Chapter 13- Calling out to the Lost
"Cousin! She has defeated yet another one of our cards! Soon there will only be a few left."
"Yes, but they will be the most difficult ones. She will think that they will be even easier; yet, the next one that I will send out is Betrayal. How will she overcome that?"
"Betrayal? But who is the one to be betrayed? Or who is the betrayer?"
"That will be up to the card to choose." Leisa ended.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Sighing, Sakura glanced out of a gloomy window in the main cabin. It was still snowing hard, and she was still unsure about where Syaoran was. She collapsed down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
After sealing the Blizzard card, she had returned to set him loose from her spell, but he hadn't been anywhere near where she had left him. It was evident that he had broken loose, but he was nowhere in sight.
In a panic, she had reached out with all of her senses to locate him, but his aura had completely disappeared. Running back to the cabin hurriedly, she still hadn't found any sign of him. In the vast four-story building, she hadn't told anyone else either. She didn't want everyone to know that Syaoran was missing and that she had caused him to disappear because she had cast a spell on him.
I This is all my fault. I shouldn't have left him there; I knew that he was going to come after me. Sakura, you are such a baka! Now he's gone, and you have no idea where he is! What are you going to do when everyone else comes back and he still isn't here? What if he's out there looking for you and he's freezing? What if he's dead? I Sakura froze as she heard footsteps coming up to her room door.
She turned her head to look at the door. It slowly creaked open, and a snow-covered head with hazel-eyes looked in on her.
"Sakura? Are you.mphf."Syaoran was cut off as Sakura threw herself on him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
"Syaoran! I thought that you were gone, and I couldn't find you, and I couldn't sense you! What was happening? Syaoran, gomennasi for leaving you there! I was so worried! Where'd you go?" Sakura burst out with all of her concerns, embracing Syaoran in a tight hug, holding him tightly, and Syaoran suddenly realized that she had been genuinely scared for him.
Syaoran smiled at her discreetly as he looked down at her auburn haired head buried in his chest.
He patted her back gently. "It's alright, Sakura, I'm OK." Sakura looked up at him, her emerald eyes wide-open.
"Syaoran, I'm so sorry! I'll never do that to you again, and don't you ever leave me by myself again like that!"
Chuckling slightly at Sakura's agitation, Syaoran nodded his head. Sakura was suddenly overcome by her emotions. Syaoran's warm almond eyes stared right at her, seeming to penetrate into the depths of her being.
"Syaoran?" Sakura whispered to him.
"Hmm?" he asked, just as softly.
"I was so worried about you," she said, her eyes on Syaoran's.
"I was worried about you, Sakura. You ran off on your own, and it was snowing like crazy out there! What in the world were you thinking? What if you had died? The cards would stay out there forever, and never be captured."
"Hiyoshi." Sakura managed to get out before Syaoran interrupted her again. She was surprised at the anger in his voice.
"Yes, I know Hiyoshi would have eventually captured all of the cards, but, Sakura, what about me? What would I have done without you? I love you!" Syaoran exclaimed before his mind caught up to what he had just said. In surprise, Sakura stepped away from Syaoran, her mouth open and forming an 'o'.
"Sakura, I came back from Hong Kong, just for you," Syaoran said softly. Syaoran felt his face flaming up, but before Sakura could respond, he reached out and pulled her back to him and caught her lips up in a kiss. Stunned, Sakura pulled away from Syaoran, and quickly turned her head away.
"Come on, let's go on down. We're leaving tomorrow morning anyway, and it's time for dinner. Aren't you hungry?" Sakura said hurriedly.
Syaoran had to laugh at Sakura; her thoughts were still on food. "Hey, where'd that stuffed animal go? You didn't bring him on the trip with you?" Inside though, he was being torn apart. She had rejected him. He had lost her.
"Kero-chan? Nope. He wanted to stay home because Suppi came visiting, and he brought a new video game over." Syaoran faked a laugh as he followed Sakura down the hallway to the dining hall. Sakura smiled at him falsely too as they entered the dining hall.
"Syaoran-kun! Sakura-chan! You stayed out long enough!" Meilin berated them as they entered the dining hall. "We were about to go out looking for you!"
