A Little Lost
by: Time Warp
Summary: Sakura is a princess with a father who wants her to marry. Once she finds out about her former betrothed who disappeared years ago she makes up the excuse that she wants to find him, so she could avoid marriage. But what happens when she finds a cold fighter who looks just like the lost prince? S+S
Okay, it took me far longer than I expected to do this chapter. What do I blame? HOMEWORK! Jeez... I have homework up to the wazza... Anyway, I should stop my ranting and just start the chapter.
It was a forest. If you were to walk inside, you would be calmed and cooled by the trees and shade. A small brook can be seen flowing into the forest. In the distance sounds of animals can be heard. But if you listened carefully, you would also hear the soft humming of a girl.
Follow the flow of the brook's water. You would see her as she played with flowers and dipped her feet into the water. She hummed quietly as she waited. He probably wouldn't come. After all, he traveled too much to come and visit a lot. Even so, everyday she sat by the brook and waited.
She leaned forward and dipped her hands into the water. A sad smile hinted at her lips... He isn't coming.
"AME!!!!" a loud voice yelled.
The girl looked up and quickly stood. She rushed off into the woods toward the voice.
~*~
He held his stance. The man charged. Sakura couldn't bear to look. The little guy always loses... Here was the exact duplicate of the lost prince and the wolf was going to kill him... Oh the irony.
Sakura turned the other way. She tried to avert her eyes. It was far too gruesome for her. Meiling on the other hand was having to time of her life as she yelled and shouted along with the rest of the crowd.
Tomoyo and Kero started to wonder just how she became a lady of the court...
Sakura could take it anymore. The sound of clashing swords and the crowd's yells made her want to look at was happening. She look in the direction of the fight just to see the prince look alike not just holding his own against the wolf, (who happened to be twice his size) but he was actually winning.
The more she thought about it, the more unworthy the wolf seemed to be of his name and undefeated title. That look alike was much better. Even she could tell. Suddenly the look alike blocked the wolf's sword with his own. With one quick movement he shoved the sword through the wolf's stomach.
The wolf dropped his sword and backed up. He staggered as he did. The look alike wasted no time as he ran to the wolf and grabbed the sword. (That just so happened to be still stuck in the wolf's stomach.) Instead of pulling it out, he used it to throw the wolf into the air.
Sakura gaped as he held the sword and while the wolf was still in the air, he unleashed as barrage of attacks with it. The wolf hit the ground, dead.
The crowd screamed in satisfaction. Meiling was screaming along with them. Sakura gaped. She had never seen anything killed before. Not even an animal. She felt sick to her stomach.
Meiling turned to Sakura, "Isn't the wolf a great fighter? I wish I could fight him..."
"What do you mean? He lost and now he's... dead..." Sakura said quietly.
Meiling gave her a weird look and then burst out laughing, "You thought that big pathetic excuse of a fighter was the wolf? Oh man! Sakura, you kill me!"
Sakura blushed at her mistake. She then remembered her little discovery, "That guy, well I guess he was the wolf, he looked just like lost prince! Didn't you see?"
"Really?" Meiling, Kero, and Tomoyo asked.
"Jeez, that was a lot easier than I expected!" Kero exclaimed happily, "Now all we have to do is go get the guy and go home. We'll be back in time for pudding!"
The group sweat dropped. Though the thought of this whole ordeal did seem easy in Tomoyo's mind. Too easy if you were to ask her...
~*~
He walked into the tent. Another battle. Another victory. The same routine everyday. Nothing weird. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then why had he awoken that morning with the feeling that something was going to happen? Had he imagined it?
"Great job, boy. You did well. We made a lot of money from that fight," a man said as he walked into the room.
"Now, now, father. We know that Syaoran doesn't like being called boy," a voice said from behind the man.
The man turned to see his son, "Yes, I remember now, Eriol. You both can go now. You don't have to come back until half past. Got it?"
"Of course father," Eriol said with a sly smile, "Come, Syaoran. That only gives us an hour or so."
The two younger men left the tent as the older man stayed and counted the money.
~*~
Eriol and Syaoran walked down the aisle of tents and other forms of temporary housing.
Eriol looked at Syaoran, "Maybe we should go to town."
Syaoran rolled his eyes, "All towns are the same."
"Perhaps, but the people are always different," Eriol replied as he walked slightly ahead.
Syaoran snorted and followed, "It's not like I have a choice in the matter anyway."
