DAYBREAK
Chapter VII
Man In My Dream
"You shouldn't have done that."
A few seconds passed in silence before small creaks became audible. A figure slowly emerged from the shadows, his handsome face clearly defined by the glow of the lone candle in the room. He smiled ruefully, deepening the features on his face and his companion could not help but smile as well, though concern was prominent in his eyes.
The stranger sighed. "Maybe you're right." He combed his hair with his hand absentmindedly, remembering the sensation he felt when he touched her, when he held her limp body in his arms, and kissed her soft lips. His face darkened to a scowl and his friend merely smirked. "I know! I know!"
"Then you're mouth must've heard you wrong because I distinctly saw a kiss, even when you know it is prohibited by all accounts. We're not here for romance, if I might remind you."
"I couldn't help it. And she would have been lost if I hadn't done it." He sighed once more, exhaustion straining the soft timbre of his voice. He didn't like the feeling, whether he understood it or not. He didn't understand why he cared for her so much, knowing it was wrong, as his friend had said, and that it just wasn't meant to be. His brows met in an annoyed frown and he ruffled through his hair even harder, gaining a chuckle from his companion.
He looked at the young man just a few steps from him. His was handsome by all accounts, even beautiful perhaps with a youngish charm in his serious face. He smiled inwardly recalling their first meeting. The boy had had a fierce glow in his eyes then, sticking a gun at his back and threatening his life. He chuckled and his friend raised a questioning eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I just remembered you and your gun."
"Then you'll remember that I still have it and if you do not want me to use it on you, you might want to tell me what we're going to do next. I have a feeling this is going to be a very complicated mission and I have you to thank for getting me into it."
"Then you would have rather stayed at the agency?" the man asked, sarcasm clearly twinkling in his eyes.
The young man shrugged his shoulders as he slowly stood up, disturbing the circle of incantation papers around him. He looked at them, almost annoyed, and stepped at a few as he strode towards his partner. He didn't like making such a mess. "It doesn't matter what I would prefer. I am your partner. I'm obliged by the agency to follow your every stupid move and get your ass out of trouble when you can't handle it yourself."
"Fine! Fine!" He looked at the boy before him, obviously upset with what he had done. He bowed down his head as a sigh of mocking apology and then straightened up, undisturbed by the fact that the boy paid him no heed and was quite unaffected by his little prank. He sighed to himself once more, wondering how such a young man could be so uptight.
"Sometimes I think Tatsumi doesn't trust me. He told you to take care of me, didn't he?"
"Must you ask the obvious?" The young man seemed almost bored as he placed his hands inside the pockets of his jacket out of habit. He looked out towards the sole window within the rickety house where they had performed the ritual. He wrinkled his nose at the sight of the cobwebs hanging aimlessly about the room, even upon the gaping crack on the window's glass. He had been here a few times before, always to do the ritual, but he didn't have to like it because it was familiar. It was still unsightly and he was a man of order. "Why do we have to do it here? Can't we do it at the hotel? Maybe rent a private room so no one would know."
The man grinned, his eyes twinkling in reflection of the full moon's light. "Afraid?"
"No. Just disgusted," his companion said nonchalantly as though it were a matter-of-fact statement. He continued to stare out the window, oblivious to the friendly smile on the man's face. He watched as an owl swooped down from its perch, eyes glinting and talons stretched out, intent upon the little mouse that was to be its dinner. He made no reaction as the bird gripped its prey with its talons, ripping the little mammal into shreds.
"It's time to go."
He nodded and followed his companion towards the door.
"Wait, aren't you going to clean up a bit?" he said as the man reached for the doorknob, which now seemed more like a blob of rust rather than a brass knob.
The man nodded and looked towards the living room where they had been a few minutes before. He saw the spot where his companion had been sitting, a small circle made of white paper strips that seemed to glow in the dark. He stared at it for a moment and then proceeded to opening the door. As the door squeaked open, the papers burst into flames, dancing randomly upon the floor, which did not seem to be affected by the small bonfire. He heard his friend grunt and he turned just in time to see a disapproving glare from the young man behind him. He smiled innocently and shrugged, sliding through the door without so much as a sound.
