The Capture
Which way? Which way?
Syaoran looked around helplessly, trying to backtrack. He
had skid to a halt, almost sure he had left everyone of those guards behind him
but he was completely lost now. This was not the way he had gone before, none
of it looked familiar.
He ducked to the side, throwing himself into an alleyway
and he looked down the entire length, seeing the end leading off into another
street several feet down. It would be better than going back the way he had
come, he realized. With barely another thought, he took off, racing down the
alleyway in search of the way home.
He glanced up as a knock came at the door. How polite, he
thought with a sneer. "Hai."
The door slowly opened and in floated the red-haired
girl, green eyes downcast. She kept her eyes down as she entered, closing the
door behind herself silently.
"Konban wa." She said softly.
He studied her thoughtfully for a moment, tilting his
head to get a better look at her. Yes, definitely attractive. Beautiful, in
fact. Soft skin, which he noticed from where he stood. Wide, innocent eyes.
Silky fine hair. And a wonderfully slender frame clothed in nothing but a sheer
wrap that hid nothing from the imagination.
But, for a moment, she was also familiar.
He narrowed his eyes at her, coming closer. No, he didn't
know her. Why should she be familiar?
But she had to know something about his double and he was
going to get the information out of her if it was the last thing he did.
He forced a gentle smile on his face. Tenderness. He
laughed at it. What was tenderness, other than weakness? Wordless for the
moment, he simply held his hand out to her.
The girl grimaced faintly, turning her face away to hide
the slip and without lifting her eyes to him she placed her hand in his. A cold
hand, trembling slightly. He fought the frown that threatened to cross his
face.
It was an insult.
"Am I such a beast that you can't look me in my face?" he
asked her quietly.
She quickly raised her gaze, fixing her eyes on him. "Not
at all, my Lord." She answered, blinking wide-eyed. "I'm sorry."
He nodded, although inside he felt the need to have
someone executed. "It was a simple question. I thought perhaps I had done
something to offend you." And he shrugged, pulling her into the circle of his
arms slowly.
She went almost reluctantly, one hand clutched in his,
the other catching to grasp the back of his other arm.
"You have a name, I trust?" he asked in a soft purr, lips
close to her ear.
She was stiff in his embrace. "Yes, my Lord. It's-"
Sakura.
He blinked as the name came to him, just as she answered,
"Sakura…" Very slowly, he pulled his head back to look at her, eyes narrowed
questioningly. Her green eyes peered back, looking at him head on.
"Sakura?" he asked her, almost hesitantly. At her nod he
studied her for another long moment, blinking thoughtfully.
Why couldn't he place her face?
He pushed it aside. What did it matter if he knew her?
This wasn't the reason for her being there at the moment. There were more
important matters at hand. There were questions to be answered. A magic user to
destroy once and for all.
And a beautiful girl to seduce.
He leaned toward her once more, lips brushing her cheek.
She tilted her head away, eyes closing as he nuzzled her skin, as he pressed a
soft kiss to her jaw.
"You have the loveliest skin." He said faintly, lifting a
hand to brush aside her hair. The soft scent of cherry blossoms and freesia
rose from her, almost assaulting him. He inhaled deeply, feeling as if this
scent could somehow drug him. He wanted to taste that smell, imagined what it
would be like upon his tongue. Very slowly, he parted his lips and brushed his
tongue against the underside of her jaw, close to her pounding pulse.
A soft sigh escaped her, fingers lifting to grasp him as
if he were a lifeline. His hair was soft under her fingertips, her skin
sensitive to the brush of his flesh against hers. Her palm was pressed to his
jaw, and she felt the muscle move as he bowed his head towards her neck, frail
kisses trailing the length. She grasped at him, her hand trailing down toward
the column of his neck and then digging into his collar, pulling it towards the
end of his shoulder.
He pulled her closer, wondering dimly in the back of his
head why she had an effect on him like this. He prided himself on being the
Seducer, on always getting what he wanted and then being able to turn his back
on what had been given. His arm wound her waist, realizing she fit perfectly
against him. His other hand lifted toward his shoulder, coming in contact with
her hand already there. He trailed his fingers down the length of her arm,
brushing across smooth skin towards a pale, bared shoulder. And the dizzying
scent rose from her skin as well, not only her hair.
