Author's Note: My third series!! I just got the idea today to do Sci-fi and I'm gonna do it! Yea! And I have the ending already thought out; scary considering I don't know how my other series end. Heh heh. Please read and review, I want to know how you feel about this; this is probably my favourite series so far to write. I'm just excite and nervous. Okay I know that Sakura's character seems OOC; it's all explained next chapter, but you can probably infer the answer from this chapter.
Disclaimer: *scribbling furiously on a poster* 'I own CCS.' *Turns poster over* 'NOT! =P'
Slipping AwayChapter 1: Tunneling
Li Syaoran watched in fascination; a lustrous pool of energy forming in his living room. A flat upright circle of liquid metal growing in intensity, its blue light pulsating like a heart beat. The frantic undulations increased steadily, the ripples like waves beating furiously against the air, a breeze arising in the room. He reached out his hand tentatively to touch the smooth gravity defying surface when suddenly something emerged from the glowing membrane, slender fingers materializing, lengthening into pale arms into a human body, abruptly expelled with such force that it crashed against him. He looked disbelievingly at the huddled mass clutched to him tightly, a woman about his age, gasping for air. Sounds from the glowing portal echoed in the apartment: muffled footsteps, faraway shouts getting closer and closer. He wondered who they were.
As if she heard his thoughts, the woman gasped out 'the corps.' She lifted her face to meet his, piercing green boring into his soul for an instant before she twisted her head toward the opening. She reached immediately into her clothes pulling something rectangular and metallic, clasped expertly between her index and middle fingers. Flinging it into the threshold where it floated impossibly weightless, emitting its own yellow glow; she breathed falteringly, "Close." The metallic rectangle glowed a little more intensely, the gate dimming greatly but still holding a faint metallic sheen. She coughed heavily, blood splattering onto her hands, the rich, red liquid streaming down her pale skin, ethereal in the supernatural glow of the portal. Breathing deeply, she found her voice, commanding in a strong and yet gentle voice. "Close!" This time, the doorway dimmed to black, the rectangle bursting an incredible light, golden threads exploding in all directions to attach themselves to the edges of the oval window. Quickly, the threads tightened, pulling the doorway in on itself, the disk collapsing like folding origami, smaller and smaller until a blinding green flash flared forth leaving nothing of the gateway but a few lighted glimmers drifting to the floor.
In the dim moonlight, Syaoran was barely able to make out the figure on him, the shock preventing him from moving. He looked down at her, the faint outlines of a grimace of pain overtaking her features, a trail of blood dripping from the corners of her mouth down her chin and sliding its way along her neck before disappearing under her shirt. She panted heavily, her body wracked by convulsions, her coughing expelling more of her lifeblood, a few drops escaping her hand and landing on Syaoran's shirt. She barely made out her words, "Gomen Syaroan" before she fell unconscious.
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Syaoran sat on his couch, his mind reeling with questions, his hands automatically wiping away the blood from this woman's face with a towel. She stirred unexpectedly under is light movements, eyes snapping open, again the soul burning stare meeting him. She quickly turned her head to the side, a cough spraying blood onto her hands as she desperately tried to prevent it from splattering on the floor by pressing her palm flat against her open mouth. "Are you okay?" It was stupid question; obviously she was anything but okay, but that was all his mind could form.
She nodded slightly, deftly reaching with a trembling hand into her jacket, biting her lower lip as to prevent the scream of pain emerging in her throat. Taking out a small cylindrical vial, she quiveringly placed it to her lips, biting down hard on the plastic cap, and swallowed the harsh liquid that oozed out. Syoaran could feel her body immediately quieting, her breathing becoming less ragged and her coughing subsiding. She brought her eyes back to Syaoran's face, her blood reddened lips brought into a weak smile, her emerald eyes twinkling with an emotion so obvious and intense that it startled him…love. "It's been a long time since I've seen you." As if floodgates had opened, she flung herself into his arms, her sobs muffled in the folds of his clothes.
Syaoran couldn't grasp any of this, his arms unconsciously circling her heaving figure, but his mind still a chaotic mess of unanswered questions and conflicting emotions. How did she know his name? Did he meet her before? Who is she? Where did she come from? He picked a random question out of his mental list, whispering it gently into her ear, the sound of his own voice, unusually tender even to himself. "Who are you?"
She sniffled, releasing her strangle hold on his shirt, straightening to look him in the eye, her eyes misted with an indeterminate mix of grief, love and joy. "I am Sakura." It was simple statement, but something about it seemed to provide Syaoran with all the answers he sought for at the moment. "Sakura Kinomoto."
After a brief silence, curiosity took over him again. "What…where did you come from? How…?"
Her smile broadened even more, a trace of the sadness still present behind her eyes. "Tunneling." She suddenly yawned, her body falling back onto the couch. "Can I explain things in the morning?"
