This is Chapter Eight, hope you enjoy it! Review it if you can! Please!
Elements
Chapter Eight: The Boulder
- A fanfiction by Kyo
-*-*-*-*-
"Sakura, are you sure this is the right direction?" The Little Wolf asked her companion in a pained voice. His wounds were still very fresh and very painful.
"I'm sure this is the right direction!" Sakura cried, exasperated. He was leaning on her, wincing with every pace he took. His injuries were much worse than those she had suffered the first time they had met Flame. One was very deep. Where the Beast had had placed his claws with full force.
"I hope you are right. I'm not willing to walk more than I must." He whispered, almost bitterly. Sakura smiled up at him in reassurance. "If you don't want to walk I could use the Float." She said cheerfully. That Card had proved to be very useful.
"No, it won't be necessary." He said in a breathless whisper, as he winced when he took another pace, leaning heavily on her. Sakura, who was supporting most of his wait, wasn't so sure about it.
"Hang on." She said almost as breathlessly as the Little Wolf. "We are almost there." She said, just that as they left the tree line and arrived to the clear just before the cliff. There laid two magical items. Syaoran's sword and the Elemental Beast Card.
They approached as quickly as Syaoran's injuries would allow. Both kneeled before the items. Both to catch their breath and to pick up the sword and the Card. Syaoran reached out for his sword and picked it up, he transformed it into it's pendant form and Sakura helped him put it around his neck. Then, Sakura picked up the Card. The picture of a flaming, winged heart crossed by a sword was shown. But it wasn't any sword, it was an exact replica of Syaoran's sword.
Both gasped.
They had never seen anything like that ever happen to any of the Cards they had captured, but then again, these Cards were special.
"You keep it." Were Sakura's first words after they had recovered from the shock. Syaoran shook his head. "No. You keep it." Was Syaoran's immediate answer. Sakura pouted. "Why we have exactly this same conversation each time we capture a Card?" She said in a slightly annoyed tone. Syaoran sighed. "Okay. I keep it." He said, while he reluctantly took the Card.
Sakura smiled up at him and helped him get to his feet.
-*-*-*-*-
They were the first ones to arrive to the top. A few rangers were waiting for them with cool drinks and smiles on their faces. Sakura and Syaoran were relieved to arrive to the top. Finally, the end of this trip.
"Congratulations! You are the first ones to arrive! Aren't you two tired?" The ranger asked politely. Syaoran was about to pass out, but he hid it well. Sakura could feel his tiredness and how he tried to hide it. The ranger didn't notice that, though.
"We are okay, thank you." Sakura replied politely. "We are going to sit over there till the others arrive." She said pointing to an evergreen at the edge of the clear. "Is that okay?" Sakura asked the smiling ranger. He nodded. "Of course, just give me your names, please." He said as he took a battered notebook from his backpack.
"Kinomoto Sakura and Li Syaoran." She replied quickly. Syaoran was already turning around. She followed. Sakura caught him when he was about to fall down. His legs didn't respond to his orders anymore. She supported him and helped him sit leaning against the thick trunk of the evergreen. By the time he finally rested his back against the tree, he was panting and wincing from time to time, each time he moved the wrong muscle.
Sakura sat beside him and helped him support himself. She was very worried about him. Usually, they could heal by their magic alone. But that needed rest, and Syaoran have had none.
"Daijoubu desu ka?" Sakura asked in a whisper that did nothing to hide her concern for him. Syaoran panted and closed his eyes to block the pain and the dizziness away, and nodded. He smiled faintly. "I'm okay. I'll rest a bit. By the time the others arrive I'll be like new, okay?" He said, trying to reassure her. She still was concerned for him, after all he had been pretty bad injured. She opened her mouth to say something but he interrupted her. "I'll be okay. I promise. When have I broken a promise?" He asked, looking directly into her astounding green eyes. Slowly, almost hesitantly, a smile appeared across her face as she remembered her own words. She nodded.
"Okay. If you rest, I'll rest with you." She said cheerfully. A good reason to be with him. And that way he won't know I'm keeping an eye on him. She thought with a gentle smile plastered on her delicate features.