Eriol was about to respond to Syaoran's remark when a loud voice cut him off.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CAN'T GO BACK HERE? WE'RE GOING TO DO AS WE PLEASE! AND WE WANT TO GO BACK THERE!" A loud and suspiciously feminine voice yelled loudly.
Eriol rushed to the front. Syaoran sighed as he followed. They arrived to see a furious raven hair girl yelling at the guard. Two other girls stood behind her. They were obviously embarrassed, because they were shaking their heads.
Eriol cut in between the girl and the guard, "Excuse me, but what exactly is going on here?"
The guard quickly bowed, "Young sir... I very sorry for this disturbance... These three girls are insisting that I allow them back here to look at the fighters."
Eriol glanced at the three girls. The first one, who had been yelling at the guard, was the tallest. She had raven black hair and ruby red eyes. Many could see her as attractive, but he could tell that behind her beauty lied a vile temper. She wasn't one to anger.
The second was the shortest. She had shoulder length auburn hair and emerald green eyes. She too was pretty. Right away he could tell she was obviously the most naive one, an innocent girl who seemed out of place.
The last was the most beautiful in his opinion. She had raven colored hair like the first, but hers was much longer. Her violet eyes looked at him knowingly. She was the observant one. The one who didn't let anything escape her keen eyes.
He gave the guard a look, " Three beautiful ladies come here with a simple request and you refuse? What kind of gentleman are you? Let them inside."
The guard gave him a bewildered look, "But young sir, the master-"
Eriol cut him off, "What about my father? If he finds out about this I'll tell him I let them in. Now let them pass."
The guard sighed in defeat and moved aside giving the group of young girls access.
"Please excuse the rudeness of the guards here. They are all fighters and you know most fighters aren't exactly educated," Eriol said as they entered, "Though, I am curious. Why would three beautiful ladies like yourselves want to see uncouth fighters?"
Meiling rolled her eyes. He was one of those charming sort of fellows who won most girls hearts in the blink of an eye. But, he wouldn't win her heart.
Tomoyo looked at him as well. He was tall. He had eyes colored like the night sky and hair to match. There was a wily sense around him. She could tell he was cunning. Someone you wouldn't want to plot against.
"We are looking for someone," Tomoyo said as she carefully chose her words.
"I see, someone you know? Perhaps my father?" Eriol asked as he sensed they were hiding something.
"In a way, yes," Tomoyo replied.
Eriol suddenly remembered Syaoran. He had completely forgotten of Syaoran's presence during the commotion, "Oh, please forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name Eriol and my friend over there is Syaoran."
"What friend?" Meiling asked impatiently, "Your imaginary one?"
Eriol turned around to see Syaoran was no longer standing behind him. He had probably been gone for a few minutes. He sweat dropped.
"Oh, he must of left... Don't worry he's probably on the training grounds... That's where he usually goes. Please follow me," Eriol said as he chose to ignore Meiling's rude comment.
Eriol guided them through rows of tents until they reached a crowded part of the grounds. Well, half of the ground was crowded anyway. The other half had only two people there. Fighters were training and straining themselves as they fought against each other. Sakura looked at him and instantly knew that was the look alike or the wolf. Which ever you would like to refer to him as... She also noticed a handful of the fighters chained to a post, much like animals. She was disturbed by the sight and ran up to the others as they walked.
"Eriol, why are those fighters chained up?" Sakura asked as they plowed through the mass of fighters, trying not to get hit in the process.
Eriol took a sideways glance at them and continued walking through the yard, "Now and then they try to escape, so my father chains them up... It's quite barbaric in my opinion, but I don't have any say in that type of thing."
Sakura frowned, "They're not here by choice?"
Eriol gave her a strange look, "Would you choose to go and fight for your life nearly everyday?"
Sakura shook her head.
Eriol continued walking forward, "Of course not. My father owns them. He owns most of the fighters. Some of them do choose to come here though."
Sakura frowned. His father owned the fighters? Then wasn't this whole thing glorified slave labor?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Eriol's arm. He held both his arms out on both sides blocking the girls from walking any further. Meiling was about to open her mouth in objection when Eriol interrupted her, "See that fighter?" he asked as he pointed to a guy with black hair and red eyes. He was fighting with the wolf and wasn't doing half bad considering what he was going up against.
"He'll kill anyone he goes past this line without his permission," Eriol said as he pointed to the ground. On the ground was a line. It was obviously made by dragging something in the dirt, but it was visible nonetheless.
