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Chapter Four - On the Otherside

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If he just disappeared like that

Where could he be

Even if the man I hated

Was the man I could have loved.

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I stood inside another large tunnel. It was a tunnel that wsn't too far from my home, and I recognized it. Still, around it it had various lines of words…some which I could relate to…

Sakura…

I love you…

I read it to myself, and smiled. It had only made my will even stronger, and if I tried hard enough.

I could win…

The door still stood in front of me, at the end of the long tunnel.

Walking in , I could hear laughter echoing throughout the long tunnel. It seemed to be my own laughter…some childish and some more recent.

It was all somewhat mesmerizing…so beautiful all at once. What I heard was the growing love…the very love that had grown from friendship, infatuation, and finally…affection.

…but then, in a single moment, it all stopped. The tunnel light started to dim, and I had the sudden instinct to run. I heard crying, screaming coming from the tunnel now. Most of them were of Li…and some so horrifying, I had to cover my ears. I literally ripped open the door in front of me, and ran to the other side…

…another bright flash appeared, and I found myself…standing…

…on a dock. There was a town built around me, one of which I didn't recognize…

Could this be one of Syaoran's dreams?

'Hey!' Someone yelled. A brown-haired girl walked up to me and gave me a small flower. 'Welcome to Maidel. This is our small seaport town, but we also offer schools of swordsmanship to the north. Please accept this flower on behalf of my family…'

It was a pretty light blue flower. I took it, and thanked the girl. Then, I asked for her name.

'Oh, my name is Yumiko. Yumiko Kinomoto.' She replied to me, and she ran off back into town. As she ran off, however, she dropped a small bag. I called out to her, but she didn't even turn back. It were as if she were a messenger of some sort….but for someone I didn't know. She even had the same last name as me…

I picked up the small bag, and out of my curiosity, I opened it. Inside was…

…the music box…the same one that Kenji had left behind before…

I soon noticed that it seemed older than I had last seen it, but upon opening it, its tune remained untouched by the time it walked past all the years that had past. Could this be an insight of a future? A dream of what might be in the future?

So, I ran…ran into the small town, Maidel. It had cobblestone roads, and flowers on every building. Could this be a special occasion?

'Buy yourself a Destined Flower! Only 5 yen!' someone yelled from the side. I could tell…these people loved flowers just too much.

Even from inland, I could hear the gentle moving of the sea. Soon after I noticed….

…this entire city was floating on the sea…

The coastal breeze blew in, and I breathed it into my lungs, feeling so refreshed. It must be so peaceful to live here…

I soon caught up to Yumiko by the side of a small store or school or something. She took a look at me, and ran back into the building. Was she hiding something from me?

Running as fast as I could, I caught up to the door and opened it, revealing that the school was empty. I looked around the room, and saw that nobody was here at all.

Hanging from the sides of the walls were finely crafted katana. I picked one off the wall, but then I could hearsomeone walking inside the school.

'Just what do you plan to do with that sword?' he asked me. I couldn't recognize him at all..we wore a small white mask over his head.

'I'm sorry' I replied, putting the katana back onto the wall. 'I didn't mean to offend you.'

'Wait, Angel…' he said. I noticed how he had called me angel….could this man be…

'I am another part of Syaoran, Li. My name is Kegumi Kinomoto' he said back to me, bowing. 'If it means to be saved from the Chronos, then it shall be that I will teach you the art of the sword.'

The room around me seemed to waver away, as I found the two of us in the white room again. The katana, still in my hand, shimmered with the white light. Kegumi stared at me through his mask, and held his sword up front, allowing me a sample of the fine sword he held.

'Angel, strike me.' He yelled at me, seeming as if he were to have a twist at the end of his head. I held the sword with both hands, and took a strike towards Kegumi. However, he had suddenly disappeared.

I could feel someone tap me on the shoulder, and I turned around to look. Kegumi stood before me once again, and he kicked me down.

'You keep thinking in terms of the real world, Angel. Think as you were in a dream!' he said, and he disappeared.

I kept the sword up, ready for anything. I remembered how I had killed Cosmos O-N-E earlier…with a force I never knew existed. Could that be what he was talking about?

So, I concentrated. Suddenly, I could see that slowly, everything was turning blood red. Through the red, I could see a distant white shadow. That must be Kegumi!

My hands shaking, the sword started to glow a bright yellow once again and flashed in front of my eyes.

I yelled out, releasing the power contained in the sword. The brilliant streaks of yellow flying towards the white shadow.

Finally, I saw the aura split, once again, into many swords, as they all closed onto where Kegumi stood.

'WAI!' I heard Kegumi yell. He re-appeared, and quickly seemed to just slash away the attack with one hand. 'Is that all you can do?!'

He put out his hand, and I could see a ball of fire seemingly appear. I ran towards him, knowing this would be my chance.

As I ran, however, the sword seemed to grow hotter in my bare hands. I could see the blade diminishing, and the yellow aura melting away.

'That katana cannot handle the extrematories of your Angel magic.' He said to me. 'Your skill is low-class!'

I reached out, towards my sheath on my back, and grabbed the Foxes' Sword, which Naroays had given me before. Fort some reason, however, it glowed with a light bluish aura. The foxes' sword shone brightly, and slowly morphed to that of a longer blade and new hilt. I held…it seemed like…a new weapon.

I pointed the weapon towards Kegumi and took a deep breath. My hands, not shaking any longer…my soul in full action. I felt my eyes burning, and fury took control of me…complete control it seemed.

I jumped up, over Kegumi and stopped in midair. Yelling even louder this time, I pointed the sword down, and from nowhere…a huge bluish beam shot down and erupted onto Kegumi. I heard a roar, one that an animal would make, and I flipped backwards onto the ground. Kegumi lay, tired and beaten from that attack. I stood, sword in hand, as small charges of energy bounced about my blade.

'You are starting to learn, Angel. This isn't a world in which you are being controlled. This is a free-moving place…in which…anything is possible…' He said, getting back onto his feet. He was still panting from fighting. Soon after, the white room disappeared, and we were both back in the school.

'Then…why can't I find Syaoran?' I asked. 'Why isn't there a door that just comes and lets me find Syaoran, if this is HIS mind?!'

'Perhaps it already has, but you just haven't realized it.' He said, taking off his mask. Behind the mask…I could tell it was a wolf's head…

…it was Naroays.

'I can tell you this, however, that Syaoran's soul does not exist within me. I am merely a part of his own being. Be well Angel, and find our master soon…'

and Naroays disappeared again.

Leaving me dazed and confused…as to what may happen next…in the long run…

So, I put my sword back into its sheath on my back, and walked out of the small school. Looking around, I saw Yumiko standing on a dock, looking out to sea. I ran over to her as quickly as I could, the huge katana on my back hitting my back gently.

Maybe she could answer some of my questions…

    ~to be continued