"Gomennasi!" Sakura replied, smiling brightly as Meilin. "We were caught up in something and lost track of time." She was only half in reality though. Her heart was torn between two thoughts, her love for Syaoran and how much he loved her. He had just confessed to her, but she was surprised that she didn't know what to say. Hadn't she always loved him, from the day that she had known his character truly? She loved him, but what had made her hesitate when he had asked her?
Sakura was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't realize that Syaoran was in an absolute state of gloom. Syaoran glanced at her only twice during dinner, but she was looking out the window the entire time. He sighed and decided to just wait for her to make a decision.
Everyone had made their own dinners out of food that they had found in the fridge, mostly just sandwiches.
"HI! I'm back!" Everyone froze as they heard a loud voice yell to them from the main entrance. Tomoyo spun around, and then sighed in relief as she realized that it was only Miki-san.
"Konnichiwa!" Tomoyo responded.
"Gomen nasi that I didn't arrive back here last night, that storm was awful! I hope that you are all alright?"
Nodding, Sakura replied that they had all stayed inside until the storm died down and had had plenty of fun exploring the cabin.
Smiling at them, Natashi promised that she would make them a great breakfast the next morning before they left to return to Tomoeda. Expressing their thanks, the group trooped up the steps to the bedrooms.
Silently, after everyone else had gone to bed, Sakura made her way out of her bed. She headed towards the bathroom, remembering that she had left her bracelet there. As she passed by Leisa's room, she thought that she heard sounds coming from inside. Concerned, she realized that the door was open a crack.
Telling herself that she shouldn't, Sakura was overcome by her curiosity. Peeking in, she was shocked to see Leisa kissing another boy on her bed. She averted her eyes and then jerked her head up as she heard the boy's voice and recognized it.
She felt like her heart was being torn to shreds. "Syaoran?" she whispered. As she focused on them, she saw enough to make out the obvious messy brown hair.
She barely absorbed everything that was happening. Syaoran. Kissing Leisa. She left in a daze.
Is he that type of person? Did he only want me because of my body? Why is he doing this to me? Doesn't he love me? Why? Syaoran.
Without knowing how, she made her way up to the third floor. She was surprised as she realized where she was. She sat down and spread out, trying to get into a comfortable position.
She sighed, contemplating how her life was turning out. She didn't even know why she was, but she wasn't tired yet. She stared out of the windows, looking down the mountains and the snow-blanketed ground until it disappeared from her view.
Suddenly cold, she pulled her feet up to her chest and hugged them to her chest. She shivered, and then started as she felt someone slip their arms around her stomach, not too tightly, but just strong enough to carry her over to the sofa.
"Syaoran!" she yelled in mock anger, half-surprised and half-confused. "What are you doing up here?"
"Hello to you too," he replied calmly. Settling down, Sakura laid her head down in Syaoran's lap, while he played with her long auburn hair, even more confused. Why wasn't he with Leisa?
He leant back against the sofa that they were on, and sighed. "Sakura, have you ever thought about what's going to happen to us once we graduate from high school? You know it's our last year, right?"
Sakura nodded. "I know, Syaoran, I'm worried. What about the rest of the cards? I know there's got to be some more out there, and even though I know who are sending them out, I don't want to confront them yet. I want to know them better. Why? Why are they doing this? But Syaoran, the last few cards are going to be the hardest that we've ever met yet...And what's going to happen if I have to go out to college and the cards still aren't all captured?"
"Sakura, the Clow Card Book, it had bound every single Clow Card to it. Wherever the Book goes, the cards have to go also. And how do you know that the last few cards will be so hard?" Syaoran asked her.
"I.I.I had a premonition," Sakura said softly. Syaoran grasped her hand tightly.
"Sakura! How could you not tell me?" he asked her angrily.
"Syaoran, stop it!" she retorted. "I don't have to tell you everything! Let go of me!" She struggled to get out of his grip, and Syaoran softened, but he didn't release his grip on her. On the contrary, he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.
"Sakura, I'm just so scared for you. I don't want anything to happen to you. I love you!"
Stifling a sob, Sakura tried to stop the tears that were falling out of her wet emerald eyes.