Sakura felt her breath caught in her throat. Fighters were that violent? For the second time her thoughts were interrupted. This time by a loud thud as the black haired fighter skid across the line, destroying part of it.
"Damn you Long!" he said as he stood up. He sneered as he passed Sakura and the rest of them. The brown haired fighter, now known to Sakura as Long, rolled his eyes. He then glanced at the group, "You let them Enter Eriol? Even I wouldn't have done that."
Eriol grinned. He walked past the now destroyed line and motioned for the group to follow, "Ladies, I would like you to meet friend Long Chang. But everyone calls him Syaoran. You might as well too. I mean, I'm his best friend and he doesn't even let me call him Chang," his eyes took a look of realization, "In all the hurry I forgot to learn your names..."
Syaoran scoffed, "More like self proclaimed best friend. And it's just like you to forget something important such as one's name."
Sakura suddenly had a small feeling of dislike toward him. He seemed very surly and uncaring. She shrugged the feeling away as Tomoyo began to introduce them.
"I am Tailor. Tailor Madison," Tomoyo said as deciding that the two young men standing before them shouldn't know their real names, "These are my two cousins, Avalon Sakura and Rae Meilin," She said as she gestured to the other two girls.
"I see. As I was telling you before am I Eriol and this is Syaoran," Eriol said with his mysterious smile hinting on his lips.
"It's nice to meet you," Sakura murmured quietly.
"I assume you still want to see whoever it is you were looking for?" Eriol questioned.
The girls nodded not really knowing what to do since they had met Syaoran.
"Well, then you should see my father. Follow me," Eriol said as he began to walk off in a certain direction.
The rest of them began to follow him. Though Syaoran did with a lot of reluctance.
They came up to a tent. Sakura wondered how Eriol knew which was which. They all look alike. Eriol lifted the flap and entered. They did the same thing and quietly filed into the small tent.
Sakura saw a middle aged man sitting in at a table. He carefully counted what looked like piles of money to Sakura and stacked the golden coins with care. He scribbled things down on a piece of paper while doing so. Sakura could hear him mutter things about food, fighters, and other various things.
Eriol cleared his throat. The man took a quick glance at him and returned to counted and writing, "I said you didn't have to be here until half past. Yet here you are with company no doubt."
"Father, I would like to introduce Miss Tailor, Avalon, and Rae. They would like to speak to you about finding someone that may be here," Eriol said.
Tomoyo stared at the man. He looked nothing like Eriol. He had wrinkles probably from dealing with fighters. An old string pulled his long hair back. She wondered if they were really related.
The man stopped what he was doing for the second time and looked at the group, "Whom do you wish to see?"
Sakura and Meiling were stumped when it came to answer the simple question. Tomoyo on the other hand thought up a story to cover for them, "We are servants to our mistress. She had recently been widowed. He husband died an unfortunate death when he refused to relinquish money to bandits. She now fears dangers and such things. She sent us out to find a fighter to be a bodyguard. She will not leave the manor until she has one. She wants the best. That why we want to purchase Syaoran."
An odd silence filled the tent. Eriol looked quite surprised. Syaoran who looked surprised for a moment now had a look of indifference. Eriol's father on the other hand, had a look of defiance.
"Syaoran is not for sale," he said as he broke the silence.
"We are willing to pay any price. Our mistress is wealthy," Tomoyo insisted.
Eriol's father crossed his arms, "Look Miss Tailor, Syaoran is worth more money to me than any of the other fighters. All the money in the... Eriol! What kingdom are we in?"
"The Kinomoto Kingdom I believe."
"Yes, the Kinomoto Kingdom. Like I was saying. All the money in the Kinomoto Kingdom isn't worth half as much as the money pulled in for five years of fights. Syaoran is one of my best fighters. Therefore he is not for sale. Pick another, there are plenty of good fighters."
Tomoyo shook her head, "Our mistress specified Syaoran and Syaoran alone."
"Then I cannot help you," Eriol's father said as he began to write and count again.
"But I can."
Everyone now looked at Eriol. His father narrowed his eyes, "And how do you suppose that?"
"Dear father... Did you forget that Syaoran doesn't belong to you?" Eriol said in a casual manner.
The girls were quite surprised. Syaoran didn't belong to Eriol's father?
Eriol continued, "He belongs to me. I hold the documents."
The man's look darkened, "I see, yet you don't seem to understand that you are under my care, Eriol."