Fifteen minutes or so after the first pair had arrived, another pair reached the top. Eriol and Tomoyo. They quickly gave their names and joined the two resting Card Captors by the tree. Tomoyo arrived first, while Eriol kept his distance, since he wasn't a close friend to the other two. By that time, Syaoran wasn't aware of the world that surrounded him. He was still awake, but more asleep than awake. When her best friend approached them, Sakura brought a finger to her lips and motioned her to stay quiet as not to disturb the resting warrior.
Tomoyo nodded and approached quietly. Her light feet making little or no sound against the leaf covered ground. Tomoyo knew something was different. Usually, the Card Captor wouldn't need any rest, even after staying awake days on end, since he had done that before.
"What's wrong with him?" She asked her best friend in a whisper, as she sat to her other side. Eriol was talking to a ranger to occupy himself in something, now that he knew he wasn't going to be needed in a while.
"Yesterday," Sakura said in the most quiet voice she could manage. "we had to fight a Clow Card." Sakura stated calmly. Tomoyo gasped quietly. "He was hurt." Sakura had a remorseful look on her face, as she remembered that it was her fault that he had been injured, again. "The Beast sunk it's claws deep in his back, while I was hanging from a cliff." Tomoyo gasped again.
"And you are not hurt?" She asked her friend in a not-so-quiet voice. "I'm okay..."Sakura said quietly. "I'm more worried about him than about me. After all, it's my fault that he is like this." She breathed as she felt tears sting her eyes. The single thought of seeing him hurt made her feel like her heart had been shred into pieces.
"It wasn't your fault." A masculine voice said from Sakura's right, softly but firmly. It was Syaoran's voice. Sakura looked at him sharply, surprised. She thought that he wasn't listening. "It wasn't our fault." He repeated.
"Of course it was my fault! I was the one who ran to the cliff! I was the one who stood in the way when it was attacking you!" Sakura said desperately, almost in tears. Syaoran smiled faintly, and shook his head slightly. "It wasn't your fault, Sakura." Syaoran repeated while he caressed her hand lightly, tenderly. Sakura felt warm shivers race up and down her spine at his tender touch. "These things happen. How do you think I felt when you were hurt the first time? I, too, felt it was my fault." He said softly, a remorseful look in his eyes when he thought about it.
Sakura shook her head madly. "That wasn't your fault!" Sakura said as he took his hand and brought it to her cheek. Syaoran chuckled. "See? This wasn't your fault, either." He said firmly, as if daring her to say the opposite. This time, she didn't reply.
Tomoyo, who had been recording the whole moment, almost couldn't hide her excitement, especially when Sakura had taken Syaoran's hand to place it on her cheek. And everything is recorded! I'm so lucky! I'm gonna call this one 'Sakura's kawaii argument!'" She thought, delighted.
By that time, lots of persons had arrived from the different routes and were more than eager to return to the city. The rangers had provided them with jeeps to return to the civilization. A dirt road was available.
Syaoran was recovering rapidly, thanks to all the care Sakura was giving him. And true to his word, Syaoran only needed some rest to be okay. Sakura helped by doing a very simple healing spell Kero had taught her some time ago, after that, Syaoran was almost like new.
They only needed half a day to go back to Tomoeda so they would spend the other half up there.
Tomoyo walked away from them to search for Hiragisawa Eriol, who had been her companion for the last days. In those three days, they had learned that they both had a lot of things in common.
"Those two are too much." Tomoyo heard near her ear. She whirled around, startled. Behind her, Hiragisawa Eriol stood, his trademark smile plastered on his face.
"Eriol! You startled me!" She exclaimed, while she too, smiled.
"I beg your pardon, it wasn't my intention to scare you." He said politely, with a light bow.
"No need to apologize, Eriol." Tomoyo replied cheerfully. "You were saying..." She asked.
"Those two are too much." Eriol repeated, pointing toward Sakura and Syaoran with a nod of his head. Tomoyo giggled. "Guess you are right." They walked in the opposite direction as them. After all, everybody deserves a break.
-*-*-*-*-
Jong-Su's blood boiled. Jealously and rage fogged his mind once more. He approached the pair with a determined pace. He hated to see they were so close, that they were so good friends, that they depended on each other. It made him feel even more raged each time he thought about it. He was enraged about the fact that he had nothing to do in Sakura's life. She already had everything that she needed. But he wasn't about to stay there and do nothing. If he wasn't going to have her, then, neither would he.