The young man sighed as though he were a mother trying to discipline an uncooperative child. He watched as the flames finally died down leaving a circle of ash in its wake. He frowned and looked towards the candle stand where a stick still burned. A small breeze entered through the broken window, silently extinguishing the light on the candle and breaking up the circle on the wooden floor. The flame flickered and then finally died down, leaving the room in darkness except for the moonlight, which flowed from the window. He stood there for a moment, arranging his thoughts.
A head popped through the opening of the door, bringing the young man out of his brooding. "Let's go, Hisoka."
The young boy nodded and silently left the house, closing the door behind him.
*********
A silver head emerged from a pile of newly bought breads, his usually gentle and carefree face suddenly darkened with an anxiety he could not understand. Something had pulled at his being, something strong and thoroughly inexplicable to him and he frowned at the thought. He stood still for a while, almost forgetting the pastry-filled basket in his arms, wondering if the feeling would come again. A familiar voice woke him from his thoughts. He looked at the young man coming towards him with dark brown eyes that were, at the moment, heavy with the same anxiety he felt.
Placing a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder, he worriedly asked, "What's wrong, Yuki?"
The silver-haired angel merely smiled, having forgotten what had taken his attention in the first place. He wondered at that. Having been an honor student in his class, he thought it was quite odd to be so absentminded on other things, especially strange things, like this. "Nothing, Touya. Just something in the wind, I guess."
Touya, unsatisfied with his best friend's answer, looked intently at Yukito's face, searching for something he knew he would not find. He sighed, letting his hand fall to his side. Yukito looked at him, completely oblivious to his friend's searching gaze, and smiled sweetly once more.
"You're right." Touya finally looked up, his face clearly showing that he did not like what he saw. Though he had given most of his powers to Yukito's alter ego, he could still sense when some things were not aright, and at the moment, his alarms were ringing full force. "There're no stars at all. It looks as though it's about to pour but it only seems to be raining in one side of the town." He silently cursed himself, knowing full well that his little sister was somewhere in the middle of the problem and that he was nowhere near to help.
Yukito looked up as well, finally sensing the discomfort in Touya's tone. He's trying to be calm but it never works with me. "Maybe we should go visit Sakura. I haven't seen her since the first time she woke up. I truly miss her, don't you?"
The dark-haired man looked at his friend with wide eyes. He grinned, nodding a yes to his friend's suggestion as well as his question. He really did miss his little monster and he would want nothing more than to be by her side to help in any way possible. He placed an arm over Yukito's shoulder and quickly stirred him towards the direction of the parking lot. "Y' know Yuki, sometimes I feel like you're letting on less than what you really know." There was a light feeling to his voice that expressed his sarcasm yet he knew he was speaking from the heart. He wondered if his friend knew as well.
Yukito shrugged much to Touya's dismay yet his eyes were clouded with a certain understanding. He smiled, keeping his composure as he placed the basket unto the backseat and took his place at the front passenger's side. He would understand it soon enough, he thought, if he followed the feeling lurking at the bottom of his consciousness. Something's telling me it's all going to turn out bad. I just know it
*********
"What?" Tomoyo hissed as she stared, astounded, at her friend.
Sakura's eyes were downcast, her gaze unmoving from the card she held in her hand. "I don't understand." It was almost a whisper to herself yet Tomoyo had heard.
"What? What's wrong? What don't you understand?" Tomoyo's delicate features were now drawn into a frown, her brow furrowed in both annoyance and fear. She bit her lip, obviously unsure of what to do next. She wanted to hold her friend, just shake her and ask her directly what was happening. She didn't like being kept in the dark, being useless and the last one to know. She fought the urge to shout and instead brought back her composure, waiting patiently for her friend to speak up.
"Someone's using the card, Tomoyo." Sakura said, facing her friend with pleading eyes as though she held all the answers. Tomoyo remained silent, her mind rationalizing every possible detail, just as the heir of a major corporation is trained to do.
