AN: Third chapter. Nuff said. ^-^

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Sakura remained perfectly still. She had woken up just shortly after she had been put into the bed she was in now. She pretended to be asleep during Miaka's talk.

'I remember...' She thought as she listened to Miaka tell how she tried to become friends with her. Tears threatened to spill from her closed eyelids but she forced herself to remain calm.

"Night Miaka-chan!" She heard the door close and opened her eyes a crack, then quickly shut them when she saw Tasuki still standing there. She heard him quietly approach the bed Miaka was in and he murmured something to her. Then he got up and just before he left, she heard him say, "Aishteru."

'He really loves her. I wish I could feel something as wonderful as that. Being loved.' She thought sadly. She turned over on her side, the towel slipped form her forehead. She frowned as she tried to recall the past events. She remembered talking to some kind of bird guy. And then she was walking, and there was storm. Then, she....fell, down a hill. And she was taken care of, by some mysterious man with blue hair. She sighed softly and buried her face in the pillow. Whatever it was she would think about it all tomorrow. Her head still hurt and she still had a cold. And on top of that her ankle and back were throbbing. She decided a little sleep would help, so she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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"Excuse me? Miss?"

Sakura forced herself to open her eyes and look towards her left, where the voice had been coming from.

"Are you okay?" Miaka asked, placing her palm on the Sakura's forehead. Sakura nodded, then winced as she held her temple.

"What....happened?" She asked as she forced herself to sit up. Her shoulder still stung, but thankfully not too much. A tangle of hair fell into her face and she groaned.

"This is never going to come out!" She whined as she tried to run her fingers through it. Miaka giggled.

"I guess you are feeling better. My name is Miaka." She smiled and offered a hand.

"Sakura, demo, I already know you somewhat from school." Sakura sat up all the way, resting her back against the headboard of the bed. Miaka nodded.

"Hai, I was telling my friends about how you play the violin and..." She stopped when she noticed Sakura was no longer in her bed, but limping around the room rather frantically.

"Where is it? My violin! I need it! Onegai!" She pleaded Miaka.

"Ano...are you sure you had it here?"

"I'm positive. I need it!" She limped across the room, and on the way tripped on the rug. She shrieked as she tumbled into the dresser, knocking the basin of last-nights' water onto her head. Miaka sweat-dropped.

"Miaka? Is everything alright?" Tasuki entered the room as he stared at the miko. She nodded, then pointed towards Sakura.

"Hai, but she might not be." She giggled lightly. Sakura frowned angrily, her arms across her chest as she glared at the confused seishi.

"What's all the racket?" Nuriko asked as he stepped into the room, rubbing his eyes.

"It seems the girl woke up." Hotohori said as he and rest of the seishi piled into the room. Miaka nodded, and walked over to help the girl up.

"Here, let me help you." She took Sakura's hand and helped her up, pulling the empty basin off her head. Sakura went to take a step but stumbled, the pain from her foot intensifying from her little "show". Miaka quickly caught her.

"Ne, can somebody help me out here?" She asked, looking at the seishi. Chichiri nodded and stepped forward. He gently took Sakura from Miaka and placed her down on the bed she was just on.

"Matte! Where is my violin?" She asked, grabbing Chichiri's forearms.

"Violin? Oh! That must be what Miaka was talking about last night, no da!" He disappeared.

"Aiiie! What was that!?" Sakura pointed to where Chichiri once stood.

"That's Chichiri, one of the Suzaku seishi." Chiriko explained.

"Suzaku seishi? I only thought there was a Suzaku-Seikun." She muttered.

"N-nani!?" Miaka sat down next to her. "What did you just say?" She asked. Sakura blinked.

"I only thought there was a Suzaku-Seikun. I...well, you're not going to believe this, but he came out of this book in the library and you see....he asked me to save these two worlds...." She laughed, a hand behind her head.

"Is this what you were looking for, no da?" Chichiri popped up in front of her.

"Stop that!" She hissed. Her eyes lit up when she saw the instrument and she quickly grabbed it and held it to her chest.

"Thank god." She whispered happily. Everyone watched her, confused by both her actions, and her story.

"Okay, now, you say Suzaku came to you?" Miaka asked. Sakura nodded.

"Hai, this little girl with green hair and..."

"Nyan-Nyan." Chichiri confirmed. Sakura nodded.

"Then this giant red bird came out of the book. And it turned human! He said his name was Suzaku-Seikun, then he asked to help save both my world and his. Funny, ne?" She laughed halfheartedly.

