CHAPTER 5 - Leaving
Wind magic blew the guards away from Syaoran as he went down the corridors and twisting staircases to the prison. He'd never been to the prisons, even as a boy exploring the castle. They had always been off-limits. Yet something seemed to be directing him in the right direction. He knew internally where to find Sakura.
Soon he entered a damp and dark room, with the only lights a small candle on an absent guard's desk and another small candle from one of the cells inside. There were no windows. The lone guard was down by the cell with the light, and Syaoran came down after him. By the time the guard noticed Syaoran, it was too late, and he had received a blow to the back of the head sure to keep him knocked out for a while.
"Syaoran!?" said Sakura from inside the cell in an astonished tone.
"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here."
"You stupid fool, why did you risk yourself to come here!" she said, with false anger.
"Because it's my fault you're in here." Syaoran tapped at the bars with his sword, trying to find a weak spot to attack.
"Use the keys on the guard, genius," called a voice from in the cell with Sakura, one he didn't recognize.
"You have someone else in there?" asked Syaoran.
"Yes, sort of," said Sakura. "He's a gift from Mistress Mizuki. His name's Keroberos."
"Well, hurry up!" said Kero, impatiently. "We can all talk later."
"All right," grumbled Syaoran. That Keroberos was going to be a thorn in his side. He could just tell. Searching the guard, he found a set of keys. It took a couple tries, but he found one that worked, and he swung the unlocked door open.
Sakura bounded out, wrapping him in a short hug. "Thank you for coming back!"
Syaoran just nodded. Kero interrupted them both. "Hey! Let's go!"
***********
"Mistress Mizuki!" called Sakura into the bakery. It seemed empty.
"I wonder where she went," said Syaoran. "But we can't wait around forever. We need to leave this town as soon as possible."
"But you said she wanted to see me before we left."
"Don't worry, children," said Mizuki, from the doorway she was entering. "I'm here, and I won't keep you long." She grasped Sakura's face into her hands. "You're going to find things much different from here on out, but don't worry, because everything shall work out in the end." Seeing Sakura's quizzical look, she laughed. "You'll see." Mizuki closed her eyes and instructed Sakura to do the same. "I have to give you something you need."
Kero realized what Mizuki was going to do. "No," he said. "You can't give her that."
"It'll be all right, Keroberos," Mizuki said calmly. "Sakura, I don't have much magic, but I'll give it to you, to get you started." Sakura started to say something in protest and confusion, but Mizuki put a finger to her lips. "You have magic abilities, but its latent right now. My magic will help you get started."
"She has magic? They both do?" cried Syaoran. "I didn't feel it, though." He searched deeply into Sakura, trying to find it, but the best he could do was a small feeling that something was there, although he couldn't say if it was magic or not.
"That's because she is only showing a tiny amount," said Kero. "She's never used it at all, I'd be willing to guess. A few more years of disuse could cause her to lose the ability all together. As for Kaho, she hides it well."
"Sakura, relax, and be willing to accept the magic," commanded Mizuki. Sakura fell limp into a trance-like state, held up by Mizuki. Syaoran watched closely. He'd never seen anyone attempt to transfer magic from one person to another, and it intrigued him. "Now, take it." A bright light suddenly emerged from Mizuki, in the form of a small ball. Syaoran recognized the ball as Mizuki's magic ability. Judging from its size, he could tell Mizuki had understated how much she actually had. The ball floated in the air for a moment, before settling onto Sakura, then entered her body. She let out a short gasp, then was quiet again.
"Is she going to be okay?" said Syaoran, a little nervously.
"She will," said Mizuki, looking suddenly haggard. "She'll need to sleep a little, however."
"And you?" said Kero. "How are you going to be?"
"I am fine. I have done what I wanted. Sakura will be able to do what I have always hoped to do," said Mizuki. Syaoran realized she was really very old. And thin and tall! The magic had been hiding her years and appearance. "Syaoran, can you take her to my bed? I don't think I can anymore." Syaoran nodded and carried Sakura upstairs. When he was out of earshot, Mizuki said, "She can cure Clow Reed."
"Cure him?" said Kero. "He's not sick, only drunk with power."
"That is what Sakura will cure him of." Mizuki sighed, and lay down. "I don't have much longer. It's amazing what losing one's magic ability can do to one."
