littlewolfsyaoran: yesyesyes, there is more…..more to come. The more you guys review, the faster I'll write!!!! ~hint, hint~
Butterfly Angel: E + T surprisingly might not be the ones, it actually might be S + S, what do you think?
Fuuri: Hey to you, I changed it, so there!
Mizuuri: ~wrestles~ HAHAHAHAH! I win!
Another thing, I don't own Cardcaptors or Cardcaptor Sakura, they all belong to the ladies at CLAMP!!! Read CLOVER, it's kinda confusing at first, but quite interesting.
Just one more thing: I think it's number 22, 22). He listens to your problems in life.
Astonished Apprehension
The mirror rippled, and soon Tomoyo could begin to make out distorted images in the mirror's surface.
~***~
Eriol turned the flaky pages of the ancient book, and continued to read.
This legend is causing my father great distress, for he says the legend will soon come to pass. I will stop it! I will not let some stupid legend destroy all that my father and I have worked for!
Her name is Oyomot…I am suppose to help her learn the chores she is in charge of. She is the weakest housemaid I have ever met. What was Father thinking when he hired her? Just today, when she was wiping Father's study table, she managed to leave dried traces of water on the oak surface! I told her to just stop, that she was not use to anyone, and to just go away and find another job. However, she is unlike most girls. All the others would have cried and ran out sobbing. Oyomot looked at me without any tears in her eyes, she told me she would improve and to get on with telling her what to do.
At this point, Eriol noticed that some of the pages, the ink had smeared making the writing unreadable. He carefully turned these pages over, looking for the pages still intact.
Months and months have passed. My father said my magic is quite exceptional. I shall soon take over my father's role as the most powerful magician in the world! I am quite nervous for this is a very demanding role. However this means my father has to be stricter with me, he says this is for my own good. I know, yet I am unused to this physical and mental torture. I must wake at the crack of dawn, and exercise and meditate until late in the evening, in which my father instructs me in the art of magic.
My instructors beat me, whenever I don't meet their expectations, their whips always appear instantly in their hands. Oyomot helped me bandage my wounds the first couple weeks of this training.
It is quite odd; she has been with us for this long. I think the training and exhaustion must be getting to my brain. All I can remember is Oyomot's smooth hands applying the soothing salve upon my back.
"Loire," I think her voice is so gentle for one so weak. "Loire, don't ever give up. For me, don't ever give up." What does she mean by that? She says that quite often, and I reply that I detest her and I wouldn't do anything for her. She never cries or gets mad when I say these things to her. Everytime I see her, for some odd reason, chills run up and down my spine. I think….I think if she ever left…I would miss her…
~***~
Tomoyo stared at the mirror. The reflections shifted and played with each other, then the reflections seem to tire of each other and finally they began to settle.
Within the mirror, Tomoyo sees a scene begin to unfold. She makes out the blurry profile of a young boy and girl. They are in a forest; the images begin to become more definite. It is in the afternoon, the sun is shining and the leafy branches sway in the soft breeze. The boy had a very set look to his face; the girl followed him. Her hands held in front of her, she appeared to be begging him about something. The girl about Tomoyo's age, was dressed in a simple velvet green housemaid outfit. It clung to her body, for she seemed to have grown into this particular dress without anyone caring to present her with a larger dress. Tomoyo, with her designer's eye, could see that the seams were beginning to split, and the sleeves stopped right below her elbow. The dress itself came up to the girl's knees, and was very plain, with nothing.
A breeze was blowing furiously through the trees; the boy was obviously dressed more warmly than the maid was; for he had on plain cotton shirt and pants, but they fit. Over all that, he had a cloak, it was made from probably wool, thought Tomoyo. The deep forest green wool cloak swept around the boy's feet as he trudged over rocks. He was wearing heavy leather boots, Tomoyo noticed, the girl was running barefoot, she was obviously shivering in the cold, but trying to ignore it.
Suddenly, sound filtered in to Tomoyo's ears from the mirror.
"Please Master Loire, let's turn back. There's a storm coming! We have to get back to the house before the rain gets us!" The girl hollered into the wind.
"No wench! I must do this! I sense this incredible evil aura coming from that cave near the waterfall! You can go back, it's not like you can do anything to help me, being the weakling you are! You know I hate you! So just go away, wench!"
Oyomot apparently ignored his words, for she sprinted up to where Loire was. She pulled on his shoulders, begging him to go back the whole time. Loire shoved her hands off, still running for his destination.
"No Master Loire! Something bad is going to happen to you in that cave if you go there! Please come back, we can come back when the storm is over and bring your father with you!"
"Absolutely not! This is my only chance to prove to Father that I can handle something like this by myself!"
Oyomot began to cry, her tears spilled down her cheeks even while she was running side by side with Loire. Loire stopped in surprise, Oyomot had never cried before, not even when he had slapped her for doing such a horrible job on Father's desk. Loire stopped and sighed, he walked over to the shade of an enormous boulder. The wind blew with all its might, but Loire was shielded quite effectively from its tries to penetrate the boulder. He looked over to where Oyomot was standing. She was staring at him, tears still trickled out of the corners of her eyes. She made no move to wipe her tears away, and the wind glad at this new present, took the crystalline tears away with it.
