can you expect me to forget you? I love you…"
Suddenly she jumped as a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. Looking up she met the cool jade eyes of Solis and saw a conflict within them then a sudden settlement that spoke of worry and kindness. "Doushitano Sakura-san?"
Crying even harder she jumped into Solis' arms and buried her face in the older girl's shoulder. "He left me! Naze? How could he? He was so cold…" Sobbing uncontrollably, Solis gently patted the tiny teens head softly while rocking the trembling form.
"Sometimes… there's not an explanation Sakura-san… Sometimes it's better not to think about the whys…" Lifting the child's chin lightly she let a tiny smile touch her cool stoic features. "Hito no kokoro wa kawareru mono." Wiping the tears away gently she didn't understand why she was being so kind to the child when something inside told her just to shun her. "Sou shinjitemitai ashita wo ikuru no tame." The bright green eyes misted in tears widened before her gaze. "So should you."
Suddenly Sakura felt warmth fill her as she hugged the singer tightly. "Arigauto Solis-san! I'll try to believe that! Maybe… he'll come back to me…"
"Hai… maybe…" Taking a deep breath, she lifted the girl into her arms much to Sakura's surprise. "Let's take you home before Touya-san starts to worry, ne?"
Nodding slowly, she finally allowed her head to fall against Solis' shoulder and closed her eyes. She could feel a soft energy radiating off of the solemn teen with every beat of her heart, but she tried not to feel it. There was no way this talented teen could be bad, was there? She'd been so kind to her just now. People's hearts can change… Sakura smiled to herself as she remembered Solis' words. I want to believe in that in order to stay alive tomorrow… You're right Solis-san… I need to believe that as well…
TBC…
