AN: Ya know, I think I'm coming down with a case of writer's block!! Aiyaz! Hopefully not, I hate hate hate writer's block! Neways, I'm getting a tightening on my braces, and that bugs me alot, so it might make me write slower after because every time I tighten my braces I get headaches! Anyways, thanks for reading minna-san *.^
Disclaimer: I do not down CCS or
any of its characters much to my dismay! They belong to CLAMP.
" Speech
* Thinking
~ Sound affects
() Translation
By ~Xiaoling~
Chapter 8:
Love, Hope, Shadow, Sword
A year went by, and the war was still raging on. But it was nearing it's end, and getting horrible for the Kinomoto Kingdom. The Li Kingdom seemed to be winning greatly, and every time one of the Kinomoto armies destroy a Li army, they seem to pop right back out. King Fujitaka sighed in frustration and anger as he looked at the huge map of Japan pinned on the wall.
There were red flags and green flags. Red flags were scattered mostly on the map, indicating places where a Kinomoto army had fallen. There were a couple green flags, but very few compared to the red ones. Green was to mark the places where the Kinomoto armies had victory.
"Don't worry honey..." Nadesiko hugged her husband tightly. "Everything will soon be over..."
"But what if it is over the wrong way..." Fujitaka said solemnly.
Nadesiko patted him on the shoulder gently. "We will just have to see how destiny unwinds itself."
"Very well..."
"Oh Syaoran!!! It's over there!" Sakura giggled while pointing.
Syaoran turned around, a butterfly net in his hands. He followed Sakura's finger and saw the pink butterfly standing on the edge of a flower petal. "Argh! I'll get you soon enough!" He charged at it and swung the net over the butterfly, but it fluttered away, causing him to loose his balance and tople over. "Ahh!"
Sakura giggles turned into laughter. "You look so funny Syaoran!!" She said, in between her laughing.
Syaoran sweatdropped and got up. He concentrated harder, wanting to please Sakura. He felt the butterfly to his left, so with his lightning speed he swung the net down to his left, and magically, he actually caught the butterfly. "Ha! I got it!"
Sakura started clapping and crouched down next to the net where the pink butterfly was fluttering around, trying to escape. "It's so beautiful don't you think?"
"Not as beautiful as you," Syaoran said while crouching down next to Sakura.
Sakura turned as pink as the butterfly. "How sweet Mr. Nezumi."
Syaoran flinched slightly as Sakura said 'Nezumi'. He felt horrible for not telling Sakura his real full name. It just wasn't right to lie to her, but he didn't want to tell Sakura. Sakura would run away from him, or worst, he could get beheaded since he was a Li.
Sakura lifted the net, releasing the butterfly back into the air.
"What'd you do that for?! It took half an hour to catch!" Syaoran exclaimed.
"It was amusing to watch, but if I kept that butterfly locked up in a cage, it would never be happy. It would be trapped, never to be free unless someone opened the cage. It's sad, thinking that such a free beautiful creature could be locked up so easily." Sakura said softly.
Syaoran nodded, "You're right." He stood up and went into the building where the birds were kept.
Sakura glanced over her shoulder and gasped when suddenly dozens of birds flew out from the doorway. They chirped in happiness while spreading their wings.
"There, now they're all free!" Syaoran said happily while walking out of the building.
Sakura smiled, "Yes, they are all free! Free to go wherever they desire! Somehow, I want to be as free as a bird someday. Or even a butterfly. They have no frustration is seems, and no responsibilities of being a princess. Or, they don't have to watch the bloody war going on. They would have no clue what was happening anyways."
Syaoran stayed silent. Sakura turned around gracefully to face him. "I just noticed, there were forty nine birds released, aren't there fifty birds?"
*Wow, she can sure count...* Syaoran scartched his head. "I counted fifty, you must have miscounted Sakura."
"I guess..." Sakura heard a ringing bell. "Oh no! It's lunch time, I better get going! But I'll see you after right Syaoran? Maybe we could do more butterfly catching."
"You mean watching Syaoran embarrass himself." Syaoran corrected with a sheepish grin. "Why not, see you later then my sweet cherry blossom."
"Hai!" Sakura smiled brightly, her emerald eyes sparkling as she turned around to leave.
