Well, here goes nothing. Chapter 11. My longest fic yet (and still
running!! Yipee!) Thank-you all for reviewing sooooo much;
Mei-Fong- Is your question about Sakura answered? Don't worry, Ping will get what's coming to him *evil look*
butterfly_grl4- Will do!
*sob*- sorry it took so long (
Wings- love the new review format, much easier to understand! Please do send me those episodes! That would be awesome- pikogio@yahoo.com Very original threat, I'll have to use that one too!! Very insightful wisdom- but remember to stay away from the groundhog santuary in South Dakota and all magical island that don't have squirrles (and beach balls…). Die Monkeys!! I still have Syaoran on my side!!
Saki- thanks, it probably won't end sad, I was just having one of those days. And don't worry, the Li-clan will be delt with very soon
Brat-Girl- Geez, such violence! He he, j/k. Like I told Mei, he'll get what's coming to him in the end
Nate0130- I know, it's shameful. But I did get to read some manga @ my friend's house this weekend! Great ideas though, think I'll use the first one next chapter- anyone out there wondering what Ping thinks of all this?
Ketchum- sorry to keep you waiting- really, I am
Kero-chan- this might answer part of your question…
Wow, that was long! Thanks so much again!!! And without further wait, here is *dun dun dun* the NEXT CHAPTER!!!!
Sakura awoke to darkness; a smothering, black cloak that hid her sight and choked her breath. Reaching into the darkness, she found that is was, in fact, a vast space. She panicked and jumped to her feet, dashing blindly from the spot.
For a good minute or so she ran. It seemed as though she was getting nowhere for nothing around her changed. A building fear overtook her and caused her feet to slow to a walk and finally a stop.
"Where am I?" she wondered in a tone barely above a whisper. In her experience, endless dark spaces meant nothing but trouble. Was this Ping's doing? She shuddered at the thought. "What do you want from me?!"
Something magic struck her senses and struck them hard; but she wasn't frightened by it. On the contrary, it calmed and relaxed her.
A shimmering on the edge of her vision made her turn. What she found was a young woman standing there, all but glowing against the surrounding darkness. Her face looked young, but her dancing gray eyes held a wisdom possessed only by the elderly. Black hair, pooling around her shoulders in a cascade of curls, sparkled and flowed in a non-existent breeze.
The figure moved closer and smiled, embracing her tightly. An amazing sensation rushed through her and she was filled with warmth, comfort, and strength.
Releasing her, the woman took a small step back and began to speak, "For all the pain that has been caused and everything that has been done to you, I bring reassurance, consonance, and comfort."
Sakura's eyes flew open and in shock she blurted out the first thing that came to mind, even if it was foolish and childish, "Are you an angel?"
"It would take an angel to make everything right in your world." She reflected sadly. "No, I am not an angel. Even my name isn't important. You've gone through so much and now…" Shaking her head she dismissed whatever thought she had been thinking, "I have an offer for you."
She was wary, but want to know what was going on. "What kind of offer?"
"I have cut a bargain with people, for your sake. They have agreed to make it so none of this happened to you; change the past and in doing so change the outcome of events present and future."
"You can make it so I won't remember… that?" Sakura wondered, the hope evident in her eyes. Countless nights since the horrible incident, she had been haunted with memories and nightmare If she was no longer cursed by those thoughts…
"I can make is so it never happened at all. You will never know who Ping was, or have to go through any of the pain he caused you." Seeing the her answer already forming on her lips, the woman added, "But there is a consequence to this action."
"What?"
"Li Syaoran will never come back to you, and never will."
Sadness reflected in her eyes and the glimmer of hope that had shone there before was gone, "No I'm sorry." Sakura replied, "Thank-you for your offer, but under the circumstances I can't accept it."
The other nodded, "I figured as much, and I'm sorry there is no other way." With a huge sigh, she embraced her once again. "Things will only get worse from here, but your spirit is strong. Keep fighting, don't ever give up. People don't always mean what they say, so trust your heart and not your ears. And remember, pure hatred is the deadliest of all poisons, don't let it taint your sole."
She was moving backwards, disappearing into the void. That was when Sakura felt a stab of pain, first on her arm, then on her face. Soon she was engulfed in pain, as well as a sensation of falling. Down, down she fell, spiraling into a vortex to light and dark. Sakura tried to scream but it caught in her throat. The noise finally escaped, just as she hit the bottom with a soft thud and collapsed, breathing hard, into the soft fabric.
************
"Li-kun, hello? Are you home? This is Tomoyo. Where are you? Have you found Sakura?! Is everything all right?!! Please call when you get this, we're really worried." The answering clicked off and the flashing number increased by one. But none of this was of any importance to the brown eyed boy sitting on a footstool close to the bed.
