The Legend of Xien
Chapter: Two
"Masayume"
She shivered slightly as a silent gust of cold air crept around her neck. Goosebumps slowly started to rise upon her arms and she rubbed them to try to keep her warm. Light was engulfed by darkness, and eternity was pitch black. She walked cautiously around stretching out her arms towards nothingness as she tried to feel her way around. Slowly a dim light grew from afar and she began to walk towards the light. The golden rays from what seemed to be coming from a candle called out to her, as if whispering or chanting her name. She could feel the damp cold floor below her as she continued to walk to the lights warmth. She squinted her eyes as a figure began to form from where the light was coming from. The figure was all in black and its dark hair swayed with the wind.
'Where am I..?'
The person's back was to her, and was unfamiliar but something didn't seem right. Suddenly there was a cry of pain, but it sounded deep as if it came from a young man. She ran towards the figure but suddenly came to a complete stop when she saw a body fall dead onto the ground. She and the unknown figure stood there silently for a few moments until the tall dark woman slowly turned her head to reveal two taunting ruby eyes that seemed to stare through Sakura's soul and the woman grinned knowingly. Unable to move Sakura stood staring at the woman in fear. The lady turned around and began to walk towards Sakura quietly whispering. ".. anata wa.. anata wa.. hashirisaru desu.."
"Kinomoto Sakura!" Terada sensei yelled angrily at her. Sakura squinted her eyes for a few moments and yawned as she lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. The room was silent and she looked around to see the teacher staring straight at her. She blinked for a moment then screamed.
"Hoeeeeee!!!!!!!!"
"It's nice to have you back Kinomoto-san, now can you please try to remain awake for the rest of the period?" Terada asked and made his way back to the front of the room.
"Hai..gomen nasai Terada-sensei.." Sakura replied as she slowly sunk in her seat. Terada-sensei nodded and continued with his lesson. Tomoyo sighed and handed Sakura some notes she copied down so she could copy it by the end of the period. Sakura thanked her and quietly took out a pen from her pencil case.
"Genki ka?" Syaoran asked worriedly as he tapped her shoulder to get her attention.
"Genki.." Sakura nodded and continued to work before Terada-sensei caught them talking. Syaoran sighed and also continued to work. Half an hour passed and Sakura found herself staring out the window at the schoolyard below. One class was playing soccer on the field, while another class was running the track surrounding the oval field. She turned back to her almost blank sheet of paper and sighed. She hadn't been able to work all period and instead drew images from her dream onto the paper. She made the last few touches on the woman's ruby eyes and swallowed hard.
'Who are you..?' she thought as she ran her index finger over her art work, but her thought were interrupted by the sound of the closing bell.
"Alright class, have a good day and I will see you all tomorrow!" Terada-sensei announced and excused the class. Sakura slowly got up in her seat and began to pack up all her things.
"Mom wants me home early today, alright Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo informed her as she put her knapsack on her back. Sakura nodded and continued to stuff her bag with work. "I'll see you tomorrow!" Tomoyo called out and exited the room. The room was soon quiet and the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of people cheering outside on the yard, people talking in the hall, and her stuffing her bag. Sakura sighed when she finally finished packing her bag and threw the bag over her shoulder before taking one last look out the window. Just as she was about to turn around towards the door, something caught her eyes. There near the gates of here school stood Lang Ho. He was leaning against the metal bars watching the students finish playing their soccer game.
"Nan..?" Sakura whispered quietly to herself. As if hearing her Lang Ho's suddenly found themselves staring straight at each other. Sakura's heart jumped back a bit in surprise as she could feel Lang Ho's serious stare shoot through her. She took in a deep breath and tried to turn away.
"Sakura-chan?" A familiar voice called.
"Hoe?!" Sakura jumped slightly and turned around.
"Are you coming?" Syaoran asked leaning against the classroom door. Sakura sighed in relief and nodded.
"Yeah, go ahead, sorry," Sakura shook her head as if confused. Syaoran frowned slightly but nodded and reluctantly left. She turned around to look out the window once more, but Lang Ho was nowhere in sight.
"Nani..?" Sakura said softly in confusion. She frowned but slowly made her way to door and closed it behind her. She was startled to see Syaoran leaning against the wall waiting for her.
"Hoe! Syaoran-kun!" Sakura yelled then tried to catch her breath. "You scared me!"
"I can see that," Syaoran replied and uncrossed his arms. "What's wrong Sakura-chan? You've seemed rather jumpy for the last part of class," he continued as he motioned her to walk with him.
"Oh it's nothing really, I guess I need some sleep.." Sakura sighed and tried to smile.
"I think you need more than sleep, Sakura-chan," Syaoran laughed slightly as he rolled his eyes.
"Maybe.." Sakura said slowly as if she were in a deep trance. Syaoran opened the door and held it for her; as soon as she was out he walked after her. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
"Syaoran-kun.." Sakura spoke softly breaking the silence.
"Yeah?" Syaoran replied as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Sakura was silent once more and slowly stopped walking.
"What is it?" Syaoran asked slightly worried. Sakura lifted her head to look at him and she took in a deep breath.
"I think we need to talk.."