"What?" said Kero. "I knew this wouldn't be a good idea!"
"Listen, Kero, you wanted to leave Clow Reed because he was becoming something you hated. He was ambitious for the throne of Maghin, and once he became advisor to the King, he made the King his puppet."
"Yes, Clow is the true ruler of the empire. I know that."
"And, do you remember a man, one who Clow had killed?" Kero always had trouble remembering his time with Clow Reed, although it was longer than a normal human's lifetime. Something seemed to interfere with his memory, and only allowed him to recall certain things at certain times.
"I remember, someone...a name..."
"Kinomoto?" helped Mizuki. Kero nodded. "Fujitaka Kinomoto, who was strong enough to stop , when the disease struck."
"The disease made by Clow," said Kero angrily, the memory clear in his mind. "That's when I wanted to leave! He not only killed the man, he made sure to kill the entire family! His wife, and his two kids..."
"No," said Mizuki. "He tried to kill them all. But one of them survived." Kero shook his head sadly.
"That disease was enough to take out anybody. No one could have fought it off with all the medicines in the world."
"But one did fight it off. Kinomoto's daughter. I suppose you don't remember that it was you who brought her to me. Perhaps one day you will. It came close to taking her with her family, but it didn't. And this girl, the one upstairs, is that daughter."
Kero looked up to Mizuki. "Sakura is Kinomoto's daughter!?"
"Yes. That's why I've helped her out these years. I needed to keep her alive until the situation changed such that she would be ready to help Clow, while not keeping her under my roof, where Clow would be sure to put two and two together. Which meant I had to keep Sakura living in that burned-out old building. She had to stay hidden from Clow, but I still feel badly for it."
"If Clow knew a Kinomoto had survived..." Mizuki nodded. She turned her frown into a smile.
"You know, Keroberos, he was a good man." Kero gave her a look of disbelief. "He was. And I loved that good man." Mizuki sighed. "I want that man back, but I'll never get it. I just hope Clow becomes that, one day. A good man. That would make me happy."
"Kaho..."
"Kero, you have the job of protecting Sakura until she becomes strong enough. Clow knows who she is now, I believe, so it will be difficult. He knows she could be as strong or stronger than Fujitaka, in time. And you must protect Syaoran, as well."
"Why him?"
"Because, he is important as well, but in a different way."
"I can't leave you, though, Kaho, after all you've done for me!" Kero cried. "You took me in, and hid me from Clow as well!"
"Its my fault you're stuck in your current form. When you first came, you told me to hide you. So I put you into the stuffed animal form, and made you sleep until it was time for you to reawaken. And that time has come. You must leave with them, because I'll be leaving you soon. I want you to leave with them before I die. I don't want them to know I've died." Kero tried to say no, to get her to stop saying such foolish things, but he knew she was right. Without her magic, she was just an eighty-six year old woman with no ability to keep her body thinking it was still young, and when she wanted to die, she would.
"Good-bye, Kaho," said Kero.
Mizuki smiled. "Good-bye, Keroberos. I'm sorry things had to turn out this way." Mizuki closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep. Kero could hear breathing, but it was irregular and laboring. He turned away from her.
"Clow, a good person?" he said to himself. "It couldn't be possible. I can only remember so much of Clow, but all of it is bad." He went upstairs, to Syaoran and Sakura. She was lying on the bed, looking very peaceful. The boy was sitting in a chair beside it. "Come on," said Kero to him. "We're going to leave now."
"But..."
"We can't stay any longer. Clow will have guards here soon. Besides, travel is better for us at night."
"What about Mizuki?"
"She'll be all right, don't worry about her," said Kero, trying to mask the sorrow in his voice. "As for Sakura, you'll need to carry her yourself for a little ways. I think you'll be fine with that." Syaoran blushed and did not argue, confirming Kero's suspicion. Perhaps that was why Mizuki said he was important. If Syaoran was important to Sakura, then he needed to be protected as much as Sakura. Kero did not know how Sakura would handle losing another person she cared for after losing her entire family, and he didn't want to find out. He didn't know Sakura very well, but he did know she was very caring and took the loss of anyone she knew very hard.