Tomoyo could suddenly see the relation. Eriol was definitely this man's son. An un-spoken challenge hung in the air. Father and son were alike in personality, clever and intelligent.
"I have come of age to leave. So if I wanted, I could leave and take Syaoran with me," Eriol said casually.
"Ah, my dear son, you forget that to leave you must pass the test I give you. Traditions you see."
"Then give me one, dear father. I will pass," Eriol insisted.
The man seemed to think for a moment. Then his eyes seemed to light up with mischief, "You must travel to the Suzuki Kingdom and retrieve the princess' treasure."
Meiling couldn't believe what she heard. Go to the Suzuki Kingdom and retrieve the princess' treasure? That's impossible. The Suzuki Kingdom was across the land. It would take days to get there. Not to mention Eriol is a commoner. They would never give it to him. That didn't even count the princess. She had once met the princess. The princess was a self-absorbed brat who thought nothing about others. She would never give the treasure away.
Eriol grinned. This was going to be a challenge. Not to worry though. Nothing was beyond him, "Consider it done."
His father nodded and they shook hands. Eriol nodded and left the tent, but right before he completely exited he turned and said, "Oh father, did I mention I'm taking Syaoran with me on this little quest?"
The man's eyes flashed with amusement and he nodded with a sly grin.
The girls left the tent as well as Syaoran. He frowned, "How are you going to pull this one off?"
Eriol turned, "With your help my dear friend."
Syaoran rolled his eyes, "I was hoping you wouldn't say that."
"So?" Eriol asked as he turned to the girls, "Since you need to buy Syaoran... Do you want to accompany us on our quest?"
Tomoyo smiled, "It seems we don't have much of a choice do we?"
"No you don't," Eriol replied.
The girls smiled as they began, as their search for a prince had become a search for a treasure.
~Meanwhile back at the Palace~
"WHAT? SAKURA IS GONE? I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE TOLD HER ABOUT THAT PRINCE!!!!"
Touya frets about his sister's sudden disappearing act. ~*~
Hm... This chapter was sort of uneventful if you know what I mean... But better stuff will come. My head is spinning with all the ideas! Fwee! Oh the things to come! Please don't forget to review! Any input is helpful.
by: Time Warp
Summary: Sakura is a princess with a father who wants her to marry. Once she finds out about her former betrothed who disappeared years ago she makes up the excuse that she wants to find him, so she could avoid marriage. But what happens when she finds a cold fighter who looks just like the lost prince? S+S
Okay, it took me far longer than I expected to do this chapter. What do I blame? HOMEWORK! Jeez... I have homework up to the wazza... Anyway, I should stop my ranting and just start the chapter.
It was a forest. If you were to walk inside, you would be calmed and cooled by the trees and shade. A small brook can be seen flowing into the forest. In the distance sounds of animals can be heard. But if you listened carefully, you would also hear the soft humming of a girl.
Follow the flow of the brook's water. You would see her as she played with flowers and dipped her feet into the water. She hummed quietly as she waited. He probably wouldn't come. After all, he traveled too much to come and visit a lot. Even so, everyday she sat by the brook and waited.
She leaned forward and dipped her hands into the water. A sad smile hinted at her lips... He isn't coming.
"AME!!!!" a loud voice yelled.
The girl looked up and quickly stood. She rushed off into the woods toward the voice.
~*~
He held his stance. The man charged. Sakura couldn't bear to look. The little guy always loses... Here was the exact duplicate of the lost prince and the wolf was going to kill him... Oh the irony.
Sakura turned the other way. She tried to avert her eyes. It was far too gruesome for her. Meiling on the other hand was having to time of her life as she yelled and shouted along with the rest of the crowd.
Tomoyo and Kero started to wonder just how she became a lady of the court...
Sakura could take it anymore. The sound of clashing swords and the crowd's yells made her want to look at was happening. She look in the direction of the fight just to see the prince look alike not just holding his own against the wolf, (who happened to be twice his size) but he was actually winning.
The more she thought about it, the more unworthy the wolf seemed to be of his name and undefeated title. That look alike was much better. Even she could tell. Suddenly the look alike blocked the wolf's sword with his own. With one quick movement he shoved the sword through the wolf's stomach.
The wolf dropped his sword and backed up. He staggered as he did. The look alike wasted no time as he ran to the wolf and grabbed the sword. (That just so happened to be still stuck in the wolf's stomach.) Instead of pulling it out, he used it to throw the wolf into the air.
