Another chapter added as a bonus.
******
Sakura stood on the deck of the ship as it rocked slowly over the waves. Little Piap rested in her arms. Apparently, after everything had been straightened out, Piap had explained (rather adorably) that he was here with his father's permission.
" How do we know he's telling the truth?" Sakura had murmured.
" The Diggers have no concept of deception. If he says he told his father, he is telling the truth."
Now, as she stood, she stroked Piap's fur in contemplation.
******
" What?"
Peliopes paced the floor, trying to take in all that Gharen had said. The raptor repeated himself.
" Someone was trying to mimic the symptoms of the Fire..."
" Do you mean that someone INTENTIONALLY induced his Fire?"
" It's more than that...I don't think Syaoran's ever had a Fire...I think there's something unique about him that prevents him from getting it..."
Peliopes was quiet. Then...
" But, he must have had it. He knew what it was...I spoke to him once before and he said he'd seen it..."
" Seeing is not the same as having..."
Gharen paused, deep in thought.
" Where is Apothecary City from here?" He asked finally.
" Only a boat ride away if we go straight to the harbor."
" Exactly. Doesn't that seem fairly convenient? We're here, and then suddenly Syaoran is hit with an abrupt case of the Fire, the rarest sickness in the country? One that can only be treated in Apothecary City..."
" It could happen." Peliopes said doubtfully.
" But, not likely. The chances that he'd be a victim, is infinitely too small. Someone wants us to go to Apothecary City. So badly, that they did this..."
" ...Is there any way we can know for sure?"
" I believe there is..."
******
Sakura blinked. This was a rather strange request.
" You want me to name all the herbs I know that cause, what?"
" I want you to name all the plants and herbs you know that can cause a person to revert back to animal instincts, and that raise a person's temperature."
Sakura paused, thinking back to all the different herbs.
" Mistletoe, if crushed with a certain form of powdered fire, will cause hallucinations. If, on the other hand it's dropped in a pot of sulfur, it can make you burn from the inside." Sakura murmured.
Peliopes nodded. That was close...but what about the energy drain? Suddenly, Sakura stood up.
" What?"
" Cherries," Sakura blinked, as if it was apparent.
" Pardon?" Peliopes blinked also.
" If allowed to ferment for a certain time, cherry juice can form a weak alcohol." Sakura explained frantically," If you add that to the mixture, it makes a very potent toxin."
Peliopes gasped. A toxin?!
******
Cackling echoed through the darkness.
" I see you've discovered my plan." The shadowy figure mused, looking through his glass at the figure of Sakura. " Yes...Fitting isn't it, little Blossom? It is your own fruit that is killing him."
******
" But, how?"
Tamaya watched as Sakura scrambled around picking out this and that from the ship's store. The black haired girl had been keeping to herself a great deal. Now, she'd come out of solitude to comfort Sakura.
" I don't know," Sakura replied," But, I should have seen it before!"
" You didn't know. As you say, the toxin is painfully slow. You didn't know that someone would use it...leastwise on Syaoran."
Sakura carefully began to crush her herbs, putting the mixture into a cloth. Running clean water through it into a bowl, she looked at the liquid that was the result. It sparkled with a golden color. Sakura took a taste, then suddenly began to gag softly. Tamaya reached out to touch her, but she backed off as Sakura motioned her to stop. Her breath came out in little hiccups, as she wiped her mouth with a cloth.
" I'm alright," Sakura said, answering Tamaya's worried expression with a shake of her head and a grimace," I'll never be able to get used to that."
" Bitter?"
" Very. It's done." Sakura looked up. " I just hope it's not too late."
" How much does he need?"
" Only a drop. I think that's all he'll be able to swallow."
******
Sakura reached out to touch Syaoran head. It was wet from sweat, and his face was pale.
" He looks so weak." Sakura looked ready to cry.
" The toxin has taken a great deal out of him."
Carefully, she pried his mouth open softly, pouring a small quantity of the liquid into his mouth. Immediately, his eyes tightened into a grimace.
" He's not swallowing it!" Sakura looked around desperately.
" Make him!"
Sakura looked around, then suddenly reached her head over and kissed him! The shock of it made him swallow it all in a gulp. She held for a second, then pulled away as he shot upright, gagging. She looked at him cautiously as he leaned against the bed frame, the pale complexion gone. Tamaya was grinning at her.
" Interesting method. Of course you could have just held his nose closed."
" True," Sakura blushed, grimacing at the taste of the medicine on her lips.
" I'd hope you don't use this method with every patient." Tamaya raised an eyebrow.
" Actually...I've never used it before. This was the first." Sakura mumbled, her face growing very red.
Syaoran continued to lean against the frame silently, until Sakura reached out a cautious hand to touch him.
" Syaoran? Syaoran are you all right?"
For a moment, she was afraid he'd died in the shock. 'Oh, I should have just held his nose!' Suddenly, she heard a sound like a half sigh, half groan.
" Where am I? Ugh," He winced as he licked his dry lips," Tastes like fertilizer..."
Sakura laughed and hugged him.
******
^ ^ I couldn't resist. Not the best first kiss, but I think it's an interesting start, no?