***********************************
Continued in Chapter 6
Wind magic blew the guards away from Syaoran as he went down the corridors and twisting staircases to the prison. He'd never been to the prisons, even as a boy exploring the castle. They had always been off-limits. Yet something seemed to be directing him in the right direction. He knew internally where to find Sakura.
Soon he entered a damp and dark room, with the only lights a small candle on an absent guard's desk and another small candle from one of the cells inside. There were no windows. The lone guard was down by the cell with the light, and Syaoran came down after him. By the time the guard noticed Syaoran, it was too late, and he had received a blow to the back of the head sure to keep him knocked out for a while.
"Syaoran!?" said Sakura from inside the cell in an astonished tone.
"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here."
"You stupid fool, why did you risk yourself to come here!" she said, with false anger.
"Because it's my fault you're in here." Syaoran tapped at the bars with his sword, trying to find a weak spot to attack.
"Use the keys on the guard, genius," called a voice from in the cell with Sakura, one he didn't recognize.
"You have someone else in there?" asked Syaoran.
"Yes, sort of," said Sakura. "He's a gift from Mistress Mizuki. His name's Keroberos."
"Well, hurry up!" said Kero, impatiently. "We can all talk later."
"All right," grumbled Syaoran. That Keroberos was going to be a thorn in his side. He could just tell. Searching the guard, he found a set of keys. It took a couple tries, but he found one that worked, and he swung the unlocked door open.
Sakura bounded out, wrapping him in a short hug. "Thank you for coming back!"
Syaoran just nodded. Kero interrupted them both. "Hey! Let's go!"
***********
"Mistress Mizuki!" called Sakura into the bakery. It seemed empty.
"I wonder where she went," said Syaoran. "But we can't wait around forever. We need to leave this town as soon as possible."
"But you said she wanted to see me before we left."
"Don't worry, children," said Mizuki, from the doorway she was entering. "I'm here, and I won't keep you long." She grasped Sakura's face into her hands. "You're going to find things much different from here on out, but don't worry, because everything shall work out in the end." Seeing Sakura's quizzical look, she laughed. "You'll see." Mizuki closed her eyes and instructed Sakura to do the same. "I have to give you something you need."
Kero realized what Mizuki was going to do. "No," he said. "You can't give her that."
"It'll be all right, Keroberos," Mizuki said calmly. "Sakura, I don't have much magic, but I'll give it to you, to get you started." Sakura started to say something in protest and confusion, but Mizuki put a finger to her lips. "You have magic abilities, but its latent right now. My magic will help you get started."
"She has magic? They both do?" cried Syaoran. "I didn't feel it, though." He searched deeply into Sakura, trying to find it, but the best he could do was a small feeling that something was there, although he couldn't say if it was magic or not.
"That's because she is only showing a tiny amount," said Kero. "She's never used it at all, I'd be willing to guess. A few more years of disuse could cause her to lose the ability all together. As for Kaho, she hides it well."
"Sakura, relax, and be willing to accept the magic," commanded Mizuki. Sakura fell limp into a trance-like state, held up by Mizuki. Syaoran watched closely. He'd never seen anyone attempt to transfer magic from one person to another, and it intrigued him. "Now, take it." A bright light suddenly emerged from Mizuki, in the form of a small ball. Syaoran recognized the ball as Mizuki's magic ability. Judging from its size, he could tell Mizuki had understated how much she actually had. The ball floated in the air for a moment, before settling onto Sakura, then entered her body. She let out a short gasp, then was quiet again.
"Is she going to be okay?" said Syaoran, a little nervously.
"She will," said Mizuki, looking suddenly haggard. "She'll need to sleep a little, however."
"And you?" said Kero. "How are you going to be?"
"I am fine. I have done what I wanted. Sakura will be able to do what I have always hoped to do," said Mizuki. Syaoran realized she was really very old. And thin and tall! The magic had been hiding her years and appearance. "Syaoran, can you take her to my bed? I don't think I can anymore." Syaoran nodded and carried Sakura upstairs. When he was out of earshot, Mizuki said, "She can cure Clow Reed."
"Cure him?" said Kero. "He's not sick, only drunk with power."
"That is what Sakura will cure him of." Mizuki sighed, and lay down. "I don't have much longer. It's amazing what losing one's magic ability can do to one."