Sakura gaped as he held the sword and while the wolf was still in the air, he unleashed as barrage of attacks with it. The wolf hit the ground, dead.
The crowd screamed in satisfaction. Meiling was screaming along with them. Sakura gaped. She had never seen anything killed before. Not even an animal. She felt sick to her stomach.
Meiling turned to Sakura, "Isn't the wolf a great fighter? I wish I could fight him..."
"What do you mean? He lost and now he's... dead..." Sakura said quietly.
Meiling gave her a weird look and then burst out laughing, "You thought that big pathetic excuse of a fighter was the wolf? Oh man! Sakura, you kill me!"
Sakura blushed at her mistake. She then remembered her little discovery, "That guy, well I guess he was the wolf, he looked just like lost prince! Didn't you see?"
"Really?" Meiling, Kero, and Tomoyo asked.
"Jeez, that was a lot easier than I expected!" Kero exclaimed happily, "Now all we have to do is go get the guy and go home. We'll be back in time for pudding!"
The group sweat dropped. Though the thought of this whole ordeal did seem easy in Tomoyo's mind. Too easy if you were to ask her...
~*~
He walked into the tent. Another battle. Another victory. The same routine everyday. Nothing weird. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then why had he awoken that morning with the feeling that something was going to happen? Had he imagined it?
"Great job, boy. You did well. We made a lot of money from that fight," a man said as he walked into the room.
"Now, now, father. We know that Syaoran doesn't like being called boy," a voice said from behind the man.
The man turned to see his son, "Yes, I remember now, Eriol. You both can go now. You don't have to come back until half past. Got it?"
"Of course father," Eriol said with a sly smile, "Come, Syaoran. That only gives us an hour or so."
The two younger men left the tent as the older man stayed and counted the money.
~*~
Eriol and Syaoran walked down the aisle of tents and other forms of temporary housing.
Eriol looked at Syaoran, "Maybe we should go to town."
Syaoran rolled his eyes, "All towns are the same."
"Perhaps, but the people are always different," Eriol replied as he walked slightly ahead.
Syaoran snorted and followed, "It's not like I have a choice in the matter anyway."
Eriol was about to respond to Syaoran's remark when a loud voice cut him off.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CAN'T GO BACK HERE? WE'RE GOING TO DO AS WE PLEASE! AND WE WANT TO GO BACK THERE!" A loud and suspiciously feminine voice yelled loudly.
Eriol rushed to the front. Syaoran sighed as he followed. They arrived to see a furious raven hair girl yelling at the guard. Two other girls stood behind her. They were obviously embarrassed, because they were shaking their heads.
Eriol cut in between the girl and the guard, "Excuse me, but what exactly is going on here?"
The guard quickly bowed, "Young sir... I very sorry for this disturbance... These three girls are insisting that I allow them back here to look at the fighters."
Eriol glanced at the three girls. The first one, who had been yelling at the guard, was the tallest. She had raven black hair and ruby red eyes. Many could see her as attractive, but he could tell that behind her beauty lied a vile temper. She wasn't one to anger.
The second was the shortest. She had shoulder length auburn hair and emerald green eyes. She too was pretty. Right away he could tell she was obviously the most naive one, an innocent girl who seemed out of place.
The last was the most beautiful in his opinion. She had raven colored hair like the first, but hers was much longer. Her violet eyes looked at him knowingly. She was the observant one. The one who didn't let anything escape her keen eyes.
He gave the guard a look, " Three beautiful ladies come here with a simple request and you refuse? What kind of gentleman are you? Let them inside."
The guard gave him a bewildered look, "But young sir, the master-"
Eriol cut him off, "What about my father? If he finds out about this I'll tell him I let them in. Now let them pass."
The guard sighed in defeat and moved aside giving the group of young girls access.
"Please excuse the rudeness of the guards here. They are all fighters and you know most fighters aren't exactly educated," Eriol said as they entered, "Though, I am curious. Why would three beautiful ladies like yourselves want to see uncouth fighters?"
Meiling rolled her eyes. He was one of those charming sort of fellows who won most girls hearts in the blink of an eye. But, he wouldn't win her heart.
Tomoyo looked at him as well. He was tall. He had eyes colored like the night sky and hair to match. There was a wily sense around him. She could tell he was cunning. Someone you wouldn't want to plot against.
"We are looking for someone," Tomoyo said as she carefully chose her words.