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A light gust of spring air blew across his face and gently through his hair light brown hair leaving strands of it dangling down his forehead and slightly onto his eyes. With a swift hand movement, Syaoran slowly brushed the loose strands of hair away and back. Still leaning forward on the bench and resting his elbows on his knees he sighed.
"Sakura-chan?" Syaoran said softly raising an eyebrow as he turned to look at her. Sakura remained seated quietly beside him with her hands carefully placed onto her lap uncomfortably before speaking.
"I... I uh... I had an odd dream during class..." Sakura began softly as petal from the cherry blossom tree behind them floated gracefully into her palm. They both stared at the petal for a moment, and then Syaoran turned his attention back to Sakura by looking her in the eyes.
"Was that what was wrong today?" Syaoran asked matching her tone of thought. Sakura simply nodded then he turned back to face the park in front of him.
"It was dark... and cold..." Sakura began quietly. "I couldn't see a thing, but as I continued to walk blindly I dim light began to flicker in front of me... and I walked towards it..." she continued as she became more into the moment. She looked down as if thinking more about what the dream was about, and at the same time trying to forget it ever happened.
"Then I saw her..." Sakura sniffled trying to hold back tears. She could still see the woman's figure in her head, her long dark hair swaying around her and those eyes...
"A woman?" Syaoran asked turning back around to look at her and interrupting her thoughts. Sakura nodded and continued.
"She had these big ruby red eyes that just seemed to glow... glow with magic..." Sakura informed him. She was almost shaking with fear, the dream was too real for her and she had not had a dream like this in a very long time.
"Was she alone?" Syaoran asked trying to get as much information out of Sakura as possible before she collapsed in fear.
"No.. there was someone else, a young man but I couldn't see him because he was against the light.." Sakura answered as she stared deeply into the gound below her feet. Syaoran stood up slowly and made his way to the tree behind the bench and placed his left arm against it to lean on. He stood there thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking.
"...masayume..." Syaoran said a little bit more fearfully. The silence was all he needed for an answer. He gently placed his right hand over his mouth, a habit he had picked up over time that he uses when he undergoes stress.
"Syaoran-kun, no need to get all worried! I mean... I'm not sure if it's true, I was just guessing..." Sakura said trying to cheer Syaoran up. When Syaoran didn't show any change in his serious state, Sakura leaned back in the bench and sighed.
"We'll just have to be more alert for awhile, until we know for sure that nothing is wrong," Syaoran stated then glanced over at Sakura to see her reaction to his suggestion. Sakura opened her mouth to protest but thought twice of it and nodded unwillingly.
"Good," He sighed while closing his eyes for a second. He slowly made his way back to her and gently placed his right hand on her left shoulder.
"I suppose I should take you home then, Sakura-chan," Syaoran nodded and held out his hand for her. Sakura stared at his open hand for a moment then slowly placed her hand on his and stood up.
"Arigatou, Syaoran-kun," Sakura smiled weakly. Syaoran just shrugged lightly and began to walk towards her house. They walked to the Kinomoto residence in utter silence, for both of them were thinking about what the dream could mean, and what may happen if it were true. Both were worried, but tried their best to hide their emotions. Syaoran kicked pebbles along the street while Sakura hummed a cherry song. Syaoran glanced to his right at Sakura, whose fair auburn hair blew modestly with the wind, revealing her bright emerald eyes. Syaoran smiled slightly at his partner as he shoved his hands into his pockets. When they had reached the house Syaoran walked Sakura to her door and waited for her to open it before taking his first few steps towards her gate.
"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura called after him before he could leave. Syaoran placed his left hand on her gate and turned around to face her.
"What is it?" Syaoran replied casually.
"I'm.. I'm sorry.." Sakura said quietly. There was an awkward pause between them as the wind suddenly died.
"For what?" Syaoran asked in slight confusion.
"I know how you wanted to go visit your family in Hong Kong for the spring break, but now that this has come up I know that you won't go," Sakura admitted as Syaoran lowered his head. "For that, I am sorry..."
"It's okay Sakura-chan, I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself back home if I knew that I had left you behind to deal with all of this by yourself," Syaoran replied and began to walk home again.
"What do you mean, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked in confusion. There was a short pause, and then Syaoran finally spoke.
"Until we know for sure that everything is okay... I'm not leaving you alone," Syaoran said firmly and slowly took a few steps back onto the road. "Good night, Sakura-chan.." he nodded and walked down the street towards his apartment building. Sakura stood by her open door and watched as Syaoran faded into the distance. As soon as he was out of sight she walked into her house and quietly closed the door behind her. She leaned against the door for a moment and said quietly.
"Arigatou.. Syaoran-kun..."
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Syaoran lazily put his key through the lock and opened the door and closed it behind him. He hung his spring coat in the coat hanger behind the door and began to take off his shoes until he felt an odd aura in the building, he continued to take his shoes off but was a little more cautious. He turned around and switched the light on, he looked around his apartment to see if anything has changed and his eyes caught something. Standing on the far end of the room was a young man, Syaoran couldn't tell who it was though for his back was to him. The person's hands were in his pockets and he was staring out the window. Syaoran sighed a breath of relief and threw his bag onto the couch.
"Have you ever heard of breaking and entering?" Syaoran rolled his eyes and walked towards the young man.
