What am I to say? Action, thrills! Heaps of spills…gee, well I guess that this sequel has a lot more action than A Cherry Blossom's Death. And for those of you who thought A Cherry Blossom's Death was dark, wait til you read this one! This chapter is mostly it gives you some background information on the plot, so you can't miss it! No, I'm serious guys…::audience laughs:: Seriously… ::audience laughs harder:: Aargh! ::walks off muttering:: Ingrates…
I don't own CCS.
The Awakening
Chapter One: Going Doooown!
Where to begin? Eriol mused, running a finger through the shelves of books he kept mostly for his own enjoyment. Seven hundred and eighty nine books to replace that nice big hole in his heart that had once been filled up with love. But love sure as hell had disappeared once Tomoyo'd gone and killed herself. Yup. So now that left books…good ol' books – even as a child he'd been intrigued by the way they carried him into a new and exciting place filled with drama and action…and at times provided him with the information he needed. But right now, seven hundred and eight nine books was pretty damn irritating – seven hundred and eighty eight of which he wouldn't be needing any time soon.
What he had in mind was that book Amoire Tish had given him for his ninth birthday – a hardback which he had found incredibly difficult to read, but kept all the same. Five years back he'd wondered why in the world his adoptive mother had given him such a book…after all, it wasn't exactly a thriller or filled with blood, guts and gore – something Eriol had found rather intriguing at the age of nine. Now, however, he found that book more resourceful than any other book he'd be able to buy at Barnes and Nobles or Angus and Robertson.
It contained a rather detailed chapter on the effects of the afterlife, setting dead spirits free, returning people to the dead…everything he needed to know in order to prepare himself for the ordeal they were all about to face. After all, it wasn't every day that three fourteen-year-olds and two guardians willingly agreed to enter the world of the deceased.
Eriol shuddered at the prospect of Tomoyo…dead. After a month and a bit, he still hadn't fully registered the idea of his sweet Tomoyo-chan no longer existing in this world…scary thought – one he didn't want to dwell over too much, especially when his hopes were riding high that she wouldn't be dead for long. He concentrated on finding that damn book…ironic really, how it was there when you thought nothing of it, and then disappeared when you needed it most.
He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration, wondering where in the world he had placed it last time he'd seen it. He wasn't the type to hide something for fear of somebody else finding it; aside from the fact that he was half the reincarnation of Clow Reed, and had magic, he had nothing to hide. He ran a finger down the rows again, his brow furrowing as he frowned. If only Spinel and Nakuru were here now to help him with this problem, but they were back in England, just as he'd assigned them so that they could keep watch over his home there.
He distinctly remembered placing it between two wide dark-blue volumes, and went to check in Section Twelve on the bottom shelf. The volumes were certainly there…but there was a gap between the big navy books …where Amoire Tish's book used to be…somebody had got there first…but who? (AN: ooh! Already something sinister has happened. Just like the fic before this, The Awakening's got some untold secrets that will be revealed much later on…for now, you're just gonna have to enjoy the ride!)
~ * ~
Meiling dodged the first few attacks, keeping pace with Syaoran as they trained under the watchful eye of Wei who had insisted he be with them in case one of them got hurt. Meiling wondered how the butler would react if he knew why they were training. She thought it would be best if they didn't inform him of their plans.
As Eriol had cautioned them as they'd gone their own separate ways, 'Be prepared.'
It was one piece of advice that nobody was going to argue with, especially when they knew that they'd only managed to defeat Seria with mere luck. They just couldn't count on luck to get them through every battle, so they'd had to train extra hard in order to be in shape for the upcoming travel in one weeks time. Syaoran, Meiling noticed, was training twice as hard as any of them and she worried that he might put himself through too much strain. She had only been in the magic business for a short while now, but she knew enough to know that too much training could lead to some kind of blackout, and with the intensity of their plans, they certainly wouldn't want that. Even if they weren't traveling to one particular Heaven or Hell, and were only going to the categorizing section of the whole dead-deal, the occurrences could still be pretty gruesome.
Syaoran's magic level had reached a pretty high standard due to his devotion to his training, and Meiling's had risen a few notches since the last time too. If they kept this up, their trip would be nothing more than a simple click of the fingers. She tried to jump backwards as Syaoran's dagger-like attack hit her full force but she didn't dodge it in time, and she collapsed on the floor panting for breath. "Geez, Syaoran," Meiling laughed, wiping the perspiration from her forehead. "Go easy on me will ya? I'm not as experienced as you."