"Maybe you did, and you just didn't know," she said reassuringly to both Sakura and herself. She found it hard to believe but it was the only reason she could think of at the moment. "After all," she added, her voice quaking as though she were unsure of her own words, "you're the only one who has power over the cards. No one can use them but the Card Mistress."
Sakura's eyes lost their light, the glint of hope she thought she could find in Tomoyo's calm and plausible presence had completely evaded her. She gritted her teeth, almost angry with herself for depending on her friend too much. She felt something come over her, taking over her in her moment of complete weakness and she decided to surrender to its undeniable pull.
She felt a hand on her own to reassure her; warm and supportive as though to tell her everything would be all right. Yet she felt none of the ease that the gesture offered, only tension building up within her and the feeling of frustration upon everything around. She couldn't help it. She wanted to break everything and everyone around, just to run away from all the problems that assaulted her life.
She grabbed Tomoyo's hand, pulling her friend towards her so that they were face to face. She could feel anger seething within her every word. She hated this girl. She recalled their previous fight, the cause of the standstill of their friendship, of all those lonely nights and painful days. It all made sense to her mind. It was all her fault! "Don't you get it? I can't use the card! I can't even summon that goddamned key! I have no power! And if that's the case, then somebody else is using it! Somebody else has power over the cards and that means we're in deep shit!"
Tomoyo's face was a mixture of surprise, anger, and a feeling of being betrayed. She had never thought of her friend as one to throw her frustrations on other people. She felt as though she were facing a completely different person, someone in the shell she knew so well and yet with a completely different soul. Before she could stop herself, she freed her hand from Sakura's panicked grasp and slapped her friend across the face. She gasped, as though she had lost control over her own hand. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
Sakura's emerald eyes were wide with terror as though she were lost; streams of tears pouring down her pale cheeks. Her hand instinctively found its way towards her soar cheek, the redness still visible and the stinging still fresh. She gaped at the girl in front of her, drenched and shaking just as she was, and she felt shame overcome her. She couldn't understand, didn't want to understand. The feeling came once more, beckoning her to the peace and numbness she had been longing for so long. She pushed it aside.
Tomoyo's features softened, her azure eyes filled with unshed tears as well. She slowly crawled towards her friend and took her in her arm. She soothed the frail girl, brushing her auburn locks with her fingers. "I'm sorry. It must be the weather. It's getting me down and in a bad mood."
Sakura nodded, her face still buried in Tomoyo's embrace.
Tomoyo gently pushed the young girl away, acting once more the role of the supportive and calm friend, which she had played for so long. "Everything will be fine. But if what you say is true, then we're going to have to work harder to get out of here." There was a new determination in her voice, a strength that told her she would not give up just for her friend. It was a stubbornness she knew she had taken from a childish girl with bright green eyes she had known so long ago. "We can't very well wait for the thing to call upon stronger cards now, can we?"
Sakura looked up, drying her tears and shaking her head, almost like a child. She smiled sweetly and Tomoyo felt her spirits rise up. This was the Sakura she knew, the happy and friendly girl she once called her best friend, the one who was always kind and sweet even when the world seemed to be turning on her. She wondered if this Sakura was real, just as the Sakura who cursed at her a while back was.
"You're fine now?"
Sakura nodded, her childish smile still present. Tomoyo smiled as well, the type filled with confidence and composure, the smile she was mostly known for.
"What's going on there you two?"
"Nothing!" Tomoyo said, having almost forgotten that Nami was with them. She was amazed that the young woman had not heard their little squabble but then decided to dismiss it. The rain still poured, though not as hard a before, but hard enough to muffle the sounds and blur the sight, she reasoned.
She stood up, knees a bit shaky in the slippery ground. She offered a hand to her friend and Sakura gratefully accepted. She smiled as she took Sakura's hand in her own, feeling a sort of warmth that was not present when Sakura had pulled her so abruptly. "So, what are we going to do?"
Sakura stood up and held her arms. She could still feel the chill run up and down her spine and her legs tingled with its icy touch.
" What we are going to do is to keep on moving." Nami faced the two girls, hands on hips and lips pursed in a pout. There was a questioning look in her tawny eyes as well as one of authority that told them they had no choice but to follow her orders.