"Does it count when you're family?" The familiar voice said with slight humor. Syaoran sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, if you had to break into my apartment, and come all the way from home, it must have been pretty important, Eriol," Syaoran said and leaned against his wall.
"Fairly," Eriol spoke and turned around to face Syaoran. Syaoran smiled slightly, happy to see the familiar face once more. "But you might want to sit down for it," he added gesturing Syaoran to sit on the couch beside him. Syaoran frowned slightly but sat never the less. He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward.
"What's the news?" Syaoran asked still frowning slightly. Eriol turned back out the window and gently placed his left hand against the glass for support. Syaoran looked at him patiently awaiting an answer, or a reason for his visit.
"There has been a disappearance in Hong Kong," Eriol began.
"People die and disappear everyday Eriol," Syaoran scoffed.
"..Especially in our family.." Eriol added in slight disgust. There was a short pause as the two young men contemplated on what to say next.
"I see.." Syaoran nodded and rubbed his chin. "Who was it..?"
"A distant nephew of your mother, his name was Bai Shounu," Eriol explained and turned around walking towards Syaoran.
"I don't believe I know who you're talking about.." Syaoran sighed after a few moments of thought and leaned back on the couch.
"I'm not surprised, Bai didn't live in Hong Kong, he lived on the country side near the ancient villages," Eriol informed him and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Sounds interesting Eriol, but why should I be concerned?" Syaoran asked in slight frustration.
"Bai was a trained master in the arts you were trained in. Of course there is no surprise there since he was on your mother's side of the family," Eriol began and slowly took the seat across from Syaoran. "He too acted somewhat of a guardian for a set of magic cards," he explained softly as he rested against the soft back of the chair.
"What exactly was he guarding?" Syaoran asked in great interest for he leaned forward towards Eriol. Eriol grinned in satisfaction to see Syaoran's interest in the topic.
"Another set of Cards, Syaoran-kun," Eriol answered slowly tapping his fingers on the armrest.
"Nani?!" Syaoran jumped in shock. "There is another set of Clow Cards?"
"Yes.. however they are not Clow Cards," Eriol corrected.
"You mean.. there was someone else who had the power to create Cards as well?" Syaoran asked worriedly for his hands soon turned into a fist.
"Yes.. the Cards are called Miao Cards, and unlike the Clow Cards, this particular group of Cards had a very evil Master," Eriol sighed. Syaoran nodded slowly and stood up walking towards the window that peered down onto the street.
"Who made these Cards exactly..?" Syaoran asked seriously as he tapped his left index finger against the glass.
"I.. I don't remember.." Eriol replied regretfully. "It was an awfully long time ago, and I always referred to him as Miao.."
"So you knew this man?!" Syaoran asked in shock as he turned around to face Eriol.
"Yes, we were the two finalists in an old Maokai Tournament," Eriol explained.
"Maokai?" Syaoran frowned in confusion.
"The Maokai Tournament was an old Chinese tradition, only known by few. These few men that competed would train for almost all their life for this tournament. But this wasn't any ordinary Tournament, Syaoran-kun-"
"Drop the Japanese, we're at my house," Syaoran interrupted and turned to look back out the window.
"Very well, Syaoran," Eriol nodded and sighed. "Never the less this wasn't any ordinary Tournament to determine who was the most disciplined and skilled in the Chinese Arts, this was a battle between Magical Arts Masters.." he added raising an eyebrow to look over at Syaoran's reaction.
"You.. you would fight with magic?" Syaoran asked in complete shock.
"Yes, which is precisely why only few were invited to this Tournament," Eriol nodded. "It would take place every five years at the Ancient Castle of Okugi," he added and turned his body around to face Syaoran. "It was an honor to be invited to such an event, but everyone who competed took an oath of secrecy.."
"I see.." Syaoran nodded and walked back to the couch across from Eriol. "Explain.. explain more about Miao."
"As we all know, every good has to have an evil.. or so the story says.." Eriol shrugged as he shifted in his chair.
"I'm guessing that would be Miao," Syaoran sighed tiredly.
"Yes, he practiced the Dark Magic of Shin and used that magic to create his own set of Cards, the Miao Cards. As I Clow, use my own magic to create the Clow Cards.." Eriol explained leaning forward towards Syaoran.
"So what happened..?" Syaoran asked after a short pause.
"We had an all out battle during the final round, using only 10 of our cards. He had the exact same Cards that I had, except that he hadn't the discipline to control the Cards with its complete power, so I had won.. but he vowed to defeat me one day.." Eriol sighed shaking his head sadly.
"What happened to Miao after the tournament?" Syoaran asked impatiently as he tapped his fingers on his knee.
"He disappeared, probably went away to train for the next Maokai Tournament," Eriol shrugged.
"You mean you never saw him after that?" Syaoran asked in shock. Eriol shook his head.
"I didn't compete in the next Tournament," He simply replied.
"I guess he died then.." Syaoran sighed almost sadly.
"I assumed that as well, for I hadn't heard a word about him from anyone since that night at the Okugi Castle," Eriol shook his head and then looked down at the floor quietly as if in thought. Syaoran could see that Eriol was thinking deeply about something, for there was a look a darkness in his eyes that told him that Eriol was replaying the events of the battle between him and Miao.
"So what does this have to do with Bai again?" Syaoran asked with a slight frown upon his face.