"Sakura?" Syaoran cradled her head against his chest, trying to comfort her. She was losing her strength, and she finally lay limp against Syaoran, trying to stop the sobs that were escaping her.
"Sakura, I love you. I don't ever want to hurt you." IAnd I don't ever want anyone else to hurt you.I
"I can't bear to see you in so much pain, Sakura. Please, tell me?"
Sakura looked up at Syaoran, almost unwilling to meet his eyes, but knowing that she had to. She had to see if he had been using her or if he was telling the truth. After what she had just seen him do with Leisa, she wasn't sure if she would even be able to face him again.
"Syaoran, just answer me one question. What were you doing in Leisa's room?" Sakura asked him quietly and calmly, though her heart was pounding loudly and she thought that she would die before he would answer her question.
Syaoran's face reddened. He took a deep breath and Sakura could tell that something bad had happened. Her face crumpled, and she looked away from him immediately.
"No, Sakura! It's not what you think it was!" Syaoran cried out.
"Syaoran, what else could it be? I saw both of you in there, kissing like that. I knew it was too much to hope for."
"No Sakura!" Syaoran said in a pleading voice. He gripped her arms tightly and pulled her towards him again. "Don't even doubt how much I love you!"
"Why not?" Sakura cried out. "After you just admitted to me that you were kissing Leisa?"
"I did not!" Syaoran said back to her. "I didn't do anything with her! You know how I feel about her, and I dislike her and her brother both!"
"Then what were you doing in her room? What were you doing on her bed?" Sakura asked him again.
Syaoran sighed. "I went into her room because she told me that.that.she would hurt you if I didn't give her my powers." He looked up at Sakura sadly. "I had to, and I couldn't tell you, you wouldn't let me and then she would kill you. I couldn't let that happen. Nothing can happen to you!"
Sakura stared at him, surprised. Her eyes softened and she felt them fill with tears again.
"Syaoran, gomennasi! I had no idea!" She hugged him hard, leaning on him for support, trying hard not to cry again.
"It's OK, Sakura. I'll be fine."
"But Syaoran, your powers!" Sakura said to him.
He cradled her in his arms. "It's alright. I'll be fine without them, as long as you're alright, I'm fine." He smiled at her, though Sakura could see the agony in them. She felt awful at having been the cause of it all.
"Syaoran," Sakura said softly. He looked up at her, eyes wide in anticipation.
"I.I.aishiteru Syaoran," she whispered to him. As realization dawned on him, he smiled at her broadly.
Emotions that had been hidden inside for years finally came tumbling out in a whirlwind of emotions as Syaoran face came down near hers. His lips sought out hers, and as they met, Syaoran felt a merging between them.
As they broke apart, Sakura smiled at Syaoran, relieved that he was all right.
"I love you, Sakura" Syaoran murmured into her ear.
"Honto ne?" Sakura asked him, a playful smile on her lips.
Nodding, Syaoran smiled back at her. "Honto," he replied.
Pulling him down to her, Sakura kissed him again, her fingers running wildly thought his hair. Syaoran kissed her hard, possessingly.
"Syaoran, but still.your powers are all gone. Stolen by Leisa, I knew that she was one of them.but still, I didn't think that they would go this far. I'm so sorry Syaoran, it's all my fault," she apologized again to him, leaning slightly against his chest, feeling his muscles strong and taut underneath his shirt.
"I'll be alright Sakura. The only thing that I worry about now is you. How will I protect you now?"
"Syaoran, I don't need protecting!" Sakura protested to him.
"Yes, you do." Syaoran told her firmly. Then he smiled at her. "You're always so stubborn Sakura, don't be. It's alright to admit that you're tired or hurt. It's not your fault about Leisa and Kent. That's another thing that I admire you so much about. You always try to see the best in people, even when I was so mean to you. You tried your best to become friends with me, that touched me, Sakura." Syaoran told her lovingly as he ran his hand over her cheek gently.
She smiled at him, and then suppressed a yawn.
Syaoran hid a grin. "So my little goddess is all tired now? C'mon, my room's definitely the warmest in the cabin."