Sakura threw her head back as he floated lower, mouth
tracking a path of soft caresses along the smooth skin of her chest. And then,
very slowly, she opened her eyes, shuddering as his hair brushed her jaw, and
she lifted her hands to grasp his face, fingers running over the smooth bone of
his cheeks. He hesitated, breath faint against her chest and then he inhaled
sharply as she lifted his face and pressed the softest kiss to his forehead.
He stared at her, lips parted in helpless confusion at
the emotion shimmering in her eyes. One hand dropped away from his face to
brush back his hair and he couldn't understand why, why she was gazing at him
with such a look of love.
Of lost love.
She smiled at him faintly, fingertips running over his
brow and then she bowed her head, lips moving toward his.
He recoiled from her as if she had struck him. His hands
pulled away, hair ruffling with the sudden gesture and he stared at her, eyes
narrowing with anger.
Sakura stared at him, green eyes wide.
His mouth opened to say something but nothing came out,
nothing at all. No words flowed into sentences in his mind, he was so stunned.
But what scared him was that this was something he had also wanted. Deep down
he had wanted her kiss, had wanted to know what it tasted like upon his mouth.
His anger grew at that, at such an admission of weakness.
"You won't kiss me." She whispered, hands dragging the
wrap closer to her body.
He growled low in his throat, head bowing, brown eyes
glinting coldly. "I don't kiss anyone." He said, forcing patience. And he
turned away from her, inhaling deeply to calm the mix of emotions running
through his body. Anger, definite anger at the fact that he could let his guard
down. Anger that he had misjudged her. Confusion that he knew her name deep
inside, that he recognized her features as if he had been witness to their
creation in a dream long forgotten.
And pure hunger to possess her, more powerful than any
pull he had ever experienced.
"Who was he?" he asked huskily, breathing to calm his
pulse.
She didn't answer his question.
He whirled on her, fury burning in his eyes. "Who was
he?" he demanded, registering the confusion on her face but not caring one way
or another.
"Who?" she asked faintly.
His anger exploded then and he lunged at her, grasping
her by her shoulders and shaking her roughly. A small cry escaped her as she
winced, fingers pulling on the wrap tightly.
"My double! Who was he? Who made him?" he shouted.
"I don't know!" she cried at him, and she yanked herself
out of his grasp, stumbling away from him.
He glared at her, not wanting to realize how small she
looked then, how disoriented. But he took it in nonetheless as she looked about
in sudden fear.
"This is why I'm here." she asked him faintly. "Not
because you…not because you…" she shook her head fiercely at him. "Because you
don't. You don't…understand…"
"You're here because it was what I desired." He said to
her icily. "You're here to please me."
She shook her head. "No-"
"Yes." He said with a sudden cruel smile. And he closed
the distance between the two of them, taking hold of her hand and pulling her
into his arms. She instantly resisted, flailing against him, face turned away.
His hands took hold of the wrap and he yanked, wanting to see all of her. Needing
to feel all of her against him. The wrap came away but even as he pulled it
aside, the material floating in his grasp, she threw herself into him,
embracing him tightly.
He stiffened, staring straight ahead over the head of red
hair in his line of vision.
She doesn't want me to see her…
Her hand lifted, body hunched against him, and she swiped
blindly at his hand, taking hold of the wrap once more. Anxiously, she clothed
herself in it, hands folding before her chest. But she still did not remove herself
from him.
He continued to stare blankly over her head. He tightened
his jaw after a hesitation, hands lifting to grasp her shoulders. And then,
coldly, he flung her away, leaving one hand outstretched toward her as she
looked up at him, face pale.
"Get out." He ordered in a faint, shaking tone of barely
controlled patience. "Get out now before I have your head."
Sakura gazed at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. Her
bare shoulders rose as she inhaled shakily but his expression remained closed,
hand lifted to stop any protest. Wordlessly she turned away, pulling his door
open and vanishing out like a wraith.