"About twelve years after my battle with Miao, a friend of mine, also a competitor in the Maokai Tournament, told me he had found Miao's Book of Cards. Reluctantly I had taken the responsibility of keeping the Cards away and unknown to the world by hiding it," Eriol explained and leaned back deeper into the soft chair. "As I grew older I decided that I was too old to carry such a burden, so I passed on the responsibility to you Mother's Grandfather, Bai Mingkang. Your cousin, Bai Shounu, was the last guardian of Miao's Cards," he finished solemnly.
"So now that Bai is missing you believe that it is because someone had killed him for the Cards?" Syaoran said slowly as he analyzed the situation carefully. There was a moment of silence. Eriol stood up slowly and walked once again to the window. He pressed his left forearm against the glass and leaned forward, resting his body against it. Syaoran stared at the ground for a few moments then turned to look at Eriol.
"I don't know what happened to your cousin, but evil is easily attracted in China.. so just keep your eyes open Syaoran, for I do believe that Miao will keep his word and he will seek revenge.. especially to the person who holds the key to the Cards.." Eriol warned and turned to look at Syaoran. All Syaoran could do was nod and lower his head worriedly and turn his back to Eriol. He stood silently for a moment and finally whispered.
"Sakura-chan.."
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He panted tiredly as he ran after the young girl who wasn't far ahead of him. The forest was dark and silent, except for the crackling of branches and leaves below his feet and he dodged loose branches around him that dangled from old green trees. Groaning in pain as one of the branches caught his shirt and tore a whole in it. His heart pumped quickly and he could feel its pressure as it tried to escape his chest. His lungs filled with cold air and he breathed. Glancing at the pitch black sky he saw that the moon was full, and glowing a taunting yellow as it shone below into the forest revealing outlines of trees and boulders.
"Sakura-chan!" He heard himself scream as he continued to sprint aimlessly through the haunted forest. He heard another pair of feet running hear his left, but it hopped quickly like a rabbit around him almost circling him. He groaned at the thought and ran faster with his legs aching, begging him to stop.
"Sakura-chan!" He yelled louder as the sound of the unknown follower seemed to come closer and closer to him. Suddenly a young male figure jumped in front of him, holding a long pointed sword with Chinese characters on its handle, and a red trademark string dangling at the end. The guardian stood armed and ready before him as if challenging him to make a move. He groaned in annoyance as he struggled to make out the figure, but it was too dark and he could only see the opponents outline. But he wasn't a stranger, he knew this stance, he knew this sword but where? He took a step back and took his own martial arts stance, making sure that his opponent knew that he was willing and completely capable to battle him. He shut his eyes tightly and quickly chanted an ancient spell and then opened his eyes as he quickly grabbed his staff. The magical weapon was a dark navy blue, with a fairly large ring at the top also navy blue. There was a dark moon at the top left hand corner inside of the ring with rays shooting out to touch its circumference. He held it firmly as he awaited his opponent to make the first move, but both seemed to stand ready in silence, and although they couldn't really see each other, they both knew that they were staring right into each other's eyes. Both ready to fight until the death. When he was about to attack a bright gold light shone right in front of him, almost blinding him on the spot as he fell right onto his back. Startled from the sudden attack he crawled backward with his hands on the ground. Covering his face with his hand and squinting furiously he was able to make out the figure of the device that had seemed to create such a force field. He was taken aback by what he saw. The item that was used to create this immense power field was exactly like his weapon, only gold. As the light began to die down a bit, he noticed that instead of a moon in the center, there was a sun at the top left hand corner of the ring, with rays also shooting off touching its circumference. His heart skipped a beat almost immediately at his realization.
"Clow-san?" He spoke to himself in anger as he grinded the soil that was in his hand. The golden light disappeared and he was left in darkness for a split second before he heard another familiar voice.
"Are you okay?" A female voice asked through the door. He quickly sat up in bed in cold sweat and grabbed the bed sheets into his fist. He looked around the room for a few moments and slowly realized that he was in his room. He sighed and ran his fingers through his damp hair and buried his face into his palms before the voice called upon him again.
"Genki ka?!" She pounded on the door.
"Hai!" He replied irritably. "Hai..Kadalea-san.." he mumbled to himself and laid back onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling and waited for the woman's footsteps to fade down the hallway before closing his eyes again.
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Gosh I love that word "masayume" for those who dont know how to pronnounce it its "mass-a-you-may" its like a prophetic dream. oh and uh.. for ALL THE TRIADS READIN THIS PLEASE HOLD YOUR GUNS AND HOLD YOUR SWORDS!!! IM NOT CHINESE AND I KNOW THAT SO PLEASE DO NOT HARM THE POOR ENGLISH SPEAKING FILIPINA AUTHOR! As for the japanese speaking people, if i made a mistake I LOOKED UP THE VARIOUS WORDS TO DOUBLE CHECK THAT THEY WERE CORRECT SO BLEH! HaHa. Never the less, I just want to say that I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because I personally feel rather pleased with how some of the plot was revealed and explained in this chapter. My brother says that it sounds like some other anime show named... Yu-Gi-Oh..? But riiiiight i swear to the heavens above I have no idea what hes talkin about! ANYWAYS! Feel free to review... fine ill be honest... REVIEW!!!