Syaoran's grin faded and it was replaced by a frown. He had spent one month being happy with Sakura, but he had found out from his father that the war was going to end soon. And he was sure that the Li Kingdom was going to win. Syaoran sighed, this also met that his relationship with Sakura would have to end.
He walked back into the bird building,
and looked at the only bird left, his messenger pigeon. "...I wish this
war would stop..maybe I should persuade father...but he would never listen...not
when he is so close to getting the clow cards and making the Kinomoto Kingdom
fall..." He said sadly.
"Sakura and Touya dear..." Queen Nadesiko held both their hands tightly at the dining table. "As you know, we think that the war is nearing it's end."
Sakura and Touya nodded.
Fujitaka sighed and frowned, "We don't think we're going to win."
"...Oh no...." Sakura could only utter those words, her thoughts were spinning in her mind.
"But whatever happens, you and Touya must stick together, alright?" Nadesiko said almost pleadingly.
Touya nodded, "Don't worry mother, I will take care of the squirt."
"It's not the time for you two to be joking around!" Nadesiko snapped sternly. "I am serious."
"Alright, alright. I will take care of Sakura, no matter what." Touya said.
Nadesiko gave him a small smile. "That is good to here. And Sakura, whatever happens, always listen to your oni-chan (big bro), alright?"
Sakura gave a small sigh but nodded as much as she didn't want to. "But why are you saying all this?"
"...I...I don't really know..." Nadesiko said truefully. "Oh well, let us just have a peaceful lunch together. All of us, the Kinomoto family together."
Sakura somehow felt uneasy at the
tone of her mother's voice. This lunch sounded so final, as if it was the
end of something, or the last of something. Like the last time they would
eat together.
Sakura was surprised when Mika had brought her dinner at her room.
"Why am I eating in my room Mika?"
"I don't know, I think it's because your majesty is busy with the work and the war that they are not going to be going to dinner today. It would be rather lonely for you to eat in the great dining hall just with your brother."
Sakura nodded werily in agreement. Kero flew over to the plates of food, his eyes starry.
"Yes!! Food!!!" He dove into a plate.
Sakura sweatdropped and started spooning up some soup. Sakura looked up at Mika who seemed awfully silent.
"Why are you so quiet Mika?" Sakura asked worridly. "Is something the matter...?"
"Nothing...nothing is the matter princess. Just eat well dear Sakura, eat as much as you can." Mika uttered and left the room quickly.
Sakura blinked, "Why do I feel like everyone's hiding something from me Kero?! It's bugging me alot, I have a feeling something is horribly wrong..."
"Why not use the Clow Cards then?" Kero suggested. "You know, the vision thing?"
"Oh right!" Sakura opened her drawer, revealing the Sakura Book. She had transformed the cards into Sakura's Cards last year when Kero thought she was ready.
She placed the cards into three piles. And then she shuffled and then put them back into three piles. Then she placed them into a diamond shape.
"Clow Cards give me vision..." She said softly.
The cards flared pink and it soon died down.
Sakura turned the top card over. "Love."
She flipped the next three cards. "Shadow, Sword, and Hope?" Sakura felt an odd feeling of emptiness in her stomach. "Kero...why does this formation of cards sound so familiar...?"
"Hmm...it does ring a bell doesn't it?" Kero said while floating above the cards with his tiny legs crossed over.
"You know what Kero? I think I got the exact same four cards the very first time I tried this vision thing. Do you think it actually works when I get the same thing over and over?"
"No...the Clow Cards, I mean Sakura Cards are never wrong." Kero mumbled. "This would mean that this prediction is very accurate."
"But I don't think it's to good..." Sakura said worridly.
As if on cue, she heard the clashing of swords near the outside of her room. Sakura perked up at the sound.
"What's going on Kero?!" Sakura asked urgently.
Kero had a stress mark on his forehead. "Expect the unexpected Sakura. Let's go out and see..."
"Right!" Sakura slipped into her
slippers and walked towards the door of her room, the sound of clashing
swords coming closer and closer.
AN: Cliffhanger!! Hoho! Heh, what is happening anyways? A hint: Something horrible is happening =S Stay tooned and I'll post the next chapter soon! Ja ne~