******
Sakura stood on the deck of the ship as it rocked slowly over the waves. Little Piap rested in her arms. Apparently, after everything had been straightened out, Piap had explained (rather adorably) that he was here with his father's permission.
" How do we know he's telling the truth?" Sakura had murmured.
" The Diggers have no concept of deception. If he says he told his father, he is telling the truth."
Now, as she stood, she stroked Piap's fur in contemplation.
******
" What?"
Peliopes paced the floor, trying to take in all that Gharen had said. The raptor repeated himself.
" Someone was trying to mimic the symptoms of the Fire..."
" Do you mean that someone INTENTIONALLY induced his Fire?"
" It's more than that...I don't think Syaoran's ever had a Fire...I think there's something unique about him that prevents him from getting it..."
Peliopes was quiet. Then...
" But, he must have had it. He knew what it was...I spoke to him once before and he said he'd seen it..."
" Seeing is not the same as having..."
Gharen paused, deep in thought.
" Where is Apothecary City from here?" He asked finally.
" Only a boat ride away if we go straight to the harbor."
" Exactly. Doesn't that seem fairly convenient? We're here, and then suddenly Syaoran is hit with an abrupt case of the Fire, the rarest sickness in the country? One that can only be treated in Apothecary City..."
" It could happen." Peliopes said doubtfully.
" But, not likely. The chances that he'd be a victim, is infinitely too small. Someone wants us to go to Apothecary City. So badly, that they did this..."
" ...Is there any way we can know for sure?"
" I believe there is..."
******
Sakura blinked. This was a rather strange request.
" You want me to name all the herbs I know that cause, what?"
" I want you to name all the plants and herbs you know that can cause a person to revert back to animal instincts, and that raise a person's temperature."
Sakura paused, thinking back to all the different herbs.
" Mistletoe, if crushed with a certain form of powdered fire, will cause hallucinations. If, on the other hand it's dropped in a pot of sulfur, it can make you burn from the inside." Sakura murmured.
Peliopes nodded. That was close...but what about the energy drain? Suddenly, Sakura stood up.
" What?"
" Cherries," Sakura blinked, as if it was apparent.
" Pardon?" Peliopes blinked also.
" If allowed to ferment for a certain time, cherry juice can form a weak alcohol." Sakura explained frantically," If you add that to the mixture, it makes a very potent toxin."
Peliopes gasped. A toxin?!
******
Cackling echoed through the darkness.
" I see you've discovered my plan." The shadowy figure mused, looking through his glass at the figure of Sakura. " Yes...Fitting isn't it, little Blossom? It is your own fruit that is killing him."
******
" But, how?"
Tamaya watched as Sakura scrambled around picking out this and that from the ship's store. The black haired girl had been keeping to herself a great deal. Now, she'd come out of solitude to comfort Sakura.
" I don't know," Sakura replied," But, I should have seen it before!"
" You didn't know. As you say, the toxin is painfully slow. You didn't know that someone would use it...leastwise on Syaoran."
Sakura carefully began to crush her herbs, putting the mixture into a cloth. Running clean water through it into a bowl, she looked at the liquid that was the result. It sparkled with a golden color. Sakura took a taste, then suddenly began to gag softly. Tamaya reached out to touch her, but she backed off as Sakura motioned her to stop. Her breath came out in little hiccups, as she wiped her mouth with a cloth.
" I'm alright," Sakura said, answering Tamaya's worried expression with a shake of her head and a grimace," I'll never be able to get used to that."
" Bitter?"
" Very. It's done." Sakura looked up. " I just hope it's not too late."
" How much does he need?"
" Only a drop. I think that's all he'll be able to swallow."
******
Sakura reached out to touch Syaoran head. It was wet from sweat, and his face was pale.
" He looks so weak." Sakura looked ready to cry.
" The toxin has taken a great deal out of him."
Carefully, she pried his mouth open softly, pouring a small quantity of the liquid into his mouth. Immediately, his eyes tightened into a grimace.
" He's not swallowing it!" Sakura looked around desperately.
" Make him!"
Sakura looked around, then suddenly reached her head over and kissed him! The shock of it made him swallow it all in a gulp. She held for a second, then pulled away as he shot upright, gagging. She looked at him cautiously as he leaned against the bed frame, the pale complexion gone. Tamaya was grinning at her.
" Interesting method. Of course you could have just held his nose closed."
" True," Sakura blushed, grimacing at the taste of the medicine on her lips.
" I'd hope you don't use this method with every patient." Tamaya raised an eyebrow.
" Actually...I've never used it before. This was the first." Sakura mumbled, her face growing very red.
Syaoran continued to lean against the frame silently, until Sakura reached out a cautious hand to touch him.
" Syaoran? Syaoran are you all right?"
For a moment, she was afraid he'd died in the shock. 'Oh, I should have just held his nose!' Suddenly, she heard a sound like a half sigh, half groan.
" Where am I? Ugh," He winced as he licked his dry lips," Tastes like fertilizer..."
Sakura laughed and hugged him.
******
^ ^ I couldn't resist. Not the best first kiss, but I think it's an interesting start, no?