Ja ne mato de!
Chapter: Two
"Masayume"
She shivered slightly as a silent gust of cold air crept around her neck. Goosebumps slowly started to rise upon her arms and she rubbed them to try to keep her warm. Light was engulfed by darkness, and eternity was pitch black. She walked cautiously around stretching out her arms towards nothingness as she tried to feel her way around. Slowly a dim light grew from afar and she began to walk towards the light. The golden rays from what seemed to be coming from a candle called out to her, as if whispering or chanting her name. She could feel the damp cold floor below her as she continued to walk to the lights warmth. She squinted her eyes as a figure began to form from where the light was coming from. The figure was all in black and its dark hair swayed with the wind.
'Where am I..?'
The person's back was to her, and was unfamiliar but something didn't seem right. Suddenly there was a cry of pain, but it sounded deep as if it came from a young man. She ran towards the figure but suddenly came to a complete stop when she saw a body fall dead onto the ground. She and the unknown figure stood there silently for a few moments until the tall dark woman slowly turned her head to reveal two taunting ruby eyes that seemed to stare through Sakura's soul and the woman grinned knowingly. Unable to move Sakura stood staring at the woman in fear. The lady turned around and began to walk towards Sakura quietly whispering. ".. anata wa.. anata wa.. hashirisaru desu.."
"Kinomoto Sakura!" Terada sensei yelled angrily at her. Sakura squinted her eyes for a few moments and yawned as she lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. The room was silent and she looked around to see the teacher staring straight at her. She blinked for a moment then screamed.
"Hoeeeeee!!!!!!!!"
"It's nice to have you back Kinomoto-san, now can you please try to remain awake for the rest of the period?" Terada asked and made his way back to the front of the room.
"Hai..gomen nasai Terada-sensei.." Sakura replied as she slowly sunk in her seat. Terada-sensei nodded and continued with his lesson. Tomoyo sighed and handed Sakura some notes she copied down so she could copy it by the end of the period. Sakura thanked her and quietly took out a pen from her pencil case.
"Genki ka?" Syaoran asked worriedly as he tapped her shoulder to get her attention.
"Genki.." Sakura nodded and continued to work before Terada-sensei caught them talking. Syaoran sighed and also continued to work. Half an hour passed and Sakura found herself staring out the window at the schoolyard below. One class was playing soccer on the field, while another class was running the track surrounding the oval field. She turned back to her almost blank sheet of paper and sighed. She hadn't been able to work all period and instead drew images from her dream onto the paper. She made the last few touches on the woman's ruby eyes and swallowed hard.
'Who are you..?' she thought as she ran her index finger over her art work, but her thought were interrupted by the sound of the closing bell.
"Alright class, have a good day and I will see you all tomorrow!" Terada-sensei announced and excused the class. Sakura slowly got up in her seat and began to pack up all her things.
"Mom wants me home early today, alright Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo informed her as she put her knapsack on her back. Sakura nodded and continued to stuff her bag with work. "I'll see you tomorrow!" Tomoyo called out and exited the room. The room was soon quiet and the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of people cheering outside on the yard, people talking in the hall, and her stuffing her bag. Sakura sighed when she finally finished packing her bag and threw the bag over her shoulder before taking one last look out the window. Just as she was about to turn around towards the door, something caught her eyes. There near the gates of here school stood Lang Ho. He was leaning against the metal bars watching the students finish playing their soccer game.
"Nan..?" Sakura whispered quietly to herself. As if hearing her Lang Ho's suddenly found themselves staring straight at each other. Sakura's heart jumped back a bit in surprise as she could feel Lang Ho's serious stare shoot through her. She took in a deep breath and tried to turn away.
"Sakura-chan?" A familiar voice called.
"Hoe?!" Sakura jumped slightly and turned around.
"Are you coming?" Syaoran asked leaning against the classroom door. Sakura sighed in relief and nodded.
"Yeah, go ahead, sorry," Sakura shook her head as if confused. Syaoran frowned slightly but nodded and reluctantly left. She turned around to look out the window once more, but Lang Ho was nowhere in sight.
"Nani..?" Sakura said softly in confusion. She frowned but slowly made her way to door and closed it behind her. She was startled to see Syaoran leaning against the wall waiting for her.
"Hoe! Syaoran-kun!" Sakura yelled then tried to catch her breath. "You scared me!"
"I can see that," Syaoran replied and uncrossed his arms. "What's wrong Sakura-chan? You've seemed rather jumpy for the last part of class," he continued as he motioned her to walk with him.
"Oh it's nothing really, I guess I need some sleep.." Sakura sighed and tried to smile.
"I think you need more than sleep, Sakura-chan," Syaoran laughed slightly as he rolled his eyes.
"Maybe.." Sakura said slowly as if she were in a deep trance. Syaoran opened the door and held it for her; as soon as she was out he walked after her. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
"Syaoran-kun.." Sakura spoke softly breaking the silence.
"Yeah?" Syaoran replied as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Sakura was silent once more and slowly stopped walking.
"What is it?" Syaoran asked slightly worried. Sakura lifted her head to look at him and she took in a deep breath.
"I think we need to talk.."