"Get your hands off her!" Jong-Su yelled when he was near enough.
Syaoran raised his eyes slowly and glared up at him. Before he could do anything, Sakura spoke.
"It's none of your business, Jong-Su. Go away." She said firmly, with a glare of her own. Jong-Su felt his stomach go flat. He gulped and hesitated for a moment, but didn't move from his spot. At that moment, Tomoyo was returning to her friends, Eriol at her heels. He was waiting to be introduced properly.
"What's the matter, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked her best friend.
"He is bothering me again." She said tiredly, glaring at Jong-Su.
Eriol caught up with them and decided to put an end to this without using violence, which he feared could happen. Syaoran's glare was getting more and more fierce. Eriol, being the half-reincarnation of Clow, knew about his descendant's injuries, and didn't want him to hurt himself further.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you." Eriol directed to Jong-Su politely. "But I see that these ladies and this gentleman don't appreciate your company much. I'd be most pleased if you stopped bothering them." Eriol said without raising his voice, in a tone that accepted no buts.
"Who are you?" Jong-Su stuttered nervously, seeing that he was far outnumbered.
"Why, I'm this lady's friend." He said, looking at Daidouji Tomoyo, who was standing next to her sitting best friend.
Jong-Su grumbled and mumbled and backed away, a glare on his Korean features.
Syaoran only stopped glaring when he was far from sight, then he turned his attention to the newcomer. He eyed him suspiciously, but his gratitude kept him from glaring at him, too.
Sakura smiled up at the English savior. "Thank you." She said gratefully. Eriol smiled back. Syaoran felt his blood boil. This time his gratitude didn't keep him from glaring at Hiragisawa. Eriol received the glare with an innocent and gentle smile on his features. He didn't glare back, as Syaoran had thought he would do.
-*-*-*-*-*-
The ride in the jeep was not very smooth. There were bumps everywhere, but it was faster than going on foot, so none of the students complained. Syaoran's wounds no longer bothered him, since he had rested the whole morning and had had a very good meal. Provided by the rangers of course. He was very grateful of that meal. He was very, very tired of eating canned spaghetti.
There were at least seven jeeps giving everybody a lift, each one with four students. One of them driving. Tomoyo chuckled when she thought of the little argument they have had about who would be driving...
"I'll drive." Syaoran said almost instantly after they had been assigned partners and jeeps.
"No, you won't." Came Sakura's answer as they walked toward jeep number five, their assigned jeep.
Syaoran eyed her. "Why not? I want to drive."
"You are not driving and that's final." She said stubbornly. Tomoyo and Eriol walked in front of them, also walking toward jeep number five since they were partners. They were chuckling.
"Why?" he said on the defensive.
"You are still injured. I'm not letting you drive." She said firmly, grabbing his wrist to keep him from running to the driver's seat.
"I'm okay. I can take care of myself." He said with a slight frown on his handsome features.
Sakura giggled. "Tomoyo or Hiragisawa can drive. You go to the backseat with me. And no more buts!" She said getting a firmer grip on his wrist and dragging him to the backseat.
Syaoran sighed, and let her drag him. "Okay." He said, defeated. A cute pout on his face. Sakura giggled some more. "You look cute when you pout." Sakura said into his ear when he was getting sit on his place next to Sakura. He blushed madly. But that didn't keep him from defending himself. "I'm not pouting!"
Sakura smiled. "Yes, you are."
"I'm not!"
"You are!"
"I'm not!"
"You are!"
And they went on with their back and forth argument... After a while they had grown tired and stopped arguing, to which Tomoyo was very grateful. They were making her dizzy.
It was getting late. The Sun was now very low, and the darkness was setting in. Eriol drove calmly, talking about this and that to Tomoyo, who was on the copilot seat. They talked in hushed voices, since the backseat passengers were asleep.
Syaoran had his arm around Sakura's shoulder, while she leaned on his shoulder and snuggled closer with each bump. Syaoran leaned on her head and slept peacefully, same as she. Sakura had a contented smile on her lips, as if she enjoyed the trip, even with it's bumps and jumps. Syaoran's wounds no longer hurt, so he too, had a contented smile on his face. Even in his sleep, the Little Wolf was very protective of the Cherry Blossom. With each bump of the road, he hugged her even closer, and she encouraged him by burying her face on his chest.
