Chapter 5
Sakura suddenly awoke. She looked around, puzzled. What had woken her? Then she heard thunder roll in the distance. It must have been the lightning, she reasoned.
She knew she would not be able to sleep through a thunderstorm, so she sat up. Lightning flashed again, giving her a glimpse of Syaoran, also sitting up, looking to the sky. "A storm's coming," he said quietly, as if to himself. Then thunder rolled again.
All at once the heavens opened up and dumped rain in great, powerful sheets of water upon the earth. Sakura yelped and grabbed her blanket, wrapping it around herself. She had seen heavy rain before, of course, but never like this. The drops were so huge and falling so quickly that they actually hurt when they hit her. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, still clinging to the blanket, even though it was so thin and drenched that it now served no real purpose.
The lightning began to flash more and more frequently, and the thunder became louder, sooner after the lightning. The storm was getting closer.
Sakura began to whimper. She was freezing; the fierce wind that had been blowing all night was howling now. In an especially strong gust her blanket was wrenched from her fingers. She knew it was unlikely that she would ever see it again. Feeling like a child, she began to cry, terrified.
Suddenly, over the ruckus of the wind and the rain and the thunder, she faintly heard Syaoran's voice. "We've got to get to higher ground. The stream is flooding!"
Sakura stumbled to her feet. She looked in the direction of the stream. When the lightning flashed, she could see that the calm, serene stream had transformed into a raging river. Fear gripped her heart. Syaoran was right. The water would reach them before long, and they'd be swept in by the swift current... And yet she found herself unable to move, maybe because of the cold, the terror, or the fact that all was dark save when the lightning flashed. Whatever the reason, she was frozen, her feet rooted on the spot upon which she stood.
"Come on!" Syaoran's voice reached her ears, impatient, frustrated. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
Suddenly she felt a hand grab her wrist and drag her roughly away from the stream. "Why wouldn't you come!" Syaoran yelled. Sakura could not find her voice. She could hardly convince herself to put one foot in front of the other.
Syaoran went slowly, occasionally tripping, stumbling through deep puddles, rain pounding down on them both. In flashes of lightning Sakura cold see his left arm out in front, feeling for objects in his path. His right hand still gripped her wrist. Sakura glanced behind her and was terrified to see that the water was getting closer. She whimpered, closing her eyes against the howling wind and fierce rain.
Sakura had no idea how much time had passed when she heard Syaoran yell, "There's a town ahead!" Sakura opened her eyes and saw light not far ahead. Yes. A town. She glanced back again and could see the water at a distance behind them. She vaguely remembered staggering uphill. They would be safe here.
No longer driven by intense fear, Sakura was overwhelmed by exhaustion. She closed her eyes and surrendered to it.
When Sakura awoke, she was uncertain of where she was. At first she could not recall what had happened. But she opened her eyes and saw that she was in a bedroom, bright afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window on her right, she remembered.
This must be the town that we saw, Sakura thought. After I passed out, someone must have brought me here. But... She was alone. Where was Syaoran?
Sakura sat up and looked around the relatively small room. It was simple, with a nightstand to the left of the bed and a dresser across the room. The door, next to the dresser, was closed.
Sakura stood up, pushing off the soft, warm covers. She looked down and saw that she was wearing loose cotton pajamas. She marveled at them. Cotton was a luxury unheard of to servants such as herself. Everything she owned- the two simple dresses she had made herself- was burlap.
Sakura wandered over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. It was filled with undergarments. The next drawer contained neatly folded dresses. The next had shirts on the left and trousers on the right- boys' clothes. The last drawer was considerably deeper. It contained shoes.
Suddenly the door opened. Sakura jumped, quickly shutting the drawer of shoes and straightening to face a young woman.
She looked to be in her early twenties. She had long, wheat-blonde hair partially tied back. Her eyes sparkled a grayish blue. She was rather tall, and extraordinarily beautiful. She wore a lightweight beige cotton dress that hung to her ankles. She smiled warmly at Sakura.
"Go ahead. Choose what you would like to wear. You're my guest."
Sakura stared, then bowed humbly. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "but I'm not worthy to-"
"Nonsense," the woman said offhandedly, opening the drawer with the dresses. "This should fit you beautifully," she said brightly. "Now hurry up and change. It's almost time for lunch. You slept right through breakfast, you know." The woman smiled again. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Hidochi." Then she ducked out of the room shutting the door behind her.
Sakura quickly changed into the yellow dress. She pulled a pair of white sandals from the bottom drawer. She then picked up a hairbrush from the top of the dresser and brushed her hair, something she had very rarely been able to do save with her own fingers. She did not own a hairbrush.
She looked down at herself. Never had she been so nicely dressed. She felt like a princess. It was strange, uncomfortable in a way, but something she certainly could become accustomed to. She smiled to herself and left the room.