Syaoran kept his eyes locked on the girl lying immobile on beneath the covers. She looked so frail and helpless; deathly pale against the green sheets. It seemed impossible for someone containing so little life to hold any resemblance to his Sakura.
But it was his Sakura.
For the thousandth time he rested a finger on her neck, checking for a pulse. Since the time last night when he had found her, she had been unconscious. Syaoran cared for her they best he could, cleaning and bandaging her many wounds then carrying her to the bedroom where she could rest in more comfort. A lot of blood had been lost; the stains on his couch were proof of that. Those would have to be clean up, but not now. They could defiantly wait.
"Please wake-up. Move an arm, finger, anything. I just need to know you're going to be all right." He said desperately, watching intently for any signal that she had heard him. When she still did not move, he turned his pleading to a power higher than himself. Let her be okay, please God. She never did anything to deserve this… please
Whether it was because no god heard, or the god listening didn't want to grant the request, Sakura's limp body still showed no signs of life.
Tears gathered in his eyes and he didn't bother to hide them. It hurt him so much to see her like this; knowing that she could die at any moment, and that there was nothing he could do to help her. Syaoran felt so helpless, and he hated the feeling.
"Ahhhhhh!!!" The scream cut through the silence of the room and Syaoran jerked his eyes from the floor to the bed. Indeed, it had been Sakura. She was sitting straight up in bed, her eyes wide with fear and her arms and legs lashing out at the air in front of her.
He grabbed her around the waist and held her tightly against him so she couldn't move and wouldn't be able to hurt herself further. "Sakura, relax! It's all right!" She stopped struggling and looked up at him, her panicked green eyes meeting his calm brown ones. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and her entire body went limp.
"Sakura! Sakura!!!" He called her name desperately, shaking her shoulders, "Can you hear me? Please say something!!"
Slowly her eyes opened; tear rimmed emerald orbs, "Syaoran?" She wondered, her voice horse.
"Yes, it's me." He assured her, blushing when he noticed he was holding her against his chest. She tilted his head to try and look up at him, but flinched in pain. "Try not to move." Syaoran suggested, setting her gently back on the bed. "I'll get you something for the pain.
She nodded in agreement and he left the room. He was so concerned about her and wanted to know exactly what had happened, but he also knew he had to be careful. The last thing he wanted was to upset her and make her condition worse than it already was.
Syaoran returned with a glass of water and two pills. He helped her sit up in bed then watched as she fought the two capsules down.
"You should get some more rest now." He instructed firmly.
Surprising, Sakura shook her head, "No, I know you have questions for me, so I'll answer them." That wasn't her only reason, though. The last thing she wanted was to go back to sleep, where, now that she was conscious, he could haunt her dreams. Upon seeing his skeptical look, she added, "and I'm really not very tired."
"Are you…
"Yes, very sure. If you leave I still won't go back to sleep."
Sighing, he gave in, "All right. How did this happen?" After the question left his mouth, he wanted to kill himself. Baka, you shouldn't have started with such a difficult question!
Sakura didn't even flinch, "I felt this weird presence and I thought it might be a card, so I followed it. It wasn't a card, it was him." She added bitterly.
"Who is 'him'."
She paled and replied slowly, "I'm not sure."
"Liar." He accused, then sighed, "But I guess I can't blame you. I haven't been the easiest person to talk with." He moved from the stool to the edge of the bed, sitting near her middle and looking into her eyes to assure his sincerity, "Daidouji showed me a tape she made yesterday, when we were at the beach. I believe you, Sakura. It was Ping, I'm so sorry for not believing you before."
She was shocked by his confession, yet over joyed. "You mean… Oh Syaoran!" She leaned over to hug him, but gasped in pain and fell back down to the bed. "Thank-you." She managed, a smile on her face and a new shine in her eyes.
After making sure she was okay (and scolding her for her foolish behavior) he continued on with the questions, "So it was Ping? Did he use…"
"The aura of a card to attract me? Yes." She finished for him.
"Why?"
"He wants some things and he came to make a bargain with me."
Syaoran was confused, "what did he want?"
"Two things; first it was the cards. Second he wanted you back in Hong Know."
But that doesn't make any sense; what would he want with your cards?"
"I don't think they were for him." She replied slowly, "Something he told me makes me think that they're for your clan."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" He demanded, more panicked than angry.
Sakura flinched at his tone, he sounded furious, "He said I should be afraid of him, because he wasn't alone. He told me he was here at the request of the Li-clan."