Eriol watched the road attentively. Something felt odd, but he couldn't quite place a finger on it. Suddenly, so suddenly that he almost crashed on the jeep in front of him, they came to a halt.
"What is it?" the dozing off Tomoyo asked.
"I don't know." He replied, opening the door of the jeep. He went to investigate.
Syaoran began twitching when he felt that they had stopped. He woke up feeling a little disoriented, but very warm and comfortable. He found out why he felt like this when he opened his eyes. Sakura was in his arms, sleeping like the angel she was. He felt himself blush but was distracted from it by a gentle tug of his magical senses that told him there was a Clow Card near.
"Tomoyo!" He whispered. "Why did we stop?" He asked.
"I don't know. Eriol went to investigate." She responded, stifling a yawn.
"I feel a Clow Card." He said softly. Tomoyo looked sharply at him, her sleepiness forgotten. "Where?" She asked eagerly. "Just in front of us. But I'm not sure. It could be my senses playing a trick on me. After everything that has happened in these days..."
"What are you waiting for!? Go investigate! With Sakura!" Tomoyo urged as she got her camcorder out of her bag. Syaoran hesitated. "What?" She asked when she saw that he hadn't moved.
"Sakura. She's asleep." He finally responded.
"Wake her up!" Tomoyo near-shouted, exasperated.
"But..." He stuttered. Tomoyo gave him an exasperated look. Syaoran gulped and decided he better wake Sakura up. Tomoyo is scary. He thought with a light shiver.
"Sakura." Syaoran whispered as he shook her form lightly. Tomoyo fixed her camera on them, both. "Sakura wake up!" Syaoran said. He continued to shake her form. But instead of waking up, like he planned to, she snuggled closer. "Please, Sakura, wake up!" Syaoran insisted. This time, it seemed to be working. "Five more minutes, onii-chan!" Sakura mumbled. She used Syaoran as her pillow. Syaoran chuckled, but he was getting exasperate.
"SAKURA! CLOW CARD!" He said, almost shouting very near her ear. Sakura almost jumped out of her skin. "What? Where?" She asked, fully awake now, but very confused. And very soon, very annoyed.
Syaoran stifled a chuckle. "Finally! You are awake!" Sakura looked at him. "Mou! You woke me up!" She said a slight frown on her face. Syaoran nodded hesitantly. "You could have been gentler, you know?" She said, annoyed. "I tried! But you only snuggled closer!" He said in his defense. Sakura blushed madly.
"Anyway, why did you wake me up?" She asked, as she sat on her seat again, hiding her face from him so he couldn't see her blush. Even if it was too dark for him to see, anyway.
"Don't you feel something?" He asked her, seriously. "Like what?" She asked back. "Is there a Clow Card?"
Syaoran nodded. "At least that's what I think." He added. Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated. Syaoran was right. She, too, felt something. Very faint. Just in front of them.
"Yes, I feel it. It's in front of us." She said quietly.
"Then I was right. Let's see if it isn't causing any trouble. Maybe that's why we stopped." Syaoran reasoned. He jumped out of the jeep and helped her get out, too. Just when Sakura was about to step out, she tripped.
"Hoe!"
She landed directly into the Little Wolf's arms. She blushed madly when she noticed and let go like he burned. Syaoran reluctantly let go of her.
"Are you okay?" He asked, looking at the ground shyly.
"Ye—Yes, I'm okay." Sakura stuttered while she tried to make her blush fade away.
"Come on, let's go!" He urged and started running toward the first jeep. Sakura followed close behind. There was a small crowd in front of the convoy. They appeared to be looking at something. Apparently, that something was the thing that was blocking their way.
Syaoran arrived first. "What is it?" He asked to the nearest boy, who happened to be Eriol. "There is a giant rock blocking our way."
"What?" Sakura, who had heard this, asked, incredulously.
Eriol nodded. "As you heard it. We can't advance and there is no other road available. The only alternative is leave the jeeps here and start walking. But we will have to wait till tomorrow morning, is to dark to continue today." He said calmly.
