Chapter Thirteen

…Singapore?!

"So, here we are now."

"So it is."

"You could at least acknowledge the fact that I'm still alive."

"Oh, but you aren't." His voice was like a knife. She smiled.

"Never miss a trick now, do you?"

"I'm careful."

"Not careful. Smart. You picked up right away that it wasn't me."

"I didn't know you could use magic. Hell, I didn't know anyone could use magic. I thought magic was something you wished for when your car broke down. What you heard in fairy tales." He confessed, running a hand through his hair. Nakuru sighed.

"Well, since you know about it… shall I teach you?"

"Don't bother. I've got a gun. That's all I need."

"Meiling and Kaho know magic."

"*Laugh* Ha, what, the dark arts?"

"This isn't something you joke about, Eriol. They know magic, and it's very powerful."

"So why haven't they used it?"

"They're waiting for the right time. A time when my own spirit has faded from this world. A time when even you can't help her." She replied, her voice like an ominous storm cloud hovering near the sun.

"So… who taught them?"

"Why does it matter?"

"I just want to know."

Nakuru looked at Eriol, trying to find a way to put it.

"A man named Xian. Xian trained Syaoran Li, too. He trained everyone in the Li family. Meiling and Li were meant to be the guardians of the Li clan. Meiling would specialize in magic, and Li in physical power. They both boasted the inner strength for magic, but Meiling was never known for her physical strength."

"So, where does Kaho come in?"

"Meiling met up with Kaho, and they became good friends. Later, Meiling paid Xian to teach Kaho the secret art that she knew."

"So what do I need to look out for, black cats?" He still didn't seem too sure about the idea of magic.

"Eriol…"

"Okay, okay."

They talked for a little while more, until it was late in the day. Yamazaki, Terada, and Sakura had given up, and gone back to bed. But Houji was sitting in a corner of the room. His eyes were wide, and he was shaking.

"Can I help you?" Eriol asked. Houji scrambled to his feet, and made a break for the stairs. Eriol caught him by his collar. "I don't think you're going anywhere," He whispered in Houji's ear. Houji stabbed Eriol with the wrong end of his knife, momentarily stunning him. Houji dashed up the stairs and into his room, and didn't come out until later that day.

~*One Month Later*~ Sakura is now like four and a half months pregnant! Yay

The house was a mess. And, considering all the extra free time that she had, she decided to clean.

'What in Kami's name is wrong with me?' she interrogated herself, picking up a sock that had strayed free from the unusually large laundry pile in Houji's room. The rule was that everyone did their own laundry, so all she had to do was walk in Houji's room, and return the sock. She slowly opened the door, and instantly held her nose. The stench from the laundry pile should have been classified as grade A stink. She tossed the sock back, but noticed something. The pile was… moving? It almost seemed humanlike, as though it was breathing. Sakura's curiosity got to her, and she dug into the pile. 'Even my room wasn't so messy that it developed new life forms.'

"HOUJI!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

***

'…Concentrate…' Kaho released a sphere of energy from within. It traveled across the temple, and hit Xian squarely in the nose. Kaho smirked.

"I'm a natural." She said, sauntering towards Xian. Xian rubbed his nose fairly hard.

"Your ki blast implied that much," He murmured, healing the bruise quickly. Kaho turned around to look at Meiling, who was standing the middle of the Inochi circle. A whirlwind was blowing around her, and her eyes were closed. She called out something that was unheard from the wind, and she was lifted up into the air. Kaho clapped to cheer her on, and as soon as she did this, the whirlwind stopped, and Meiling was hurled back into the marble floor with a loud thud. Kaho clapped her hands over her mouth, and Xian raced over to Meiling. He helped her up, and aided her as she walked out of the temple to check and see if she had broken anything.

Kaho and Meiling had been training together with Xian for about a month now. He was a thin wiry man of about eighty and had squinty eyes. He spoke very little Japanese, and never wore normal clothing. Always a blue silk dobok. He always pulled his long gray hair back into a long braid, and liked to hit people on the head. He was a strange man, but Kaho would do anything at this point to get that inheritance. She glanced at Meiling and Xian, who were both trying to get the large door open. Kaho smirked as Xian's granddaughter Xu helped them. Xu was very good at martial arts, but if you only had ever talked to her you'd never think so. She was very quiet and shy, and was usually seen reading a book when not helping her grandfather.

'Soon,' She thought, filing her nails.

Her training was almost complete.

She'd have more than her fair share of the inheritance.

And no one, not even Eriol, could stop her…

~*~

"Yikes lady, d'ya have to scream?" Sakura stared at the girl. She was probably in her early teens, and looked very sweaty. Sakura stumbled backwards. She tried to scream, but found her throat was dry. The girl caught sight of her stomach, and Sakura protectively hunched over. The girl cocked her head, tried to stand up, but fell down again. Sakura saw that she was tied to the bedpost. "Are you Sakura?" She asked. Sakura didn't move. "…Because Li told me you would be somewhere around here."

~*~

'I don't have much time left. Kidkoume left a month ago. I'm probably infected. I don't have much strength left. I haven't eaten in a week and two days, because I've been too weak to hunt for food. I'm dying. And I'm growing mad. Sakura haunts me in my dreams. She is everywhere, and if I get to hold her in my arms just one more time, I'll die a happy man. But considering the time, I'll die before I even leave this rainforest. Kidkoume tried to take me along. But I was too heavy for her to support. She's suffering of malnutrition. Neither of us knows how to treat a bleeding broken leg. I can't stand the pain much longer…'

~*~

Just the mere mention of his name sent chills up her spine. Sakura swallowed her fear.

"Y-You know him?" She spoke. Her voice sounded loud and echoey. The girl's face brightened.

"I know him! So, you must be Sakura!" She said cheerily. Sakura nodded, feeling a wave of desperation wash over her. Her need to see Syaoran again was renewed.

"I am Sakura. And what's your name?"

"Kidkoume! Li's been hurt really badly, so he sent me. I've come all the way from Singapore!"

Sakura felt her heart break. If Syaoran had sent her, and she was all the way from Singapore…

~*~

Veeeerrrrryyyyyy short chappie! But satisfying, right? Sorry about the delay, but I've been really busy! Expect the next chapter soon! Oh and February 2nd was my birthday, so review, k?