Sakura walked down a short hallway with one door beside hers on the left and two on the right. At the end of the hallway was a large room. A giant black kettle sat over a warm fire in the hearth, and a wonderful smell reached Sakura's nose. It must be some kind of soup, she thought. There was a small round table in the center of the room with four chairs around it. Syaoran, wearing loose beige pants and a light red shirt, sat in one of the chairs, dunking a piece of bread into a bowl of soup. Hidochi sat across from him, watching him eat with a smile on her face. Then she noticed Sakura, standing in the hallway. "Hello," she said warmly. "Come, please sit. Have some soup."
Sakura sat and gratefully ate the soup and bread Hidochi gave her. It was wonderful. Sakura was only able to eat such delicious food if one of the more daring servants, such as her friend Yamazaki, stole some from the kitchen and shared with the others. She felt even more like a princess now. Never had she been treated so well.
After Sakura and Syaoran had had their fill of soup and bread, Hidochi folded her hands under her chin and looked at them curiously. "Now that you're rested and fed, I'd love to know your story. We haven't had guests other than traders here in Tamiya for generations, being such a small, isolated town. So do tell."
Sakura remained silent, knowing that it was Syaoran's place, not hers, to speak now. Syaoran hesitated, then claimed that his mother had sent him on an errand to his uncle's village and had given him this servant girl to accompany him, but they had lost their way in the storm and ended up here. Hidochi nodded sympathetically. "I wish I could help you, but I've never been far from Tamiya. I don't know where any other villages are." Sakura noticed that Syaoran looked relieved not to have to further complicate his tale. "I am told that following the river leads to other towns. That's the best advice I can give you. But..." She hesitated.
"But what?" Syaoran prompted impatiently.
"It is dangerous to leave the village these days," she whispered, "especially by way of the river. Few traders have reached our village in the past few years, and those that have speak of terrible things, gruesome human remains..." She paused, shuddered, fear written on her face. "You must not go that way."
"Is there a way to go back the way we came and find another route?" asked Syaoran.
"No," Hidochi replied quietly. "I know you haven't seen yet but this village has steep cliffs on either side. The mountains are just north of here. And the only path north..." She whispered again, as if fearful to say such things aloud. "The only path north is the path the traders use. To the south, there is nothing but the forest and valley. They say that the path was built centuries ago as the only way through the mountains. To go around would take longer than anyone knows- some say the mountains stretch across the entire continent."
"So this path is extremely dangerous?" Syaoran asked inquisitively.
"Yes. Only the braves, strongest men survived, and they were not in good shape when they arrived here." Her eyes flicked toward Sakura. "Never a woman."
"So, what then?" Sakura asked very quietly. Syaoran turned to stare at her, as if shocked that she would dare speak. "Are we trapped here?"
"I would say so," Hidochi replied softly.
Sakura suddenly awoke. She looked around, puzzled. What had woken her? Then she heard thunder roll in the distance. It must have been the lightning, she reasoned.
She knew she would not be able to sleep through a thunderstorm, so she sat up. Lightning flashed again, giving her a glimpse of Syaoran, also sitting up, looking to the sky. "A storm's coming," he said quietly, as if to himself. Then thunder rolled again.
All at once the heavens opened up and dumped rain in great, powerful sheets of water upon the earth. Sakura yelped and grabbed her blanket, wrapping it around herself. She had seen heavy rain before, of course, but never like this. The drops were so huge and falling so quickly that they actually hurt when they hit her. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, still clinging to the blanket, even though it was so thin and drenched that it now served no real purpose.
The lightning began to flash more and more frequently, and the thunder became louder, sooner after the lightning. The storm was getting closer.
Sakura began to whimper. She was freezing; the fierce wind that had been blowing all night was howling now. In an especially strong gust her blanket was wrenched from her fingers. She knew it was unlikely that she would ever see it again. Feeling like a child, she began to cry, terrified.
Suddenly, over the ruckus of the wind and the rain and the thunder, she faintly heard Syaoran's voice. "We've got to get to higher ground. The stream is flooding!"
Sakura stumbled to her feet. She looked in the direction of the stream. When the lightning flashed, she could see that the calm, serene stream had transformed into a raging river. Fear gripped her heart. Syaoran was right. The water would reach them before long, and they'd be swept in by the swift current... And yet she found herself unable to move, maybe because of the cold, the terror, or the fact that all was dark save when the lightning flashed. Whatever the reason, she was frozen, her feet rooted on the spot upon which she stood.
"Come on!" Syaoran's voice reached her ears, impatient, frustrated. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
Suddenly she felt a hand grab her wrist and drag her roughly away from the stream. "Why wouldn't you come!" Syaoran yelled. Sakura could not find her voice. She could hardly convince herself to put one foot in front of the other.
Syaoran went slowly, occasionally tripping, stumbling through deep puddles, rain pounding down on them both. In flashes of lightning Sakura cold see his left arm out in front, feeling for objects in his path. His right hand still gripped her wrist. Sakura glanced behind her and was terrified to see that the water was getting closer. She whimpered, closing her eyes against the howling wind and fierce rain.
Sakura had no idea how much time had passed when she heard Syaoran yell, "There's a town ahead!" Sakura opened her eyes and saw light not far ahead. Yes. A town. She glanced back again and could see the water at a distance behind them. She vaguely remembered staggering uphill. They would be safe here.