Both Card Captors listened to this attentively. They wondered. This seemed strange. A boulder appearing from nowhere in the middle of the road?
The crowd dispersed to prepare camp to sleep there. Soon, Sakura and Syaoran had the boulder all by themselves. They surrounded it, inspecting it. Studying everything about it.
"It is normal enough to me, Syaoran." Sakura said, after looking at it from all angles. The dirt road was surrounded by trees. Left and right were covered by evergreens, making it impossible for a vehicle to move there.
Syaoran nodded. "It's pretty normal. But look." He said pointing at their surroundings. "If this rock had had rolled downhill, it would have cleared it from all trees. And the hill is covered with them. There isn't hint of the way it took, either." He said thoughtfully.
"You mean... it isn't normal then." She concluded. Syaoran nodded. Sakura and Syaoran closed their eyes and concentrated to try and feel the presence of the Clow Card. They discovered that indeed, the rock was magical.
"At least we know it is a Clow Card." Syaoran said. "We need a name to seal it."
"Well, it is a rock." Sakura said.
"A big rock..."
"A boulder."
"The Boulder Card?" Syaoran said hesitantly. A second after he had finished saying this words, the boulder began to dissolve into smoke. Syaoran slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "You. Gotta. Be. Kidding. Me." He said, exasperatedly. Sakura smiled up at him and raised her wand up in the air.
"Boulder! Return to your power confined! Boulder Card!" The smoke gathered at the tip of the wand. And inside a glowing rectangle. When all the smoke was gathered, it stopped glowing and flew to Syaoran's hand, who caught it expertly.
"Seems we can continue our way." Syaoran said, directing her a faint smile.
"It seems." They began walking toward the jeep, to wait till the others noticed that the boulder was gone. When they arrived to their jeep, Tomoyo and Eriol were waiting for them. None of them say anything. But something in Hiragisawa's smile made Syaoran suspicious. He made him feel like he knew something more, that he wasn't at all isolated from the magical happenings. But then again, maybe he was just being paranoid, like Sakura had said.
"The boulder is gone!" Someone in the front shouted.
"How could that be?" A ranger asked incredulously, but the guy was so convinced in it and didn't appeared to be lying, so the ranger went to investigate. What he found surprised him completely. The boulder, indeed, was gone.
"How could that happen?" Someone asked, almost in a panic.
Nobody had a believable answer. Everything was a complete disorder till one of the rangers decided to put an order to that mess of panicking and scared students.
"Okay! There's no need to be scared. The important thing is that the road is clear and that we can continue our way. But since it is too dark to see, we will camp here. Every jeep is equipped with supplies for a day for four persons. That means there is enough for everybody, plus anything that you are carrying with you. Thank you and goodnight!"
After the confusion left everybody, camps were set into groups of four. One group for each jeep.
-*-*-*-*-
"You couldn't sleep?" Syaoran asked his companion, carrying a blanket with him, because the night was quite chilly.
Sakura shook her head. She was gazing into the fire in front of her, sat on a log they had dragged from the woods. Syaoran neared her and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. She took it gratefully and smiled up at him. He sat by her side and gazed into the fire, too. None of them said anything for a moment.
"You were thinking?" Syaoran asked her, not looking at her into the eye. She nodded, but didn't say anything.
"About what?" He asked gently. She leaned on his shoulder and took a deep breath. "About the Card." She said after a moment. He looked at her, puzzled. He didn't think there was much to think about the Card. Not about one as boring as the Boulder Card.
"What is there to think about it?" He asked.
"Well, it is a powerful Card, and it has three more brothers or sisters. We should be careful." She said quietly, getting closer to him instinctively. It was a chilly night, after all.
"Oh! That one!" He exclaimed, finally catching up with her. Sakura eyed him strangely. "Which one did you think?" She asked. Syaoran laughed nervously. "The one we caught today." He said, bringing a hand to the back of his head.