Loire gulped, it was such times that Oyomot sent chills up and down his spine. He had never felt like this before. Sighing, he beckoned her over to the shade of the boulder. She hesitantly walked over, almost tripping on the sharp rocks. Suddenly, she cried out and began to fall…she landed in…Loire's arms. Both blushing furiously, Oyomot scrambled out of her master's arms. Loire looked away quickly, hoping she hadn't seen his moment of weakness.
Oyomot sat next to him, shivering slightly in the cold. A sudden warmth enveloped her; it was Loire's wool cloak. She sat up straight startled; quickly she took the warm cloak off of her and offered it back to Loire. He took it, then he draped it around Oyomot's shoulders again. Surprised she looked up, upon her master's face was a look she had never seen before. It wasn't his normal scorning face he had on whenever she was around. This look, she couldn't quite place it, but it made her feel all warm and tingly inside.
"Master Loire…thank you."
Blushing, Loire glanced at her face. She was smiling, and it wasn't her normal smile. This smile was…something he felt he had been waiting his whole life for.
"Your welcome, we-, I mean Oyomot." He mumbled. Oyomot heard him, and she beamed. Confused, Loire returned her smile with a shaky one of his own. What was it about this wench that made him feel like this?
"O-Oyomot?"
"Yes, Master Loire? Is there anything you require of me?"
"Um, I think…I think I would like it better…if…if you…uh…stopped calling me master…"
"Eh? But Master Loire, that would be inappropriate for someone of my lowly rank to treat you as an equal!"
Loire grabbed Oyomot's hand, causing both of them to blush furiously. Loire's callused hands, slowly rubbed Oyomot's smooth hands. He wondered how her hands stayed so smooth, even through all the physical work she had to do. Oyomot had no idea what was going on, her normally abusive master, was actually treating her as an equal, and he also wanted her to treat him as an equal.
"I think if you could just call me Loire, I would be happy with just that…"
"But it is unforgivable for me to call you that, Master Loire!"
"Hey, you are my servant right? You have to listen when I give you a direct order, correct?"
"Ye-yes! Master Loire!"
"Then I order you to stop calling me Master Loire. Just plain Loire will do, do you understand, servant?"
"Ye-yes, Mas-…uh Loire."
"Good, we have solved this one problem, let's get going." Loire pulled Oyomot up. Together they set off through the darkened woods. Oyomot was still nervous about this. She wanted more than nothing than to go back home safe, but she had to put her faith in Master Loire, no…Loire.
~Hehe, young ones so stupid, but that makes it easier to capture them…~
~***~
Tomoyo snapped her up in surprise, she could hear that voice in her mind, she had heard that voice somewhere before, but where? The voice chilled her to her bones. There was something very wrong and evil with that voice.
Up in his library, Eriol was thinking the exact same thing. Clutching his arms, he had felt an incredible pain shoot up his arms. That voice sparked unknown dread within him. His whole being told him that voice was evil…something wrong with being…also something sad…
~***~
Tomoyo continued watching through the mirror. She huddled near a tree and watched, cautiously.
Loire and Oyomot had been walking for some time. The forest had gotten a whole lot darker as evening fell. Oyomot felt nervous with dread. A black fog had started to rise; however Loire didn't seem to notice. He kept tramping walking on the path determinedly, knowing where he was trying to go.
Oyomot felt something wrong emanating from the fog. She was very scared now; she wanted to leave the accursed place.
"Loire, I'm serious, there is something wrong with this place…let's go home now." Loire looked around behind him.
"Look Oyomot, I know what I am doing, you still have to listen to my orders. I order you to come with me."
With that he turned back and continued walking. Sighing, Oyomot followed him, wishing he would just listen to her this one time…
The black fog grew darker, until even Loire noticed which his stubborn pride had prevented him from seeing before. He stopped, hesitating, for the fog had covered everything. The trees, the path, the remaining light of the evening, had been cloaked in darkness. He turned around in panic, just in time to see Oyomot with horror etched all over her face, get swallowed up by the fog.
Desperately, he ran towards her, but the fog only stopped him. He couldn't move his feet; he couldn't move anything.
"Well, you stepped into my trap rather nicely…hahaha!!!"
The last thing Loire heard before the darkness swallowed him.
"urk…" Loire woke up with a splitting headache. He still couldn't move, but this time the fog wasn't restraining him. His wrists and ankles had been chained to a wall. The wall was nasty, cold, damp, and covered in slime, which gave off a rather musty odor, mixed with scent of old blood.
Suddenly he jerked back to reality; he was in an underground dungeon of some sort by the roots that grew between the wall stones. Looking above him, he could a see a faint ray of light. Using this light, he squinted his eyes to get a better look at his surroundings. There was something swaying gently with a faint creaking sound.