Syaoran froze at hearing his clan mentioned. They were over wanting the cards as their own, he thought. so why the hell would they sent him to do this, unless… A phrase wrung in his mind, the reason he had been sent here in the first place- "to prove your loyalties to the clan". They had said there would be a test, to make sure the training had worked; to make sure he was faithful to his and not Sakura…
Everything was falling into place, leaving him numb with horror. This was his test; they had ordered Ping to… all because of… "Damn it!!"
They didn't see her as the sweet, kind person she was, they saw her as an object in a game. If he had left her on the par park bench that one night, would it be different. Ping would have returned to Hong Kong without hurting her further… It was too late, the damage had been done.
Sakura was startled by his sudden outburst, "Syaoran, what's wrong?"
She'll hate me. He thought She'll hate me forever, but she deserves to know the truth.
"I just realized something," He started slowly, "Do you remember when I told you the reason I was here in the first place?"
She shook her head, "No, you never told me."
This is going to be harder than I thought. "I was here on a mission to prove that my loyalties lied with my clan and not with you. I didn't know how they were going to test me, but I just realized what it was. The test was these… events." Syaoran hadn't been looking at her but at the floor. When he looked up to see her reaction, her face was turned away from him. "I'm so sorry Sakura. If I would have know what was going to happen, I wouldn't have accepted…"
"But then you never would have come back." She replied softly.
The look her gave her was indescribable, "Honestly Sakura. If it was between this not happening and me not coming back, what do you think you would pick?"
Her eyes were suddenly locked on his, "I already got that choice; in a vision this woman offered that exact choice- she said she would make it so none of this happened to me. But I said no, because accepting would mean I would never see you again."
"You mean you had that chance to reverse this and you didn't?!?" He demanded, enraged, "What the hell would make you do something like that?!"
"Because it would mean that you would never come back."
Syaoran knew he should be touched by her choice, but he wasn't. He was angry. "Sakura, you can be so dense sometimes." He all but yelled, standing up, "Just for once be selfish. Think of yourself first for once!!!" And without another word, he stood up and stomped out the room, slamming the door behind him with such a force that is shook the walls of the apartment.
Sakura watched him go, confused and bewildered, "But I was thinking about myself." She whispered softly.
***************
Well, I thought that was a good place to stop. Sorry again for the delay, but I couldn't get to a computer! R+R, please. Seriously people, I NEED MORE IDEAS!! I think this is getting a little boring… pikogio@yahoo.com
Mei-Fong- Is your question about Sakura answered? Don't worry, Ping will get what's coming to him *evil look*
butterfly_grl4- Will do!
*sob*- sorry it took so long (
Wings- love the new review format, much easier to understand! Please do send me those episodes! That would be awesome- pikogio@yahoo.com Very original threat, I'll have to use that one too!! Very insightful wisdom- but remember to stay away from the groundhog santuary in South Dakota and all magical island that don't have squirrles (and beach balls…). Die Monkeys!! I still have Syaoran on my side!!
Saki- thanks, it probably won't end sad, I was just having one of those days. And don't worry, the Li-clan will be delt with very soon
Brat-Girl- Geez, such violence! He he, j/k. Like I told Mei, he'll get what's coming to him in the end
Nate0130- I know, it's shameful. But I did get to read some manga @ my friend's house this weekend! Great ideas though, think I'll use the first one next chapter- anyone out there wondering what Ping thinks of all this?
Ketchum- sorry to keep you waiting- really, I am
Kero-chan- this might answer part of your question…
Wow, that was long! Thanks so much again!!! And without further wait, here is *dun dun dun* the NEXT CHAPTER!!!!
Sakura awoke to darkness; a smothering, black cloak that hid her sight and choked her breath. Reaching into the darkness, she found that is was, in fact, a vast space. She panicked and jumped to her feet, dashing blindly from the spot.
For a good minute or so she ran. It seemed as though she was getting nowhere for nothing around her changed. A building fear overtook her and caused her feet to slow to a walk and finally a stop.
"Where am I?" she wondered in a tone barely above a whisper. In her experience, endless dark spaces meant nothing but trouble. Was this Ping's doing? She shuddered at the thought. "What do you want from me?!"
Something magic struck her senses and struck them hard; but she wasn't frightened by it. On the contrary, it calmed and relaxed her.
A shimmering on the edge of her vision made her turn. What she found was a young woman standing there, all but glowing against the surrounding darkness. Her face looked young, but her dancing gray eyes held a wisdom possessed only by the elderly. Black hair, pooling around her shoulders in a cascade of curls, sparkled and flowed in a non-existent breeze.
The figure moved closer and smiled, embracing her tightly. An amazing sensation rushed through her and she was filled with warmth, comfort, and strength.