"Silly." Sakura breathed. "The image is strange, don't you think?" Sakura asked without looking at him. She felt him nod. "It's sad, too." She said quietly, almost too quiet for him to hear. "Sad?" He asked just as quietly, taking out the Card, which now read: Syaoran at the bottom. She nodded. "Well, it's a heart, and hearts mean love. So this one means love, too." She stated, taking the Card from his hands. "But it's crossed by a sword, so it means pain, too." She said, tracing the sword with feather light fingers. Only the light of the fire permitted them to see the flaming heart.
Syaoran could feel that she was sad about something, but he couldn't quite place it. He decided to do something to cheer her up. Apparently, she was sad about the pain the card represented, he decided to work on that.
"It means pain, yeah. But look." He said, pointing at the heart itself. "Even with that pain," he traced the sword as she had done. "the love remains the same, it has not lost any of it's brightness or it's passion, see?" He pointed at the heart and at the flames that surrounded it.
This time, Sakura smiled. She saw, that indeed, he was right. Even if it had been stabbed, the love had remained the same. She directed a grateful smile up at him, a smile that made his cheeks burn. He was glad it was too dark for her to see, even with the fire. "Thank you, Syaoran. You helped me a lot." She said quietly.
"You are welcome!" He stuttered. He was glad she was smiling again. As a result, he smiled back. Sakura yawned. "You should go to sleep." Syaoran chided. Sakura shook her head, half asleep. "No, I want to be with you." She whispered. She leaned on him again. This time, Syaoran was so red, you could swear he was glowing. There was a chuckle nearby, but to Syaoran, it went unnoticed.
"Sakura, you should go to sleep." He repeated gently. Shaking her a little. To his surprise, he discovered that she was already asleep. He sweatdropped. Oh no! Now I'll have to wake her up, or carry her to her tent. He sighed. I better carry her, last time she was a little mad at me for waking her up. He sighed again. The things he did for her. But then again, that's why I love her. He thought happily, a smile present on his lips. He picked her gently, being careful not to wake her up or fall down, and carried her to her own tent. Outside was chilly, she would be better inside.
-*-*-*-*-
Flood was mad. That stupid brother of mine! He couldn't have waited till I told him! Flame had dared to attack the Card Captors without the permission of his older brother. Now he was sealed, and Flood wasn't happy one bit.
It will be ages before I have another opportunity like this one! Now they will be watched even more closely by Clow! Flood roared in annoyance. His roar echoed all through the forest. Slashing the piercing darkness and travelling all the way to the ears of the Card Captors. His roar was so mighty, it was heard outside the mountain. And his roar was so full of hatred and rage, it was palpable.
But I'll get them. I will. I won't be sealed like my stupid brother. He underestimated the Card Captors. I won't.
-*-*-*-*-
Li Syaoran stared at the ceiling of his tent with open wide eyes of amazement. The mightiest roar he had ever heard still reverberated inside his head. He wondered what normal creature could roar like that. He figured none, it was too load and too powerful. The thought that scared him the most was that it somehow felt familiar, like he had heard it before. He tried to erase that thought from his mind. He would never be able to fall asleep if he kept thinking like that. It couldn't be a Clow Card. We just caught one today, and another one yesterday. It just couldn't be another Clow Card. He was tired of Clow Cards.
He laid in the darkness for another minute, buried in his sleeping bag. He had been smart enough to bring a pillow with him. There was complete darkness. In the middle of the night in the middle of the forest, light was non-existent, except for that one of the Stars and the Moon.
Suddenly, a shadow moved against his tent. Light as a feather it moved. He jumped out of his sleeping bag in a second, standing on alert, waiting.
A pale hand opened the curtain of his tent. In the other side, a slender figure wrapped in a blanket looked at him.
It was Sakura.
Syaoran thought something had happened to her, but was too surprised to see her there to even move. Sakura spoke first.
"You heard it?" She asked, looking at him with nervous eyes. She crouched a little and step forward into his tent. She almost stepped on his foot.
Heard it? Heard what? he asked himself, looking at her with a confused expression on his face, an eyebrow raised in questioning. "Heard what?" He asked her.
"The roar!" She said, exasperated. She took another step forward, but this time she did step on his foot.
"Ouch! Sakura my foot!" He near-shouted, taking his foot away, making her trip.
"Oops! Sorry!" Sakura apologized. She sat near him, as not to have more accidents.