No longer driven by intense fear, Sakura was overwhelmed by exhaustion. She closed her eyes and surrendered to it.
When Sakura awoke, she was uncertain of where she was. At first she could not recall what had happened. But she opened her eyes and saw that she was in a bedroom, bright afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window on her right, she remembered.
This must be the town that we saw, Sakura thought. After I passed out, someone must have brought me here. But... She was alone. Where was Syaoran?
Sakura sat up and looked around the relatively small room. It was simple, with a nightstand to the left of the bed and a dresser across the room. The door, next to the dresser, was closed.
Sakura stood up, pushing off the soft, warm covers. She looked down and saw that she was wearing loose cotton pajamas. She marveled at them. Cotton was a luxury unheard of to servants such as herself. Everything she owned- the two simple dresses she had made herself- was burlap.
Sakura wandered over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. It was filled with undergarments. The next drawer contained neatly folded dresses. The next had shirts on the left and trousers on the right- boys' clothes. The last drawer was considerably deeper. It contained shoes.
Suddenly the door opened. Sakura jumped, quickly shutting the drawer of shoes and straightening to face a young woman.
She looked to be in her early twenties. She had long, wheat-blonde hair partially tied back. Her eyes sparkled a grayish blue. She was rather tall, and extraordinarily beautiful. She wore a lightweight beige cotton dress that hung to her ankles. She smiled warmly at Sakura.
"Go ahead. Choose what you would like to wear. You're my guest."
Sakura stared, then bowed humbly. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "but I'm not worthy to-"
"Nonsense," the woman said offhandedly, opening the drawer with the dresses. "This should fit you beautifully," she said brightly. "Now hurry up and change. It's almost time for lunch. You slept right through breakfast, you know." The woman smiled again. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Hidochi." Then she ducked out of the room shutting the door behind her.
Sakura quickly changed into the yellow dress. She pulled a pair of white sandals from the bottom drawer. She then picked up a hairbrush from the top of the dresser and brushed her hair, something she had very rarely been able to do save with her own fingers. She did not own a hairbrush.
She looked down at herself. Never had she been so nicely dressed. She felt like a princess. It was strange, uncomfortable in a way, but something she certainly could become accustomed to. She smiled to herself and left the room.
Sakura walked down a short hallway with one door beside hers on the left and two on the right. At the end of the hallway was a large room. A giant black kettle sat over a warm fire in the hearth, and a wonderful smell reached Sakura's nose. It must be some kind of soup, she thought. There was a small round table in the center of the room with four chairs around it. Syaoran, wearing loose beige pants and a light red shirt, sat in one of the chairs, dunking a piece of bread into a bowl of soup. Hidochi sat across from him, watching him eat with a smile on her face. Then she noticed Sakura, standing in the hallway. "Hello," she said warmly. "Come, please sit. Have some soup."
Sakura sat and gratefully ate the soup and bread Hidochi gave her. It was wonderful. Sakura was only able to eat such delicious food if one of the more daring servants, such as her friend Yamazaki, stole some from the kitchen and shared with the others. She felt even more like a princess now. Never had she been treated so well.
After Sakura and Syaoran had had their fill of soup and bread, Hidochi folded her hands under her chin and looked at them curiously. "Now that you're rested and fed, I'd love to know your story. We haven't had guests other than traders here in Tamiya for generations, being such a small, isolated town. So do tell."
Sakura remained silent, knowing that it was Syaoran's place, not hers, to speak now. Syaoran hesitated, then claimed that his mother had sent him on an errand to his uncle's village and had given him this servant girl to accompany him, but they had lost their way in the storm and ended up here. Hidochi nodded sympathetically. "I wish I could help you, but I've never been far from Tamiya. I don't know where any other villages are." Sakura noticed that Syaoran looked relieved not to have to further complicate his tale. "I am told that following the river leads to other towns. That's the best advice I can give you. But..." She hesitated.
"But what?" Syaoran prompted impatiently.
"It is dangerous to leave the village these days," she whispered, "especially by way of the river. Few traders have reached our village in the past few years, and those that have speak of terrible things, gruesome human remains..." She paused, shuddered, fear written on her face. "You must not go that way."
"Is there a way to go back the way we came and find another route?" asked Syaoran.
"No," Hidochi replied quietly. "I know you haven't seen yet but this village has steep cliffs on either side. The mountains are just north of here. And the only path north..." She whispered again, as if fearful to say such things aloud. "The only path north is the path the traders use. To the south, there is nothing but the forest and valley. They say that the path was built centuries ago as the only way through the mountains. To go around would take longer than anyone knows- some say the mountains stretch across the entire continent."
"So this path is extremely dangerous?" Syaoran asked inquisitively.
"Yes. Only the braves, strongest men survived, and they were not in good shape when they arrived here." Her eyes flicked toward Sakura. "Never a woman."
"So, what then?" Sakura asked very quietly. Syaoran turned to stare at her, as if shocked that she would dare speak. "Are we trapped here?"
"I would say so," Hidochi replied softly.