Sakura looked at Tomoyo, almost wishing she could speak in telepathy to her friend. It seemed such a useful gift now that she thought of it. We can't tell her anything but we have to seal the loop card back. I just don't know what to do anymore. She already suspects too much. What am I going to do?
Tomoyo smiled sheepishly, as though she had heard. Sakura looked at her in wonder, almost unable to cover the surprise written clearly in her face. It couldn't be? Did she hear me?
"Ms. Nami, maybe we should scout around a bit. To cover more ground, I mean. With this heavy mist, we might actually have missed the way out." Tomoyo's voice was clear above the rain and wind, suggestive and yet commanding at the same time. Sakura felt assured somehow, looking at her friend work her magic that she just might be able to pull off whatever she was planning. She grinned and nodded quickly, obviously showing her preference for Tomoyo's plan.
Nami however, wasn't as readily convinced as Sakura and gave once more that authoritative glare. "You want to get separated again? Our best chance is to stick together. We'll find our way out sooner or later."
"But it would be better to find it sooner especially now that there's a chance of an even heavier downpour. We can't risk staying here much longer and if we split up we can cover more ground. If one finds the right way, it would be better for the group than if everyone went around in circles." Tomoyo had no plans of backing down. The main point was that they get away from the protective nurse as soon as possible and then move on from there. Seeing her chance in Nami's lapse of silence, she decided to finish her point. "Besides, we can agree at a time to meet and use this tree as our reference point incase anyone lost their way. We can't all just follow one wrong path when there's a chance of finding the right one separately. If any of us finds the right way out, we can come back to this tree at the designated time and lead the others out. Even if we can no longer find the tree, we can find help once we get out."
"We can't risk it. I mean I can't risk it. Look at you two!" Nami looked from one child to the next, pleading for them to understand. She was trying to stress her point and yet could not find the right words to say. She stared at Tomoyo, "You've got a broken arm," and then at Sakura, "And you're hardly capable of standing upright on your own. How do you expect to find your way around, let alone find your way out?"
Sakura quickly straightened up, as though to show the woman that she could indeed support her own weight.
"That's another point. We have two in our party, Sakura, and me who are quite inept at the moment. Don't you see that we're just slowing you down? Don't let pity get in the way of your judgment. You would have the highest possibility of finding the proper path if the two of us does not burden you. And if Sakura and I feel that we could no longer move, what then? Would we all stay in one forsaken spot if we're too far away from the comfort of this cherry tree."
"But… What if you can't find your way back to the tree? If we all get lost, then what's the point in being separated?" Nami was slowly running out of ideas. She felt she was right, knew she was right, and yet she just couldn't show that to the girls, especially to the dark-haired teen who seemed to have each appropriate word at hand. She wondered if the girl ever considered a profession as a lawyer. She most certainly had the talent for it, seeing as how she slowly made herself sound right and Nami, wrong.
"It's a possibility we have to risk. We have to take a chance if we are all to survive." Tomoyo's eyes glowed with a sense of victory. She saw the young woman's face slowly fall and her stance of self-confidence gradually loosen into one of uncertainty. She seemed to be contemplating on her next argument and yet could not find any that made much sense or measured up to what had just been said. She was weighing things in her mind, by the look of confusion on her taupe eyes. But before she could open her mouth, Tomoyo took her chance and grabbed Sakura by the arm as well as the silent Cerberus who had been listening attentively. Sakura adeptly scooped up the book in her hand, slightly wincing at her wound that she had almost forgotten and followed Tomoyo's lead.
"Wait! Where are the two of you going?" Nami was beside herself with panic and it clearly rang in her voice.
Tomoyo looked back, hiding a mischievous smile behind her placid one. "Two lames would be better than one, I should say! We'll meet you back here after an hour or two. If we're not back be then, start shouting!"
"What!" Nami started after them but the mist slowly swallowed their figures until she could no longer follow with her eyes. She cursed under her breath, irritated in more ways than one. She decided to follow the plan, whether she agreed with it or not, just because she had no other choice and picked out a path of her own. She kicked a few pebbles in her way, silently mumbling about how children these days were too smart-ass for their own good. She was finally concealed in the thickness of the shadows, leaving the cherry tree soundless and forlorn once more.