"I see, someone you know? Perhaps my father?" Eriol asked as he sensed they were hiding something.
"In a way, yes," Tomoyo replied.
Eriol suddenly remembered Syaoran. He had completely forgotten of Syaoran's presence during the commotion, "Oh, please forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name Eriol and my friend over there is Syaoran."
"What friend?" Meiling asked impatiently, "Your imaginary one?"
Eriol turned around to see Syaoran was no longer standing behind him. He had probably been gone for a few minutes. He sweat dropped.
"Oh, he must of left... Don't worry he's probably on the training grounds... That's where he usually goes. Please follow me," Eriol said as he chose to ignore Meiling's rude comment.
Eriol guided them through rows of tents until they reached a crowded part of the grounds. Well, half of the ground was crowded anyway. The other half had only two people there. Fighters were training and straining themselves as they fought against each other. Sakura looked at him and instantly knew that was the look alike or the wolf. Which ever you would like to refer to him as... She also noticed a handful of the fighters chained to a post, much like animals. She was disturbed by the sight and ran up to the others as they walked.
"Eriol, why are those fighters chained up?" Sakura asked as they plowed through the mass of fighters, trying not to get hit in the process.
Eriol took a sideways glance at them and continued walking through the yard, "Now and then they try to escape, so my father chains them up... It's quite barbaric in my opinion, but I don't have any say in that type of thing."
Sakura frowned, "They're not here by choice?"
Eriol gave her a strange look, "Would you choose to go and fight for your life nearly everyday?"
Sakura shook her head.
Eriol continued walking forward, "Of course not. My father owns them. He owns most of the fighters. Some of them do choose to come here though."
Sakura frowned. His father owned the fighters? Then wasn't this whole thing glorified slave labor?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Eriol's arm. He held both his arms out on both sides blocking the girls from walking any further. Meiling was about to open her mouth in objection when Eriol interrupted her, "See that fighter?" he asked as he pointed to a guy with black hair and red eyes. He was fighting with the wolf and wasn't doing half bad considering what he was going up against.
"He'll kill anyone he goes past this line without his permission," Eriol said as he pointed to the ground. On the ground was a line. It was obviously made by dragging something in the dirt, but it was visible nonetheless.
Sakura felt her breath caught in her throat. Fighters were that violent? For the second time her thoughts were interrupted. This time by a loud thud as the black haired fighter skid across the line, destroying part of it.
"Damn you Long!" he said as he stood up. He sneered as he passed Sakura and the rest of them. The brown haired fighter, now known to Sakura as Long, rolled his eyes. He then glanced at the group, "You let them Enter Eriol? Even I wouldn't have done that."
Eriol grinned. He walked past the now destroyed line and motioned for the group to follow, "Ladies, I would like you to meet friend Long Chang. But everyone calls him Syaoran. You might as well too. I mean, I'm his best friend and he doesn't even let me call him Chang," his eyes took a look of realization, "In all the hurry I forgot to learn your names..."
Syaoran scoffed, "More like self proclaimed best friend. And it's just like you to forget something important such as one's name."
Sakura suddenly had a small feeling of dislike toward him. He seemed very surly and uncaring. She shrugged the feeling away as Tomoyo began to introduce them.
"I am Tailor. Tailor Madison," Tomoyo said as deciding that the two young men standing before them shouldn't know their real names, "These are my two cousins, Avalon Sakura and Rae Meilin," She said as she gestured to the other two girls.
"I see. As I was telling you before am I Eriol and this is Syaoran," Eriol said with his mysterious smile hinting on his lips.
"It's nice to meet you," Sakura murmured quietly.
"I assume you still want to see whoever it is you were looking for?" Eriol questioned.
The girls nodded not really knowing what to do since they had met Syaoran.
"Well, then you should see my father. Follow me," Eriol said as he began to walk off in a certain direction.
The rest of them began to follow him. Though Syaoran did with a lot of reluctance.
They came up to a tent. Sakura wondered how Eriol knew which was which. They all look alike. Eriol lifted the flap and entered. They did the same thing and quietly filed into the small tent.
Sakura saw a middle aged man sitting in at a table. He carefully counted what looked like piles of money to Sakura and stacked the golden coins with care. He scribbled things down on a piece of paper while doing so. Sakura could hear him mutter things about food, fighters, and other various things.