Syaoran grinned and decided to take a break, draping a towel around his neck and taking a sip of water to quench his thirst. "Great defensive skills Meiling," he praised his cousin and she beamed. It wasn't every day her cousin acknowledged how great she was getting, and Meiling felt proud that finally they had reached a cousinly truce, where Syaoran wouldn't have to resent her for whatever she did. Wei disappeared to make sure the car in which he had driven them in hadn't been stolen or something, and Meiling took it as an opportunity to discuss everything she had been dying to talk about, but couldn't – not when there were so many people around. The two of them had decided it would be too difficult to train in the apartment, especially since everything was breakable and wouldn't exactly hold against a large amount of magic. All three had then decided to find a sensible place to train without making other people suspicious.
The old abandoned warehouse where the Final Showdown had taken place had been the best bet – although it brought about painful memories.
Wei had certainly been surprised over the fact that they'd chosen the warehouse – he hadn't known anything about their late night adventure. And he certainly would be left in the dark about their newest one. It wasn't that they didn't trust him – it was just that they didn't expect and adult to understand what they were going through, and no doubt he'd most probably update Auntie Yelan on the whole deal.
"So…do you really think we can do it?" Meiling asked, cocking her head and peering closely at her cousin to see his reaction. He seemed to tense for a moment and then he relaxed and shot her a confident smile.
"Yeah…of course. I know we can do it!" His eyes burned with so much courage and determination, it almost made Meiling let go of all her doubts and worries.
She didn't say anything then brought up another topic that had been nagging at her for a few days now. "Do you…think we'll have to deal with Seria again?" she asked anxiously. It was bad enough going to see a whole bunch of dead spirits, but the fact that they might also meet up with Sakura's twin wasn't something she could take.
Syaoran pondered over the question then answered it with one of his own.
"Is Eriol the half-reincarnation of Clow Reed?" he laughed. "We probably
will…but this time we'll be ready…for anything…"
~ * ~
"Tomoyo?!"
"Sakura?!"
"Chiharu?!"
"Rika?!"
"Naoko?!"
All five gasped in shock. What the hell was going on? It had been strange enough – for Chiharu, Rika and Naoko at least – to end up in such a weird place as this…there were dead spirits floating somberly around them, and it didn't take a genius to know that they probably looked the same. Tomoyo, on the other hand shook her head and sighed. "So I guess Syaoran, Meiling and Eriol managed to beat Seria, right…seeing as you're here and everything…" she asked Sakura who nodded.
The other three gazed from one to the other. 'Uh…did we miss something here?" Naoko wondered tentatively.
Both Sakura and Tomoyo ignored them. "It was so hard Tomoyo," Sakura cried, wrapping her arms around her friend for a hug. "When I visited you…I thought it would be over…I didn't think that she would go after the rest of them…and I saw the look in their eyes – I knew they didn't want to kill me..." The tears began welling up in her eyes and Chiharu shook her head. "Wait let me get this straight…so…Syaoran, Meiling and Eriol killed you?!"
Rika clenched her fist. "Ha! I knew Meiling was up to no good!"
Sakura turned to her and shook her head profusely, holding up her hands. "N-no!" she protested. She sighed and looked down. "It's kind of hard to explain…."
Chiharu folded her arms across her chest as did the other two and gazed at Tomoyo and Sakura expectantly. "Go on. We've got all the time in the world…"
Tomoyo giggled, even though she felt far from laughing…but the prospect was…well kind of funny. "You mean the Underworld…"
Sakura raised her eyebrows and Tomoyo held up her hands defensively. "Hey! It gets boring down here!"
"Do you think we should spill?" she whispered wondering how in the world they were going to explain everything that had happened - especially since the whole problem probably dated further back than her card capturing days.
Tomoyo shrugged then seemed to reach a conclusion. "Go ahead…we're dead anyway…" She winced at the thought, wondering how life was back there…with Eriol and the others…what she wouldn't give to live her life again…
~ * ~
"Live and let live…die and let die…"
Touya shook his head and sighed. He still missed Sakura a great deal and he always expected her to jump out of bed every morning and start rollerblading down the sidewalk trying to make it in time for school. Fujitaka put and arm around his son's shoulders. Two most important women in his life…gone… "At least they're finally together," he murmured.
And Touya didn't have to ask to know who he was talking about…
~ * ~
"Have you got the book yet?"
There was a deadly tone to that voice – one that meant no nonsense.
He shuffled his feet and nodded, even though he knew his Master couldn't see him. "Yes…it was easy as taking candy from a baby…" He chuckled to himself then waited for praise from his Master.
None came.
"Make sure you don't stuff up this time," was all his Master said.