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A light gust of spring air blew across his face and gently through his hair light brown hair leaving strands of it dangling down his forehead and slightly onto his eyes. With a swift hand movement, Syaoran slowly brushed the loose strands of hair away and back. Still leaning forward on the bench and resting his elbows on his knees he sighed.
"Sakura-chan?" Syaoran said softly raising an eyebrow as he turned to look at her. Sakura remained seated quietly beside him with her hands carefully placed onto her lap uncomfortably before speaking.
"I... I uh... I had an odd dream during class..." Sakura began softly as petal from the cherry blossom tree behind them floated gracefully into her palm. They both stared at the petal for a moment, and then Syaoran turned his attention back to Sakura by looking her in the eyes.
"Was that what was wrong today?" Syaoran asked matching her tone of thought. Sakura simply nodded then he turned back to face the park in front of him.
"It was dark... and cold..." Sakura began quietly. "I couldn't see a thing, but as I continued to walk blindly I dim light began to flicker in front of me... and I walked towards it..." she continued as she became more into the moment. She looked down as if thinking more about what the dream was about, and at the same time trying to forget it ever happened.
"Then I saw her..." Sakura sniffled trying to hold back tears. She could still see the woman's figure in her head, her long dark hair swaying around her and those eyes...
"A woman?" Syaoran asked turning back around to look at her and interrupting her thoughts. Sakura nodded and continued.
"She had these big ruby red eyes that just seemed to glow... glow with magic..." Sakura informed him. She was almost shaking with fear, the dream was too real for her and she had not had a dream like this in a very long time.
"Was she alone?" Syaoran asked trying to get as much information out of Sakura as possible before she collapsed in fear.
"No.. there was someone else, a young man but I couldn't see him because he was against the light.." Sakura answered as she stared deeply into the gound below her feet. Syaoran stood up slowly and made his way to the tree behind the bench and placed his left arm against it to lean on. He stood there thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking.
"...masayume..." Syaoran said a little bit more fearfully. The silence was all he needed for an answer. He gently placed his right hand over his mouth, a habit he had picked up over time that he uses when he undergoes stress.
"Syaoran-kun, no need to get all worried! I mean... I'm not sure if it's true, I was just guessing..." Sakura said trying to cheer Syaoran up. When Syaoran didn't show any change in his serious state, Sakura leaned back in the bench and sighed.
"We'll just have to be more alert for awhile, until we know for sure that nothing is wrong," Syaoran stated then glanced over at Sakura to see her reaction to his suggestion. Sakura opened her mouth to protest but thought twice of it and nodded unwillingly.
"Good," He sighed while closing his eyes for a second. He slowly made his way back to her and gently placed his right hand on her left shoulder.
"I suppose I should take you home then, Sakura-chan," Syaoran nodded and held out his hand for her. Sakura stared at his open hand for a moment then slowly placed her hand on his and stood up.
"Arigatou, Syaoran-kun," Sakura smiled weakly. Syaoran just shrugged lightly and began to walk towards her house. They walked to the Kinomoto residence in utter silence, for both of them were thinking about what the dream could mean, and what may happen if it were true. Both were worried, but tried their best to hide their emotions. Syaoran kicked pebbles along the street while Sakura hummed a cherry song. Syaoran glanced to his right at Sakura, whose fair auburn hair blew modestly with the wind, revealing her bright emerald eyes. Syaoran smiled slightly at his partner as he shoved his hands into his pockets. When they had reached the house Syaoran walked Sakura to her door and waited for her to open it before taking his first few steps towards her gate.
"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura called after him before he could leave. Syaoran placed his left hand on her gate and turned around to face her.
"What is it?" Syaoran replied casually.
"I'm.. I'm sorry.." Sakura said quietly. There was an awkward pause between them as the wind suddenly died.
"For what?" Syaoran asked in slight confusion.
"I know how you wanted to go visit your family in Hong Kong for the spring break, but now that this has come up I know that you won't go," Sakura admitted as Syaoran lowered his head. "For that, I am sorry..."
"It's okay Sakura-chan, I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself back home if I knew that I had left you behind to deal with all of this by yourself," Syaoran replied and began to walk home again.
"What do you mean, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked in confusion. There was a short pause, and then Syaoran finally spoke.
"Until we know for sure that everything is okay... I'm not leaving you alone," Syaoran said firmly and slowly took a few steps back onto the road. "Good night, Sakura-chan.." he nodded and walked down the street towards his apartment building. Sakura stood by her open door and watched as Syaoran faded into the distance. As soon as he was out of sight she walked into her house and quietly closed the door behind her. She leaned against the door for a moment and said quietly.
"Arigatou.. Syaoran-kun..."
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Syaoran lazily put his key through the lock and opened the door and closed it behind him. He hung his spring coat in the coat hanger behind the door and began to take off his shoes until he felt an odd aura in the building, he continued to take his shoes off but was a little more cautious. He turned around and switched the light on, he looked around his apartment to see if anything has changed and his eyes caught something. Standing on the far end of the room was a young man, Syaoran couldn't tell who it was though for his back was to him. The person's hands were in his pockets and he was staring out the window. Syaoran sighed a breath of relief and threw his bag onto the couch.
"Have you ever heard of breaking and entering?" Syaoran rolled his eyes and walked towards the young man.