Syaoran merely nodded; his mind a mass of jumbled thoughts. "I'll get a blanket."
"Arigatou. Oyasumi Syaoran." He turned around to ask her how she knew his name, but found her already asleep, her features overtaken by the rest she seemed to so desperately need.
He turned around and quickly found a quilt, pulling the thick covering about her body. He watched her breathe in silent contemplation; what are the chances that a beautiful woman would appear in front of him, from a glowing portal no less? And a woman that seemed to know him and strangely care about him so much? The only romance he ever conceived was with numbers, grasping the esoteric equations demanded by his job as an engineer, doomed to an existence of throwing himself into a clutter of numbers and theorems. He didn't know why, in fact he didn't know anything at the moment, but he kneeled by Sakura's side and laid his head on her stomach, feeling the rising and falling of her breaths, the comforting warmth of her body. He closed his eyes, falling in rhythm with her, noting her fingers instinctively embedding themselves in his hair. He slept, dreamless, strangely complete.
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Syaoran's eyes stirred, amber opening up to the peach hue of morning light filtering through the gauze curtains. He shifted his head ready to bury his face into his pillow before registering that his pillow was moving up and down. Quickly, his head jerked upward, his arms which had found their way to Sakura's sides pulled back. His head movement caused Sakura's hands to drop to her sides, awakening her. Her eyes fluttered open to watch him quizzically, the cloud of sleep passing like a translucent sheet across her face. She smiled achingly sweet, bringing her hands up to Syaoran's cheek, her light touch gliding across his skin. Lifting herself up, she wrapped an arm around his neck, laughing at his yelp of surprise. "Ohayo Syoaran." Before he could answer, her lips were pressed against his, searing his senses.
Syaoran felt like he was falling, his consciousness drifting into the background, the only thing in his mind, the electric feeling firing from the nerves in his lips, the soft yielding of Sakura's mouth, the pleasant warmth that spread across his body. He leaned in without awareness, deepening the sensory onslaught.
The veil of sleep cleared, the hazy fog dissipating from the recesses of Sakura's mind. Clarity as bright as the morning sun flashed through her senses, her eyes widening. This was not Syaoran, and yet it was, the same lips. She hastily pushed Syaoran away from her, tears forming at the corner of her eyes, her form shaking from an anguished awakening of feelings she hoped would stay buried. "I'm very sorry, Syaoran."
Syaoran's mind reeled back on itself, rational thoughts once again reigning; his immediate reaction to turn a violent red. He stammered not knowing what to say, pained at the expression on Sakura's face. "It's okay; I…I'll get breakfast ready, any requests?"
Sakura blinked back the tears, giving Syaoran a small smile. "Not really. Call me when you're done." She walked lightly to the balcony leaving Syaoran to stare after her, the sun streaming through the glass and landing on her slender figure. In the mild summer morning, she stretched feeling the warmth of the sun dancing pleasantly on her skin. She leaned against the railing, taking in the city before her, a mass of activity, merchants opening shop, morning joggers, people in apartment buildings waking up, all underneath an endless expanse of azure sky, lit up by the glorious radiance of the sun. "How long has it been?" She was answered with a twittering of a bird passing by landing in an adjacent tree. She smiled, memories of spring and summer resurfacing from the deepest recesses of her mind. "If only…" The wish hung in the air, knowing full well that it could not be granted.
Syaoran watched Sakura from the doorway, standing reverently in the morning light. He finally took full notice of her: soft auburn hair falling listlessly against her shoulder, heavily patched jeans, an equally mended shirt, now brown with caked blood. The jacket she wore wasn't patched, the gaping holes exposing bruised and scraped flesh underneath, a deep scarlet gash down one arm, dark violet blothes scattered around the base of her neck trailing downward. She looked like she'd returned from a war. But she was smiling now, and that, for some reason in his opinion, was all that mattered. "If what?"
Sakura turned around, her smile fading a bit. "It's nothing. If breakfast ready? Smells good."
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Sakura toyed with her food, taking small bites every now and then, casting glances at Syaoran who was equally immersed in staring at his food. She decided to break the silence, time being too precious to waste. "So…I'm guessing you want to know everything?"
Syaoran looked up at her, meeting her calm gaze with a half nod "Actually, I wanted to ask you first how you knew my name. Did we meet before?"
Sakura dropped her gaze, the familiar pang of pain wrenching her insides. "No, it's just that…It's just too complicated explain. There's a lot to tell you."
"I have all morning."
"Make that all morning and all night; this is going to be a long explanation." She laughed lightly at something only she knew, half in amusement, half at the confused expression on his face. "You're just like him you know; no sense of time whatsoever."
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Author's Note: Well, was it written okay? I felt inspired. How's the plot? The next chapter explains everything; hopefully I can get right on it, but I still have 2 other series to write for; damn my impatience to post stuff. Can someone help me with a summary for this that's actually good?