Too tired to protest, Sakura let Syaoran carry her down to his room. He gently laid her down on his bed and smiled at the sight of her sleeping.
"Night Sakura," he whispered to her as he slipped into the covers next to her. She instinctively moved towards him and wrapped her arms around him, and as her hand opened up, Syaoran spotted a card in her hand. He gently removed
~* Morning *~
Tomoyo smiled at them knowingly as they entered the hall, and both of them blushed. They both knew instinctively that she had been there, videotaping both of them but had been too considerate to bother them. Eriol gave Syaoran a sly grin with a look that said "I told you so," written all over it.
Syaoran took a closer look at Meilin, and realized that Hiyoshi had his arm wrapped around Meilin's waist. Something had happened between them too. He shot Meilin a questioning glance, which she avoided.
"Later!" she mouthed to him, then cast a sly look at him as she saw that he was standing awfully close to Sakura and had his arm around her tightly. He nodded, blushing, and she smiled with a knowing look at him. Sighing in bliss, she remembered what had happened that morning.(
*~ Flashback ~*
"Meilin?" she jumped as she heard someone's voice behind her, then relaxed as she realized that it was only Hiyoshi.
"What are you doing up here?" he asked her, coming next to her to sit down. She shrugged her shoulders, unable to think up of an answer.
Hiyoshi sat with her as they watched the sun rise together, then he suddenly spoke.
"Why did you come back, Meilin?"
Meilin sighed. That was what she had come up to the third floor to think about. She had discovered this room last evening and had dubbed it the Sun House. It had showed the sunset perfectly, showering her with the magnificent rays of sunlight as it had finally faded away.
Now, as the sun rose, she gasped at its beauty, almost matching the wondrous sunset that she had seen the night before.
Still contemplating, she remained silent in answer to Hiyoshi's question. She could feel his need, the pressing desire that he had to know the answer to the question. She thought it over, once more.
What did she feel now when Syaoran entered the room? Was her heart still pounding as loudly as before? And how did she feel about Hiyoshi now? He had been so caring, always being there for her when she needed him, always the one she ran to now when she had a fight with Syaoran. Hadn't she known that Syaoran had never loved her with anything more than family love? No, she decided. I have moved on. I loved him, and I always will love him, but it has dwindled to a brotherly love.
"Hiyoshi," she whispered. He immediately responded, looking straight at her, wanting to know.
"I.I came back because I knew that I had moved on," were the only words that she uttered. But from that, Hiyoshi understood.
Gently embracing her, he tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. He smiled at her, and she knew, that he loved her back. Then suddenly, his lips were on hers; gently releasing in her a passion that she had never experienced before, and it was then that she finally realized, that they had been meant to be together.
As they broke apart to take a breath, Meilin smiled at Hiyoshi in pure adoration and love.
*~ End Flashback ~*
As Meilin looked up at Hiyoshi, he smiled at her and tightened his grip around her.
"Are you OK?" he asked her softly.
"Hai," she replied. "As long as you're with me." Hiyoshi blushed and quickly looked away before he fell under another one of Meilin's trances.
"I love you," he whispered to her in her ear. She blushed, and playfully smacked his arm.
"Sweet talker," she murmured back.
Sakura grinned in delight at the foods that were spread out on the table. Miki had outdone herself, working up a marvelous breakfast. Frying bacon, scrambled eggs, hot pancakes, French toast, cooked ham, sausage, tater tots, and waffles.
"I feel full and fat just looking at this stuff," she whispered to Naoko. She giggled back and quickly began taking her share of breakfast.
"Ladies first!" Leisa said, barging her way through. "And if you were a real gentleman, you would offer to get my food for me," she said warningly to no one in particular, it seemed, but to Syaoran, it seemed like a laced threat. He glared at her, and a lesser person would've died, but she held his gaze, almost contemptuously.
Sakura pulled Syaoran away from her, knowing that if she didn't something bad would happen.
"Don't worry about her, Syaoran. We'll get your powers back, don't worry," Sakura said, trying to comfort him.
She filled Eriol, Meilin, Tomoyo, and Hiyoshi in on the details softly as they ate breakfast.