"What?" said Kero. "I knew this wouldn't be a good idea!"
"Listen, Kero, you wanted to leave Clow Reed because he was becoming something you hated. He was ambitious for the throne of Maghin, and once he became advisor to the King, he made the King his puppet."
"Yes, Clow is the true ruler of the empire. I know that."
"And, do you remember a man, one who Clow had killed?" Kero always had trouble remembering his time with Clow Reed, although it was longer than a normal human's lifetime. Something seemed to interfere with his memory, and only allowed him to recall certain things at certain times.
"I remember, someone...a name..."
"Kinomoto?" helped Mizuki. Kero nodded. "Fujitaka Kinomoto, who was strong enough to stop , when the disease struck."
"The disease made by Clow," said Kero angrily, the memory clear in his mind. "That's when I wanted to leave! He not only killed the man, he made sure to kill the entire family! His wife, and his two kids..."
"No," said Mizuki. "He tried to kill them all. But one of them survived." Kero shook his head sadly.
"That disease was enough to take out anybody. No one could have fought it off with all the medicines in the world."
"But one did fight it off. Kinomoto's daughter. I suppose you don't remember that it was you who brought her to me. Perhaps one day you will. It came close to taking her with her family, but it didn't. And this girl, the one upstairs, is that daughter."
Kero looked up to Mizuki. "Sakura is Kinomoto's daughter!?"
"Yes. That's why I've helped her out these years. I needed to keep her alive until the situation changed such that she would be ready to help Clow, while not keeping her under my roof, where Clow would be sure to put two and two together. Which meant I had to keep Sakura living in that burned-out old building. She had to stay hidden from Clow, but I still feel badly for it."
"If Clow knew a Kinomoto had survived..." Mizuki nodded. She turned her frown into a smile.
"You know, Keroberos, he was a good man." Kero gave her a look of disbelief. "He was. And I loved that good man." Mizuki sighed. "I want that man back, but I'll never get it. I just hope Clow becomes that, one day. A good man. That would make me happy."
"Kaho..."
"Kero, you have the job of protecting Sakura until she becomes strong enough. Clow knows who she is now, I believe, so it will be difficult. He knows she could be as strong or stronger than Fujitaka, in time. And you must protect Syaoran, as well."
"Why him?"
"Because, he is important as well, but in a different way."
"I can't leave you, though, Kaho, after all you've done for me!" Kero cried. "You took me in, and hid me from Clow as well!"
"Its my fault you're stuck in your current form. When you first came, you told me to hide you. So I put you into the stuffed animal form, and made you sleep until it was time for you to reawaken. And that time has come. You must leave with them, because I'll be leaving you soon. I want you to leave with them before I die. I don't want them to know I've died." Kero tried to say no, to get her to stop saying such foolish things, but he knew she was right. Without her magic, she was just an eighty-six year old woman with no ability to keep her body thinking it was still young, and when she wanted to die, she would.
"Good-bye, Kaho," said Kero.
Mizuki smiled. "Good-bye, Keroberos. I'm sorry things had to turn out this way." Mizuki closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep. Kero could hear breathing, but it was irregular and laboring. He turned away from her.
"Clow, a good person?" he said to himself. "It couldn't be possible. I can only remember so much of Clow, but all of it is bad." He went upstairs, to Syaoran and Sakura. She was lying on the bed, looking very peaceful. The boy was sitting in a chair beside it. "Come on," said Kero to him. "We're going to leave now."
"But..."
"We can't stay any longer. Clow will have guards here soon. Besides, travel is better for us at night."
"What about Mizuki?"
"She'll be all right, don't worry about her," said Kero, trying to mask the sorrow in his voice. "As for Sakura, you'll need to carry her yourself for a little ways. I think you'll be fine with that." Syaoran blushed and did not argue, confirming Kero's suspicion. Perhaps that was why Mizuki said he was important. If Syaoran was important to Sakura, then he needed to be protected as much as Sakura. Kero did not know how Sakura would handle losing another person she cared for after losing her entire family, and he didn't want to find out. He didn't know Sakura very well, but he did know she was very caring and took the loss of anyone she knew very hard.
***********************************
Continued in Chapter 6