Syaoran felt really awkward now. Sitting there, in the darkness, none of them saying anything, made him feel... not good. Maybe with some light he would be better. And he remembered Sakura wasn't very fond of darkness. She hated darkness, specially if she was alone.
"Here." He said, making a fist with his right hand and covering it with his left hand. Then, he opened them slowly, his palms up, revealing a beautiful ball of light. It was much the same as the one that Glow made, but his one was bigger, brighter, and whiter too.
Sakura stared in awe. "Wow! How do you do that?" She asked, amazed. Syaoran grinned at her in the white light. "Secret." He wispered. She grinned back. "Mou! Tell me!" She complained. His grin broadened. "First, you will have to answer some questions." He said with an impish and playful smirk.
Sakura rolled the question in her mind for a moment and nodded. "Okay. But you'll have to teach me." She finally agreed. He nodded.
"What are you doing here?" He asked first. He took her right hand and placed the little ball of light in her palm. Sakura was surprised to feel it was so warm and soft. Like a glowing cushion. She concluded.
"I heard the roar and I felt something odd in it." She said with a blush in her face. "I think I got scared about it. It reminded me too much about Flame." Syaoran nodded. So that's why it sounded so familiar...
"Second question." He continued. "How did you found out this was my tent?" He asked. He looked closely at her. She seemed to be blushing...
"Um—I searched for your aura. For me, it's easy to recognize." She responded while she looked into the bright sphere of light. Somehow, if she looked at it with her magical senses, she could see that it was green and pink. Just like his aura and hers...
He nodded again. "Third question. Weren't you asleep?" He asked mock-accusing her.
Sakura laughed nervously. "Hehe, I—um—woke up um—with the roar. Yeah, that. I woke up with the roar." She said nervously, averting her gaze from his piercing amber eyes.
Syaoran eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure?" He asked cautiously. Sakura laughed nervously again.
"Hehe... I um—no. Iwasawakewhenyoutookmetomytent" Sakura finally confessed, blushing like mad and looking at the ground, very ashamed. To Sakura's amazement, Syaoran laughed. Yes, he laughed. Sakura glared at him. "What are you laughing at?" She asked in a mock-annoyed tone. She tossed the ball of light to his head. It hit him in the forehead and then he caught it with his right hand.
"Hey!" He protested as he launched to take his revenge with a tickle attack. But Sakura stopped him before he could even start.
"We will wake up the others!" She shouted in a whisper. He stopped dead in his tracks.
"Mou! Okay..." He said quietly.
She smiled cutely at him. "Is this interrogatory over? I want to know how you make the little glowing ball!" Sakura said impatiently.
Syaoran blushed madly for an unknown reason to Sakura and nodded wildly.
"Well—um—okay. First, close your right hand in a fist." He said, while he, himself, did it, too. "Then, cover your fist with your left hand." Sakura watched him like a student does to a favorite teacher. "Now, think in someone you really love. Your father, or whomever you want." He said, closing his eyes and concentrated. "After you picture that person in your mind, open you hands slowly, your palms up." He opened his fist and inside was another ball of light.
Sakura concentrated. The first person that came to her mind was, in fact, the person that in that same moment was in front of her. She smiled and wondered... Who was he thinking about in that moment? Sakura opened her hands and she discovered a bright ball in them, just as big and bright as Syaoran's. She looked at her own creation in awe and pride. She was grinning from ear to ear. Syaoran smiled at her and nodded his approval. "That was very good." He praised. Sakura started playing with the three balls, which, by the way, were identical. Syaoran thought that was weird, since that kind of spell was very personal, it depended on the person you were thinking of and how strong your feelings for that person are. "Where did you learn this?" Sakura asked, intrigued about his friend's ability. "It's from my own invention." Syaoran said, smugly. "Really?" He nodded. "How did you do it?" She asked, curious. "I'll tell you tomorrow on the road. It's getting late." He chided and pushed her out of the tent. "Promise?" Sakura asked of him. Syaoran smiled and nodded, a hand on the small of her back to keep her from stopping walking. They stopped at the entrance of her tent. There she smiled up at him. "Thanks!" She whispered, and she turned around. He returned to his tent. Nothing abnormal happened that night. To be continued... -*-*-*-*- Thank you for supporting me all through this fanfic! Don't forget to review!