Releasing her, the woman took a small step back and began to speak, "For all the pain that has been caused and everything that has been done to you, I bring reassurance, consonance, and comfort."
Sakura's eyes flew open and in shock she blurted out the first thing that came to mind, even if it was foolish and childish, "Are you an angel?"
"It would take an angel to make everything right in your world." She reflected sadly. "No, I am not an angel. Even my name isn't important. You've gone through so much and now…" Shaking her head she dismissed whatever thought she had been thinking, "I have an offer for you."
She was wary, but want to know what was going on. "What kind of offer?"
"I have cut a bargain with people, for your sake. They have agreed to make it so none of this happened to you; change the past and in doing so change the outcome of events present and future."
"You can make it so I won't remember… that?" Sakura wondered, the hope evident in her eyes. Countless nights since the horrible incident, she had been haunted with memories and nightmare If she was no longer cursed by those thoughts…
"I can make is so it never happened at all. You will never know who Ping was, or have to go through any of the pain he caused you." Seeing the her answer already forming on her lips, the woman added, "But there is a consequence to this action."
"What?"
"Li Syaoran will never come back to you, and never will."
Sadness reflected in her eyes and the glimmer of hope that had shone there before was gone, "No I'm sorry." Sakura replied, "Thank-you for your offer, but under the circumstances I can't accept it."
The other nodded, "I figured as much, and I'm sorry there is no other way." With a huge sigh, she embraced her once again. "Things will only get worse from here, but your spirit is strong. Keep fighting, don't ever give up. People don't always mean what they say, so trust your heart and not your ears. And remember, pure hatred is the deadliest of all poisons, don't let it taint your sole."
She was moving backwards, disappearing into the void. That was when Sakura felt a stab of pain, first on her arm, then on her face. Soon she was engulfed in pain, as well as a sensation of falling. Down, down she fell, spiraling into a vortex to light and dark. Sakura tried to scream but it caught in her throat. The noise finally escaped, just as she hit the bottom with a soft thud and collapsed, breathing hard, into the soft fabric.
************
"Li-kun, hello? Are you home? This is Tomoyo. Where are you? Have you found Sakura?! Is everything all right?!! Please call when you get this, we're really worried." The answering clicked off and the flashing number increased by one. But none of this was of any importance to the brown eyed boy sitting on a footstool close to the bed.
Syaoran kept his eyes locked on the girl lying immobile on beneath the covers. She looked so frail and helpless; deathly pale against the green sheets. It seemed impossible for someone containing so little life to hold any resemblance to his Sakura.
But it was his Sakura.
For the thousandth time he rested a finger on her neck, checking for a pulse. Since the time last night when he had found her, she had been unconscious. Syaoran cared for her they best he could, cleaning and bandaging her many wounds then carrying her to the bedroom where she could rest in more comfort. A lot of blood had been lost; the stains on his couch were proof of that. Those would have to be clean up, but not now. They could defiantly wait.
"Please wake-up. Move an arm, finger, anything. I just need to know you're going to be all right." He said desperately, watching intently for any signal that she had heard him. When she still did not move, he turned his pleading to a power higher than himself. Let her be okay, please God. She never did anything to deserve this… please
Whether it was because no god heard, or the god listening didn't want to grant the request, Sakura's limp body still showed no signs of life.
Tears gathered in his eyes and he didn't bother to hide them. It hurt him so much to see her like this; knowing that she could die at any moment, and that there was nothing he could do to help her. Syaoran felt so helpless, and he hated the feeling.
"Ahhhhhh!!!" The scream cut through the silence of the room and Syaoran jerked his eyes from the floor to the bed. Indeed, it had been Sakura. She was sitting straight up in bed, her eyes wide with fear and her arms and legs lashing out at the air in front of her.
He grabbed her around the waist and held her tightly against him so she couldn't move and wouldn't be able to hurt herself further. "Sakura, relax! It's all right!" She stopped struggling and looked up at him, her panicked green eyes meeting his calm brown ones. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and her entire body went limp.
"Sakura! Sakura!!!" He called her name desperately, shaking her shoulders, "Can you hear me? Please say something!!"
Slowly her eyes opened; tear rimmed emerald orbs, "Syaoran?" She wondered, her voice horse.
"Yes, it's me." He assured her, blushing when he noticed he was holding her against his chest. She tilted his head to try and look up at him, but flinched in pain. "Try not to move." Syaoran suggested, setting her gently back on the bed. "I'll get you something for the pain.
She nodded in agreement and he left the room. He was so concerned about her and wanted to know exactly what had happened, but he also knew he had to be careful. The last thing he wanted was to upset her and make her condition worse than it already was.