Then the line went dead and he shoved the cell phone back in his pants, shaking his head.
"If something wasn't in it for me, I'd never have done this," he muttered. "But as it is…there's a great deal that could be mine for the taking…as soon as my job is done…"
~ * ~
Day of Departure
Syaoran and Meiling wandered down the streets of Tomoeda, heading toward Eriol's home. After one week of full on training and a crapload of waiting, they were finally beginning their journey to get Sakura and Tomoyo back. It was actually kind of strange considering the fact that average teenagers didn't have to deal with so much pressure in their lives. In movies with the usual good-versus-bad plot, it was the adults who did the saving and the kids were the ones who usually landed themselves into trouble. This time however, the kids were playing both roles.
They had landed themselves into a lot of trouble and now they were gonna do the rescuing.
For a cover-up, they had told Wei that they were going on a two-week excursion with the school, and they'd gotten him to sign the form Meiling had conjured up, just to make sure he believed them. They just had to hope that he wouldn't ring the school to check up on them, but it had been the most believable story they could come up with on such short notice. Hopefully they would be back by the end of those two weeks and things would certainly go back to normal. Hopefully.
The walk over was pretty much a silent one as both Meiling and Syaoran searched their own thoughts and emotions. Neither of them knew what would exactly happen there – the only thing they could do was to 'expect the unexpected' Kero's most famous phrase. He fluttered behind them, his brows furrowed, thinking deeply and Yue trailed along a few steps behind. Their last adventure had mainly been spent locked behind bars, but now they were actually taking part. Yue didn't know if he was glad about that prospect, but Sakura was his Mistress and he had to do anything to get her back. Besides, the Chinese brat wasn't exactly friendly and didn't have the same sweet cheery smile that Sakura always gave him.
Kero, on the other hand knew that he wouldn't back out of this adventure. If they could bring back Sakura and Tomoyo…then he was up for it…
~ * ~
Eriol paced back and forth, wondering if he should tell Meiling and Syaoran about the disappearance of the book. It wasn't that they needed it really – it just would have been more helpful to them. And anyway…maybe he'd just lost it or sold it to a bookstore or something and had forgotten about it. Maybe he'd just misplaced it. In any case, he didn't want to worry the others any further. They had enough to deal with without wondering if somebody else was out to get them…
In any case, he didn't have time to contemplate any further as the doorbell rang and he hurried to answer the door. Any time soon their lives would have changed and they'd be in the Underworld…
The four of them all tumbled inside the roomy home, but Syaoran didn't waste any breath praising the well-furnished rooms.
"Let's go."
Eriol opened his mouth then closed it again, deciding to stick with his earlier conclusion and just keep the disappearance of the book a secret. He led them to the library and ordered them to form a circle, all the while holding hands. He took up a spot between Meiling and Yue and told them to close their eyes. "Repeat after me…"
Bring forth the powers,
Force and spell
Unleash the magic
From inside dwells
Send us to the world of dead
Aid us in our plight
Bind us with our magic
And guide us with your light
(AN: okay, that rhyme was soooo lame…but you try thinking of a much better one! Just as I thought…)
They chanted the rhyme a second time and then a slow wind enfolded them all swirling around them fiercely, whipping their hair behind them…
"Hold on!" he heard Syaoran yell as the winds got wilder swaying them from side to side…
Eriol took a deep breath. There was no backing out now…
~ * ~
Syaoran swallowed and shut his eyes tightly, squeezing Meiling's hand on his left and Eriol's on his right. He couldn't help it if he felt a few doubts, but he told himself to remain calm. Stranger things had happened right? Things would be okay…
The winds ceased and a soft glow bathed all five of them in its rays shooting upwards to shine upon them from the ground, then blinded them with excruciating brightness as there was one last flash before their feet were no longer rooted into place, falling through a deep cavernous hole that seemed to swallow them up hungrily.
This was it.
The last thing Syaoran heard as blackness surrounded them was Meiling's scream that seemed to shatter his eardrums. He felt excruciating pain as all five squeezed each other's hand tight, hoping they wouldn't get separated by the force that seemed to be knocking the air out of their lungs…
We're going doooooooooooooooooooown…
~ * ~
Hehehe…now, doesn't that make you want to read the next chapter? I don't know if it counts as a cliffhanger, but I reckon you guys probably wanna wring my neck right now for stopping it here.
Oh well…I'd appreciate if you'd review please. And any suggestions are welcome since I don't have the whole plot planned out yet.
Besides, 2867 words!!! Be proud of me! And yes, I actually counted. -_-;;