Eriol cleared his throat. The man took a quick glance at him and returned to counted and writing, "I said you didn't have to be here until half past. Yet here you are with company no doubt."
"Father, I would like to introduce Miss Tailor, Avalon, and Rae. They would like to speak to you about finding someone that may be here," Eriol said.
Tomoyo stared at the man. He looked nothing like Eriol. He had wrinkles probably from dealing with fighters. An old string pulled his long hair back. She wondered if they were really related.
The man stopped what he was doing for the second time and looked at the group, "Whom do you wish to see?"
Sakura and Meiling were stumped when it came to answer the simple question. Tomoyo on the other hand thought up a story to cover for them, "We are servants to our mistress. She had recently been widowed. He husband died an unfortunate death when he refused to relinquish money to bandits. She now fears dangers and such things. She sent us out to find a fighter to be a bodyguard. She will not leave the manor until she has one. She wants the best. That why we want to purchase Syaoran."
An odd silence filled the tent. Eriol looked quite surprised. Syaoran who looked surprised for a moment now had a look of indifference. Eriol's father on the other hand, had a look of defiance.
"Syaoran is not for sale," he said as he broke the silence.
"We are willing to pay any price. Our mistress is wealthy," Tomoyo insisted.
Eriol's father crossed his arms, "Look Miss Tailor, Syaoran is worth more money to me than any of the other fighters. All the money in the... Eriol! What kingdom are we in?"
"The Kinomoto Kingdom I believe."
"Yes, the Kinomoto Kingdom. Like I was saying. All the money in the Kinomoto Kingdom isn't worth half as much as the money pulled in for five years of fights. Syaoran is one of my best fighters. Therefore he is not for sale. Pick another, there are plenty of good fighters."
Tomoyo shook her head, "Our mistress specified Syaoran and Syaoran alone."
"Then I cannot help you," Eriol's father said as he began to write and count again.
"But I can."
Everyone now looked at Eriol. His father narrowed his eyes, "And how do you suppose that?"
"Dear father... Did you forget that Syaoran doesn't belong to you?" Eriol said in a casual manner.
The girls were quite surprised. Syaoran didn't belong to Eriol's father?
Eriol continued, "He belongs to me. I hold the documents."
The man's look darkened, "I see, yet you don't seem to understand that you are under my care, Eriol."
Tomoyo could suddenly see the relation. Eriol was definitely this man's son. An un-spoken challenge hung in the air. Father and son were alike in personality, clever and intelligent.
"I have come of age to leave. So if I wanted, I could leave and take Syaoran with me," Eriol said casually.
"Ah, my dear son, you forget that to leave you must pass the test I give you. Traditions you see."
"Then give me one, dear father. I will pass," Eriol insisted.
The man seemed to think for a moment. Then his eyes seemed to light up with mischief, "You must travel to the Suzuki Kingdom and retrieve the princess' treasure."
Meiling couldn't believe what she heard. Go to the Suzuki Kingdom and retrieve the princess' treasure? That's impossible. The Suzuki Kingdom was across the land. It would take days to get there. Not to mention Eriol is a commoner. They would never give it to him. That didn't even count the princess. She had once met the princess. The princess was a self-absorbed brat who thought nothing about others. She would never give the treasure away.
Eriol grinned. This was going to be a challenge. Not to worry though. Nothing was beyond him, "Consider it done."
His father nodded and they shook hands. Eriol nodded and left the tent, but right before he completely exited he turned and said, "Oh father, did I mention I'm taking Syaoran with me on this little quest?"
The man's eyes flashed with amusement and he nodded with a sly grin.
The girls left the tent as well as Syaoran. He frowned, "How are you going to pull this one off?"
Eriol turned, "With your help my dear friend."
Syaoran rolled his eyes, "I was hoping you wouldn't say that."
"So?" Eriol asked as he turned to the girls, "Since you need to buy Syaoran... Do you want to accompany us on our quest?"
Tomoyo smiled, "It seems we don't have much of a choice do we?"
"No you don't," Eriol replied.
The girls smiled as they began, as their search for a prince had become a search for a treasure.
~Meanwhile back at the Palace~
"WHAT? SAKURA IS GONE? I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE TOLD HER ABOUT THAT PRINCE!!!!"
Touya frets about his sister's sudden disappearing act. ~*~
Hm... This chapter was sort of uneventful if you know what I mean... But better stuff will come. My head is spinning with all the ideas! Fwee! Oh the things to come! Please don't forget to review! Any input is helpful.