Syaoran returned with a glass of water and two pills. He helped her sit up in bed then watched as she fought the two capsules down.
"You should get some more rest now." He instructed firmly.
Surprising, Sakura shook her head, "No, I know you have questions for me, so I'll answer them." That wasn't her only reason, though. The last thing she wanted was to go back to sleep, where, now that she was conscious, he could haunt her dreams. Upon seeing his skeptical look, she added, "and I'm really not very tired."
"Are you…
"Yes, very sure. If you leave I still won't go back to sleep."
Sighing, he gave in, "All right. How did this happen?" After the question left his mouth, he wanted to kill himself. Baka, you shouldn't have started with such a difficult question!
Sakura didn't even flinch, "I felt this weird presence and I thought it might be a card, so I followed it. It wasn't a card, it was him." She added bitterly.
"Who is 'him'."
She paled and replied slowly, "I'm not sure."
"Liar." He accused, then sighed, "But I guess I can't blame you. I haven't been the easiest person to talk with." He moved from the stool to the edge of the bed, sitting near her middle and looking into her eyes to assure his sincerity, "Daidouji showed me a tape she made yesterday, when we were at the beach. I believe you, Sakura. It was Ping, I'm so sorry for not believing you before."
She was shocked by his confession, yet over joyed. "You mean… Oh Syaoran!" She leaned over to hug him, but gasped in pain and fell back down to the bed. "Thank-you." She managed, a smile on her face and a new shine in her eyes.
After making sure she was okay (and scolding her for her foolish behavior) he continued on with the questions, "So it was Ping? Did he use…"
"The aura of a card to attract me? Yes." She finished for him.
"Why?"
"He wants some things and he came to make a bargain with me."
Syaoran was confused, "what did he want?"
"Two things; first it was the cards. Second he wanted you back in Hong Know."
But that doesn't make any sense; what would he want with your cards?"
"I don't think they were for him." She replied slowly, "Something he told me makes me think that they're for your clan."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" He demanded, more panicked than angry.
Sakura flinched at his tone, he sounded furious, "He said I should be afraid of him, because he wasn't alone. He told me he was here at the request of the Li-clan."
Syaoran froze at hearing his clan mentioned. They were over wanting the cards as their own, he thought. so why the hell would they sent him to do this, unless… A phrase wrung in his mind, the reason he had been sent here in the first place- "to prove your loyalties to the clan". They had said there would be a test, to make sure the training had worked; to make sure he was faithful to his and not Sakura…
Everything was falling into place, leaving him numb with horror. This was his test; they had ordered Ping to… all because of… "Damn it!!"
They didn't see her as the sweet, kind person she was, they saw her as an object in a game. If he had left her on the par park bench that one night, would it be different. Ping would have returned to Hong Kong without hurting her further… It was too late, the damage had been done.
Sakura was startled by his sudden outburst, "Syaoran, what's wrong?"
She'll hate me. He thought She'll hate me forever, but she deserves to know the truth.
"I just realized something," He started slowly, "Do you remember when I told you the reason I was here in the first place?"
She shook her head, "No, you never told me."
This is going to be harder than I thought. "I was here on a mission to prove that my loyalties lied with my clan and not with you. I didn't know how they were going to test me, but I just realized what it was. The test was these… events." Syaoran hadn't been looking at her but at the floor. When he looked up to see her reaction, her face was turned away from him. "I'm so sorry Sakura. If I would have know what was going to happen, I wouldn't have accepted…"
"But then you never would have come back." She replied softly.
The look her gave her was indescribable, "Honestly Sakura. If it was between this not happening and me not coming back, what do you think you would pick?"
Her eyes were suddenly locked on his, "I already got that choice; in a vision this woman offered that exact choice- she said she would make it so none of this happened to me. But I said no, because accepting would mean I would never see you again."
"You mean you had that chance to reverse this and you didn't?!?" He demanded, enraged, "What the hell would make you do something like that?!"
"Because it would mean that you would never come back."
Syaoran knew he should be touched by her choice, but he wasn't. He was angry. "Sakura, you can be so dense sometimes." He all but yelled, standing up, "Just for once be selfish. Think of yourself first for once!!!" And without another word, he stood up and stomped out the room, slamming the door behind him with such a force that is shook the walls of the apartment.
Sakura watched him go, confused and bewildered, "But I was thinking about myself." She whispered softly.
***************
Well, I thought that was a good place to stop. Sorry again for the delay, but I couldn't get to a computer! R+R, please. Seriously people, I NEED MORE IDEAS!! I think this is getting a little boring… pikogio@yahoo.com