"Does it count when you're family?" The familiar voice said with slight humor. Syaoran sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, if you had to break into my apartment, and come all the way from home, it must have been pretty important, Eriol," Syaoran said and leaned against his wall.
"Fairly," Eriol spoke and turned around to face Syaoran. Syaoran smiled slightly, happy to see the familiar face once more. "But you might want to sit down for it," he added gesturing Syaoran to sit on the couch beside him. Syaoran frowned slightly but sat never the less. He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward.
"What's the news?" Syaoran asked still frowning slightly. Eriol turned back out the window and gently placed his left hand against the glass for support. Syaoran looked at him patiently awaiting an answer, or a reason for his visit.
"There has been a disappearance in Hong Kong," Eriol began.
"People die and disappear everyday Eriol," Syaoran scoffed.
"..Especially in our family.." Eriol added in slight disgust. There was a short pause as the two young men contemplated on what to say next.
"I see.." Syaoran nodded and rubbed his chin. "Who was it..?"
"A distant nephew of your mother, his name was Bai Shounu," Eriol explained and turned around walking towards Syaoran.
"I don't believe I know who you're talking about.." Syaoran sighed after a few moments of thought and leaned back on the couch.
"I'm not surprised, Bai didn't live in Hong Kong, he lived on the country side near the ancient villages," Eriol informed him and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Sounds interesting Eriol, but why should I be concerned?" Syaoran asked in slight frustration.
"Bai was a trained master in the arts you were trained in. Of course there is no surprise there since he was on your mother's side of the family," Eriol began and slowly took the seat across from Syaoran. "He too acted somewhat of a guardian for a set of magic cards," he explained softly as he rested against the soft back of the chair.
"What exactly was he guarding?" Syaoran asked in great interest for he leaned forward towards Eriol. Eriol grinned in satisfaction to see Syaoran's interest in the topic.
"Another set of Cards, Syaoran-kun," Eriol answered slowly tapping his fingers on the armrest.
"Nani?!" Syaoran jumped in shock. "There is another set of Clow Cards?"
"Yes.. however they are not Clow Cards," Eriol corrected.
"You mean.. there was someone else who had the power to create Cards as well?" Syaoran asked worriedly for his hands soon turned into a fist.
"Yes.. the Cards are called Miao Cards, and unlike the Clow Cards, this particular group of Cards had a very evil Master," Eriol sighed. Syaoran nodded slowly and stood up walking towards the window that peered down onto the street.
"Who made these Cards exactly..?" Syaoran asked seriously as he tapped his left index finger against the glass.
"I.. I don't remember.." Eriol replied regretfully. "It was an awfully long time ago, and I always referred to him as Miao.."
"So you knew this man?!" Syaoran asked in shock as he turned around to face Eriol.
"Yes, we were the two finalists in an old Maokai Tournament," Eriol explained.
"Maokai?" Syaoran frowned in confusion.
"The Maokai Tournament was an old Chinese tradition, only known by few. These few men that competed would train for almost all their life for this tournament. But this wasn't any ordinary Tournament, Syaoran-kun-"
"Drop the Japanese, we're at my house," Syaoran interrupted and turned to look back out the window.
"Very well, Syaoran," Eriol nodded and sighed. "Never the less this wasn't any ordinary Tournament to determine who was the most disciplined and skilled in the Chinese Arts, this was a battle between Magical Arts Masters.." he added raising an eyebrow to look over at Syaoran's reaction.
"You.. you would fight with magic?" Syaoran asked in complete shock.
"Yes, which is precisely why only few were invited to this Tournament," Eriol nodded. "It would take place every five years at the Ancient Castle of Okugi," he added and turned his body around to face Syaoran. "It was an honor to be invited to such an event, but everyone who competed took an oath of secrecy.."
"I see.." Syaoran nodded and walked back to the couch across from Eriol. "Explain.. explain more about Miao."
"As we all know, every good has to have an evil.. or so the story says.." Eriol shrugged as he shifted in his chair.
"I'm guessing that would be Miao," Syaoran sighed tiredly.
"Yes, he practiced the Dark Magic of Shin and used that magic to create his own set of Cards, the Miao Cards. As I Clow, use my own magic to create the Clow Cards.." Eriol explained leaning forward towards Syaoran.
"So what happened..?" Syaoran asked after a short pause.
"We had an all out battle during the final round, using only 10 of our cards. He had the exact same Cards that I had, except that he hadn't the discipline to control the Cards with its complete power, so I had won.. but he vowed to defeat me one day.." Eriol sighed shaking his head sadly.
"What happened to Miao after the tournament?" Syoaran asked impatiently as he tapped his fingers on his knee.
"He disappeared, probably went away to train for the next Maokai Tournament," Eriol shrugged.
"You mean you never saw him after that?" Syaoran asked in shock. Eriol shook his head.
"I didn't compete in the next Tournament," He simply replied.
"I guess he died then.." Syaoran sighed almost sadly.
"I assumed that as well, for I hadn't heard a word about him from anyone since that night at the Okugi Castle," Eriol shook his head and then looked down at the floor quietly as if in thought. Syaoran could see that Eriol was thinking deeply about something, for there was a look a darkness in his eyes that told him that Eriol was replaying the events of the battle between him and Miao.
"So what does this have to do with Bai again?" Syaoran asked with a slight frown upon his face.