*********
"Kero, I think it's time you transform again. We're going to need all the help we can get!" Sakura said, looking at the stuffed toy that had suddenly come to life in Tomoyo's arm.
The yellow animal gladly nodded and flew off from Tomoyo's grasp. Closing his small beady eyes, he concentrated on his aura as it slowly glowed around him, gaining more and more power each moment. Sakura smiled as she felt the comforting aura slightly tug on her own. She wondered if she called forth enough of her magic, would she be able to transform herself as well. Laughing at herself inwardly, she dismissed the thought, focusing her attention instead on the floating ball of light before her. Finally, having amassed enough power for the change, he commenced the transformation, willing each and every fiber of his body to effortlessly alter itself to fit the image he wished to realize. Large wings sprouted from his back, covered by the same light as the rest of his body, and enclosed him within their feathery embrace. Sakura sighed as the change ensued, feeling each force of magic that participated in the deed. After a few moments, she felt the auras finally fuse together harmoniously and she realized that the change was done. The large wings parted, revealing a golden beast of magnificent size. His head and chest were adorned with silver-plating, intricately designed and exquisite. Two large gems, rubies perhaps for they were deep red in color, festooned the beast's headdress and breastplate, adding only to his grandeur. His golden eyes glowed fiercely, standing out above all his ornaments and jewels.
His face was drawn to a deep scowl, which most would have thought for anger, and yet the two girls knew as simply irritation over thinking too much. Sakura approached the large winged lion, confidently placing a hand on his muzzle. He slowly looked up. "It's true then. The card has been summoned?"
Sakura shook her head, a hopeful smile on her face. "No. Someone's using it but they could not summon it completely. That would mean that I have not lost complete power over the cards, yet."
He growled, obviously displeased with the news. "But it's not possible. I've never heard of it happening before when Clow made the cards. He made it so that the cards are sealed to only one owner through a contract that could not be breeched unless the terms have been broken or violated."
"What are the terms of the contract, Kero?" Tomoyo asked, her voice both full of curiosity as well as apprehension.
Cerberus considered her for a moment then looked at his mistress for approval. She quickly nodded, quite interested in the answer herself, and he began to open his mouth to speak. "I'm not completely sure. Yue knows more about this than I do but most of the terms say that there must be a mutual relationship between the power and the summoner. The summoner must fulfill the task of supplying the power with….let's just say it depends on the summoner for its continued existence and in turn, the power must affix itself to only one summoner, giving him or her complete control over it."
Sakura's smile fell, as though she was burdened with a heavy guilt. Her voice was unsure but filled with defeat. "Then I breeched the contract, or maybe violated it. That could be the only reason for this."
"How do you think you could have done that?" Tomoyo asked, moving beside her friend, ready to comfort her.
"I wasn't giving it enough of my strength, I completely….ignored it. It's just like that time with Yue. He depended on me for his very life and I failed him. My brother had to give him his power or he would have disappeared. Some Mistress I am!" she said, mocking her own self for her weakness.
Tomoyo placed her available hand on Sakura's shoulder, laughing at herself on how useless this gesture really was, yet it seemed to give Sakura enough encouragement and she was glad for that. "You're a good mistress," she said soothingly, completely believing every word, "and what happened with Yue could not be helped. You weren't strong enough then but at least everything turned out well in the end."
Cerberus shook his head. "But it wasn't really a breech of contract, or at least I don't think it is. That part of the terms means that the card is dependent upon you until you can no longer supply it with power. That would mean your death."
Both Tomoyo and Sakura looked up, surprise wide in their emerald and cobalt eyes. "Death?" Sakura gasped. "Her death?" Tomoyo added.
The guardian merely nodded.
"But that can't be. It must be something else. I'm still alive, right?" Sakura asked, her voice laced with false gaiety.
Tomoyo nodded. "She's alive! Sure she's a little weak and all but she's completely alive! See!" She held up Sakura's wounded arm and shook it, gaining a surprised yelp from the awed girl. Sakura pouted, quickly regaining her bleeding arm from her friend who smiled apologetically.