"There is only one person who can tell you why you are here." Miaka said frowning. Chichiri nodded.

"And that's...."

"Me!" With a poof of smoke, Taiitskun appeared before them. Sakura blinked. Then screamed and latched onto the nearest person next to her; Chichiri.

"Get it away!!" She hid her face in his shirt. Taiitskun grumbled under her breath.

"Sakura, do you want to know why you are here?" She asked, sounding annoyed.. Sakura nodded and pulled away from Chichiri. Taiitskun cleared her throat.

"There is a great darkness that is soon approaching. It will happen once Seiryu is summoned. Sakura is here to prevent both worlds from being destroyed."

"Matte! Me? I have no power. I think you've got the wrong girl." She giggled nervously, wringing her hands in her lap. Taiitskun floated directly in front of her and placed a hand on her right temple and concentrated. Shortly, a purple symbol began to glow, the symbol of a ying-yang, similar to what appeared when Suzaku teleported her.

"What is that?" Tasuki asked as he pointed to her head.

"This, is proof that she is the chosen one, who is to become a human sacrifice to save two worlds."

"H-human sacrifice?" Her voice trembled as she watched the old woman. Taiitskun nodded.

"A human sacrifice is needed to put an end to all of this. If not, everyone will be destroyed."

"So you're saying, I can refuse and die, or I can accept and die?" Sakura asked sarcastically. Taiitskun face faulted.

"Well if you want to put it that way..." She muttered. Sakura couldn't believe it. She would have to...sacrifice herself in order to save everyone here? And at home? Her eyes brimmed with tears and she struggled to her feet.

"Arigatou, I...need to think about this....I'm going for a walk." She whispered as she staggered out of the room and headed outside. Taiitskun frowned.

"Why isn't she healed? Where is Mitsukake?" She asked Miaka.

"He was called on a trip to another town to heal someone. He will be back tomorrow." She informed her. Chichiri excused himself and left. He didn't really know the girl very long, but something kept nagging at him. Would he and the other seishi just sit there and watch her sacrifice herself to save them all? He looked up and realized he was in front of the pond, hidden from view in the bushes. He approached it, but stopped short. Sakura was there, her knees tucked under her chin and an arm wrapped around her legs. Her other hand was on the moss, keeping her balance. Silent tears trickled down her face as she watched the water. Once and a while a fish would pop its' head out. Chichiri hesitantly walked a little further until he was about five feet away, then cleared his throat. Sakura jumped and spun around.

"Oh, you startled me." She quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

"Gomen, I was acting pretty childish back there, ne? I mean, to think you have too trust me to make the right decision." She laughed bitterly and picked up a smooth pebble that was near her leg. She threw it, and it skipped across the water twice before sinking.

"Iie, you have a right to be scared." He sat down next to her and removed his mask, something he rarely did, yet alone with someone he barely knew. Sakura's eyes widened when she saw his face. Hesitating, she raised a hand and began to lightly trace the faded scar. Chichiri flinched, but let her continue.

"What happened?" She asked as she pulled her hand away. He shook his head.

"Nothing. It was a long time ago, no da." He smiled and placed it back on. Sakura frowned.

"Why do you wear a mask?" She watched his expression carefully.

"It makes people uneasy to see someone with a gruesome scar across their face, no da." He looked down at his hands.

"Iie. I think you look, handsome without it." Sakura smiled shyly, a blush creeping into her cheeks. Chichiri's head shot up and he looked at her in shock. She giggled.

"Well, I have to get back there. I'm sure that old lady is waiting for my answer." She smiled shakily as she stood. She gasped when she felt an arm snake around her waist.

"You shouldn't be walking on that ankle, no da. I'll help you." Chichiri whispered into her ear. Blushing profusely, she nodded and allowed him to help her walk back into the palace.

'Somehow...somehow he understands how I feel.' Sakura thought as she eyed him from the corner of her eye. A real smile graced her mouth for the first time since she got to this new world as the two continued their walk back to the palace.

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AN: Yay! I'm so proud of myself ^-^ Anyway, this story changed a lot. I started writing it on paper first, and then completely changed it around. Some examples? There were TWO Nyan-Nyan that came with Suzaku. Sakura was attacked by some drunk guy when she first came to this world. Mitsukake was there when she woke up and healed her right away. Sakura was never a human sacrifice ^-^;;

Anyway, read and review please!

~*Neoshipper*~