"About twelve years after my battle with Miao, a friend of mine, also a competitor in the Maokai Tournament, told me he had found Miao's Book of Cards. Reluctantly I had taken the responsibility of keeping the Cards away and unknown to the world by hiding it," Eriol explained and leaned back deeper into the soft chair. "As I grew older I decided that I was too old to carry such a burden, so I passed on the responsibility to you Mother's Grandfather, Bai Mingkang. Your cousin, Bai Shounu, was the last guardian of Miao's Cards," he finished solemnly.
"So now that Bai is missing you believe that it is because someone had killed him for the Cards?" Syaoran said slowly as he analyzed the situation carefully. There was a moment of silence. Eriol stood up slowly and walked once again to the window. He pressed his left forearm against the glass and leaned forward, resting his body against it. Syaoran stared at the ground for a few moments then turned to look at Eriol.
"I don't know what happened to your cousin, but evil is easily attracted in China.. so just keep your eyes open Syaoran, for I do believe that Miao will keep his word and he will seek revenge.. especially to the person who holds the key to the Cards.." Eriol warned and turned to look at Syaoran. All Syaoran could do was nod and lower his head worriedly and turn his back to Eriol. He stood silently for a moment and finally whispered.
"Sakura-chan.."
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He panted tiredly as he ran after the young girl who wasn't far ahead of him. The forest was dark and silent, except for the crackling of branches and leaves below his feet and he dodged loose branches around him that dangled from old green trees. Groaning in pain as one of the branches caught his shirt and tore a whole in it. His heart pumped quickly and he could feel its pressure as it tried to escape his chest. His lungs filled with cold air and he breathed. Glancing at the pitch black sky he saw that the moon was full, and glowing a taunting yellow as it shone below into the forest revealing outlines of trees and boulders.
"Sakura-chan!" He heard himself scream as he continued to sprint aimlessly through the haunted forest. He heard another pair of feet running hear his left, but it hopped quickly like a rabbit around him almost circling him. He groaned at the thought and ran faster with his legs aching, begging him to stop.
"Sakura-chan!" He yelled louder as the sound of the unknown follower seemed to come closer and closer to him. Suddenly a young male figure jumped in front of him, holding a long pointed sword with Chinese characters on its handle, and a red trademark string dangling at the end. The guardian stood armed and ready before him as if challenging him to make a move. He groaned in annoyance as he struggled to make out the figure, but it was too dark and he could only see the opponents outline. But he wasn't a stranger, he knew this stance, he knew this sword but where? He took a step back and took his own martial arts stance, making sure that his opponent knew that he was willing and completely capable to battle him. He shut his eyes tightly and quickly chanted an ancient spell and then opened his eyes as he quickly grabbed his staff. The magical weapon was a dark navy blue, with a fairly large ring at the top also navy blue. There was a dark moon at the top left hand corner inside of the ring with rays shooting out to touch its circumference. He held it firmly as he awaited his opponent to make the first move, but both seemed to stand ready in silence, and although they couldn't really see each other, they both knew that they were staring right into each other's eyes. Both ready to fight until the death. When he was about to attack a bright gold light shone right in front of him, almost blinding him on the spot as he fell right onto his back. Startled from the sudden attack he crawled backward with his hands on the ground. Covering his face with his hand and squinting furiously he was able to make out the figure of the device that had seemed to create such a force field. He was taken aback by what he saw. The item that was used to create this immense power field was exactly like his weapon, only gold. As the light began to die down a bit, he noticed that instead of a moon in the center, there was a sun at the top left hand corner of the ring, with rays also shooting off touching its circumference. His heart skipped a beat almost immediately at his realization.
"Clow-san?" He spoke to himself in anger as he grinded the soil that was in his hand. The golden light disappeared and he was left in darkness for a split second before he heard another familiar voice.
"Are you okay?" A female voice asked through the door. He quickly sat up in bed in cold sweat and grabbed the bed sheets into his fist. He looked around the room for a few moments and slowly realized that he was in his room. He sighed and ran his fingers through his damp hair and buried his face into his palms before the voice called upon him again.
"Genki ka?!" She pounded on the door.
"Hai!" He replied irritably. "Hai..Kadalea-san.." he mumbled to himself and laid back onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling and waited for the woman's footsteps to fade down the hallway before closing his eyes again.
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Gosh I love that word "masayume" for those who dont know how to pronnounce it its "mass-a-you-may" its like a prophetic dream. oh and uh.. for ALL THE TRIADS READIN THIS PLEASE HOLD YOUR GUNS AND HOLD YOUR SWORDS!!! IM NOT CHINESE AND I KNOW THAT SO PLEASE DO NOT HARM THE POOR ENGLISH SPEAKING FILIPINA AUTHOR! As for the japanese speaking people, if i made a mistake I LOOKED UP THE VARIOUS WORDS TO DOUBLE CHECK THAT THEY WERE CORRECT SO BLEH! HaHa. Never the less, I just want to say that I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because I personally feel rather pleased with how some of the plot was revealed and explained in this chapter. My brother says that it sounds like some other anime show named... Yu-Gi-Oh..? But riiiiight i swear to the heavens above I have no idea what hes talkin about! ANYWAYS! Feel free to review... fine ill be honest... REVIEW!!!
Ja ne mato de!