"I know that! I'm not blind!" Kero growled. "But that's all I know. I told you, if you want to know the technicalities of Clow's magic, ask Yue!"
"It's fine, Kero." Sakura said reassuringly. "It's no use to try to know the cause. We'll just have to fix the problem with what we already know and we've got only one hour or less to do it in."
"Then you'll have to completely seal the Loop once more, like you did in the past," the winged beast said almost assertively.
"But…" Sakura looked down at the pendant hanging limply on her chest.
"But she can't summon the key," Tomoyo said, continuing Sakura's statement.
"Then she'll just have to try harder. It's probably just the jitters since she hasn't used it for so long." Kero bit his lip, sorry to have said it so forcefully without so much as a consideration for Sakura's feelings. But he had to do it. He had to make sure that the mistress survived at all cost. Sakura only nodded, a glint of disappointment in her evergreen eyes.
"Let's just worry about finding it first," Tomoyo said, hoping to lift up everyone's spirits, including her own. She gazed around and decided it was probably the wrong thing to say. The mist remained thick though the rain and the wind had subsided. Yet there was a certain heaviness in the air she only knew to be an impending turn for the worse in the weather.
"It doesn't matter, Tomoyo," Sakura said confidently, noting the worry in her friend's eyes. She quickly understood what it meant though her friend had said nothing. It was clearly visible in her eyes, for those who knew how to read her. "I can feel it. I haven't lost that power yet. The problem is how to seal it." She looked down, placing her hand on the pendant-like key she hadn't worn for so long. Seeing it brought back a rush of emotions, memories of her past she had almost forgotten. It reminded her most of all of him. Her companions looked at her worriedly, unable to find the right words to comfort their friend. Finally, she spoke, her voice timid as though thinking aloud to herself. "I don't think it's the jitters. It felt as though there was a wall between the wand and I, something illusive yet all too indomitable to be completely false."
She looked up at her companions, renewed vigor dancing in her eyes. "But we should think of better things. We'll find it first, and then worry about the rest later."
Tomoyo smiled in approval and Cerberus nodded in agreement.
Sakura closed her eyes, distancing herself from everything around her. She brought herself within her own mind, at the core of her being, and sought for the right auras that were needed for the search. Wind came to her beckon and was soon followed by earth and water. She felt them move together, dancing in an intricate web to form something homogeneous and solid with which to search. She formed it like a net within her mind, placing a bit of soul within it to weld each part to perfection. Finally content with her creation, she slowly released it, her aura reaching out in a form of an ethereal net. Cerberus gasped, unable to believe the complexity of the aura the young girl had weaved. He grinned, unable to hide his amusement and disbelief.
She let it hover above her for a moment, catching the breeze as though it held the information she needed. She felt the slight tug of her net, the wind within her tapestry sensing the right aura. Deepening her concentration, she let her net lose, loosing sight of it even in her inner eye. But she didn't mind. She could feel her own weave no matter what and it surprised her at how easily she had made the link. Slowly, her emerald eyes opened and she smiled shyly. "I found it."
*********
A/N: I've noticed while reading other stories that most put in author's notes so I've decided to write one. I'm not sure if I'll be doing this for all the chapters but I just thought that I was being rude. I haven't exactly replied to some who made reviews so this is an attempt for a prolonged apology and thanks. So thank you, for those who have written me reviews, because they're all encouraging, and I hope you write more (so this is how people get reviews, right?). I hope I don't disappoint you in any way because I know my way of writing is quite long and descriptive and not a lot of people can bear through a chapter without losing interest. If you have any suggestions, I'm quite open and ready to hear them because frankly, I've run out of ideas. Oh, and on this chapter, I've introduced two new characters. Unfortunately, they're not mine. I just thought of it recently but I decided to write in characters from The Darker Descendant. It's an all time favorite of mine, and believe me they're really cute. But I forgot some of their names and details so I've changed them for my own convenience. I'm sorry for my lack of creativity (smiles lopsidedly). Thanks again and please review. (This turned out longer than I thought!)