He stared after her as his door shut and once he was
alone he faltered, knees nearly giving out. Her scent still hung in the room,
invading his senses. He couldn't think. Numbly, he staggered over to his bed
and tossed himself upon it, hands lifting to rub at his face.
A witch armed with a spell to ruin him. That's what she
was. And he had somehow walked into her trap. Believing himself to be the
hunter. How easily his defenses had crumbled against her. How weak he was, he
realized. Weak now to see her face in his mind and long for it yet.
But in the deep recesses of his mind was her face,
smiling jubilantly, and never before had he seen her smile like that. He didn't
know her. He didn't know how he could see her smile like that when he had never
encountered her before.
His door slid open silently but he heard it, was aware of
another presence in the room with him. He recognized the presence immediately
but didn't bother rising or saying a damn thing. Instead, he allowed the person
to draw near, not lifting a protest as a soft pair of lips brushed the corner
of his mouth. He turned his face away, frowning. She knew, better than anyone
else that he didn't like being kissed on the mouth. It was a sign of affection
and he had no affection for anyone, especially not the whores he kept in his
home.
The figure straddled his weary form and only then did he
turn his head to look at her. Long, cat eyes with soft hair falling down the
sides of her face. She disrobed herself to loom naked above him but he didn't
show much of a reaction. He exhaled as she rubbed up against him, hands moving
to his collar to undo his shirt.
You're not her.
He frowned as he thought it but then closed his eyes to
shut out Hikaru's face. It was all right that it wasn't her. He could always
imagine she had red hair and green, green eyes.
Syaoran slid to a stop, at last recognizing the street he
was on. One more block and he would be on his way home. There was the bar,
noises still ringing from it at this time of night. He dove forward, racing
with all his might.
And only then did he see the guards coming from the
opposite direction. He almost stopped, heart jumping into his mouth.
Shimatta…
But they were far enough away that he could risk running
down that alleyway and jump through to get home. He could make it. And he had
magic in case he was cornered.
Shouts and cries cut through the night as he was
recognized but he ducked his head and ran, scampering towards the alleyway.
Guards lunged at him as he reached the alley and he
ducked, dove, dodged and jumped as they went to grab him. He almost let a smile
touch his lips. Maybe his years of training had actually paid off. Down the
alleyway he recognized the glowing portal and Eriol was visible inside, pacing.
"Eriol!"
The black-haired youth raised his head, snapping up. And
he took a step forward, eyes widening at seeing Syaoran being chased.
"Nani-"
Syaoran flew forward, intent on making it. He was feet
away from salvation. He could make it, he knew he could. He just had to keep
running-
"Syaoran!"
Something suddenly struck him from behind, piercing his
back and lodging there. With a sharp breath he went down, and he heard dimly,
other objects fly passed him above. As if more than one object had been thrown
to take him down. He lifted his head in time to see blue shards of what looked
to be ice stab into the portal and hover there.
Eriol stood on the other side, clenched teeth visible
through parted lips.
Hands took hold of Syaoran, yanking him to a sitting
position and then to his feet, dragging him backward.
"Eriol-" he shouted, gasping as pain flashed up his back.
"Close…the gate!"
Eriol didn't move, frame stiff with anger. But his eyes
weren't focused on Syaoran. They were set passed him, to a figure standing
close to his left. Syaoran looked over, struggling in the arms of his captors
and his eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized a silver-haired man with cloud
blue eyes, brilliant white wings at his back.
"Yue-san…"
The angel lifted off the ground and suddenly dove forth,
in Eriol's direction.
"Close the gate!" Syaoran shouted, throwing himself
forward only to be restrained once more.
Eriol looked from him to the angel heading for him. And
as if it tore at him he threw his hand up, closing it into a fist.
The portal slid shut just as Yue reached it. He pulled
short, hands lifting to touch nothing but air and he flew about a bit, scanning
the alleyway.
Syaoran deflated wearily, falling into the soldier that
held him and wincing as the object in his back.
Things were not looking good now.