Loire closed his eyes and allowed his magical senses to flood outward away from him. The thing hanging in the corner was…Oyomot! She was still alive though probably still unconscious. Loire breathed a sigh of relief. He examined her closely, she still had his wool cloak which she had tucked snuggly into the tunic of her dress. She, unlike him, had been chained by her wrists only. The long chain hung from the ceiling, dangling her in the air.
"Oyomot…oyomot…oyomot…!!!" Loire whispered urgently, she didn't respond.
Loire decided to try something he was positive would not work, but he had to try. Gathering up his mental strength, he sent a mind call to Oyomot. She shouldn't be able to hear it since she didn't have any magical ablities.
~OYOMOT!! HEY! WAKE UP!!!~
~Huh….wha…what happened?~ Oyomot a bit groggily responded. Loire was shocked. Not only had she heard his call, but she had replied using her mind!
Oyomot shook her head to clear her grogginess. She looked around, she noticed something chained to the wall; that was Loire, she was certain. She looked up and noticed the little window in the ceiling far above that let down the faint light.
"uhhh…Loire? Are you there?"
"yea, Oyomot, looks like we got ourselves into a really big mess."
"Hehehe, you hatchlings sure did. You were too confident of yourselves, thinking you could possibly defeat me!" The evil voice seemed to spread through the air. It was everywhere at once with no visible source.
"Show yourself!!" Yelled Loire in a commanding voice, or what he hoped was a commanding voice.
"Of course, young mage, I'll present myself in the way I should. Befitting the next ruler of this world!"
The black fog appeared again, swirling from all the dark corners of the dungeon. The fog grouped together at the middle of the room, swirling faster and faster, until a form began to appear in the darkness. Then SHE stepped out, the evil one.
Loire looked at her carefully; she emanated evil from all over her. Loire was surprised though when he probed her with his magic. She seemed to have once been a nice person, but became corrupted for some reason. She was sad; her sadness was so deep it drew all the evil in the air to her. The dark energy must have simmered within her for a long time, until she became THAT. The original lady's spirit must have been consumed by the energy, leaving only this being of darkness.
Gasping, the evil one quickly shut herself away from Loire's probing.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" She strode over to where Loire was chained; she raised one smooth, elegant hand, and slapped him full in the face. Loire reeled from the stinging blow.
"HEY, you witch! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Oyomot screamed with all her might. To her surprise the evil one actually listened, she strode away, more like floated away from him towards her.
"Hmmm…I like your spirit, you are exactly what I expected you to be."
"huh?" Both Oyomot and Loire questioned in unison.
"I am the Dark Lady Hoshini, I WILL rule the world, and take my revenge upon the one who betrayed me!"
Calming down, Hoshini walked over to Oyomot, she caressed Oyomot's face with her pale hand. Oyomot winced at her touch, biting down the urge to vomit.
Loire could hardly contain his anger at the evil one. How dare she frighten Oyomot like that?
Still caressing Oyomot's cheek, Hoshini purred in her ear.
"I want your power…the sadness you shall bring…I want to have it! You must give it to me.."
Oyomot strained to get her face away from Hoshini's hands.
"I have no idea what you are talking about!"
Hoshini stepped back away from her.
"oh, but you do. You are the one." Loire watched all of that confused. Oyomot was the one? What one?
"I SHALL HAVE IT, YOU WEAKLINGS CAN'T STOP ME!" With that, Hoshini thrust her hand into her billowing black robe, and pulled out an orb. It was a piece of white crystal, it had once been pure, but now it was contaminated. Dark energy danced and lurched within the orb.
"This is one of my fondest treasures. I took this from one who was to be a most powerful magician…and filled it with darkness. It shall never serve the pure ones again."
Hoshini clicked her fingers; the chain that held Oyomot to the ceiling creaked and began to move. The chain stopped right next to Loire, Oyomot dangled next to him. Hoshini pointed the orb at the two; it started to glow with an eerie golden light.
Spirits of Darkness,
I command you to appear!
I am the Dark Lady Hoshini…
Born the night sorrow was created,
Black, eternal sadness, pain, sorrow!
I draw my powers from thee..
The one who is trusted,
The one who must betray,
Show me the ones
Winged and Dark Together…
REVEAL!
Loire gasped into the darkness.
~Are we…?~
The light intensified and swallowed the two of them.
Oyomot closed her eyes; the feeling that filled her up was…overwhelming!
Her back itched, suddenly something burst from her back, from her shoulder blades.
They were wings! Snowy white wings sheltered her; downy feathers floated everywhere.
Loire agonizingly turned his head towards Oyomot, his mind was reeling, he barely registered that what he was seeing was not an angel, but Oyomot with wings.
Loire himself was undergoing the same overwhelming feeling Oyomot had. He was surrounded by a silver light, though he couldn't see it, Oyomot could, his skin and being was glowing with that silver light.
"AHA! I knew it!" Screeched Hoshini.
The two painfully lifted their heads to look at her.
"The Winged and Dark Ones are you two!!!!!"