They were all furious and wanted to kill Leisa themselves, but knew that they stood no chance against her, not with Syaoran without his powers.
"Why didn't Kent do anything?" Sakura asked suddenly.
Everyone looked at her with curious expressions on their faces.
"Well, he's supposed to be evil too, right? Why isn't he gloating, like Leisa?"
"Maybe.maybe he just isn't in a good mood?" Hiyoshi suggested.
"Or maybe he doesn't know about it, or he doesn't like the idea," Meilin stated, catching on to Sakura's drift.
"Yeah, I bet he's sick of this whole thing already," Tomoyo added.
"I don't know," Syaoran said. He cast a swift glance at Kent, and turned around again.
"Whatever it is, we'll get your powers back," Sakura assured Syaoran as she turned away to talk with Tomoyo.
"I know you will Sakura, but at what cost will it be?" Syaoran said softly to her back.
Gomennasi for not getting this out sooner, and I know it's really awkward in the beginning, but S+S are finally together, of course. And Meilin and Hiyoshi also in this chapter. I felt like I had to wrap them up. They're my fave couple, after S+S and E+T.
Anyway, hope to get the next chapter up soon, though I doubt that will happen.hope?
Lata!
~Rubygurl
"Cousin! She has defeated yet another one of our cards! Soon there will only be a few left."
"Yes, but they will be the most difficult ones. She will think that they will be even easier; yet, the next one that I will send out is Betrayal. How will she overcome that?"
"Betrayal? But who is the one to be betrayed? Or who is the betrayer?"
"That will be up to the card to choose." Leisa ended.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Sighing, Sakura glanced out of a gloomy window in the main cabin. It was still snowing hard, and she was still unsure about where Syaoran was. She collapsed down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
After sealing the Blizzard card, she had returned to set him loose from her spell, but he hadn't been anywhere near where she had left him. It was evident that he had broken loose, but he was nowhere in sight.
In a panic, she had reached out with all of her senses to locate him, but his aura had completely disappeared. Running back to the cabin hurriedly, she still hadn't found any sign of him. In the vast four-story building, she hadn't told anyone else either. She didn't want everyone to know that Syaoran was missing and that she had caused him to disappear because she had cast a spell on him.
I This is all my fault. I shouldn't have left him there; I knew that he was going to come after me. Sakura, you are such a baka! Now he's gone, and you have no idea where he is! What are you going to do when everyone else comes back and he still isn't here? What if he's out there looking for you and he's freezing? What if he's dead? I Sakura froze as she heard footsteps coming up to her room door.
She turned her head to look at the door. It slowly creaked open, and a snow-covered head with hazel-eyes looked in on her.
"Sakura? Are you.mphf."Syaoran was cut off as Sakura threw herself on him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
"Syaoran! I thought that you were gone, and I couldn't find you, and I couldn't sense you! What was happening? Syaoran, gomennasi for leaving you there! I was so worried! Where'd you go?" Sakura burst out with all of her concerns, embracing Syaoran in a tight hug, holding him tightly, and Syaoran suddenly realized that she had been genuinely scared for him.
Syaoran smiled at her discreetly as he looked down at her auburn haired head buried in his chest.
He patted her back gently. "It's alright, Sakura, I'm OK." Sakura looked up at him, her emerald eyes wide-open.
"Syaoran, I'm so sorry! I'll never do that to you again, and don't you ever leave me by myself again like that!"
Chuckling slightly at Sakura's agitation, Syaoran nodded his head. Sakura was suddenly overcome by her emotions. Syaoran's warm almond eyes stared right at her, seeming to penetrate into the depths of her being.
"Syaoran?" Sakura whispered to him.
"Hmm?" he asked, just as softly.
"I was so worried about you," she said, her eyes on Syaoran's.
"I was worried about you, Sakura. You ran off on your own, and it was snowing like crazy out there! What in the world were you thinking? What if you had died? The cards would stay out there forever, and never be captured."
"Hiyoshi." Sakura managed to get out before Syaoran interrupted her again. She was surprised at the anger in his voice.
"Yes, I know Hiyoshi would have eventually captured all of the cards, but, Sakura, what about me? What would I have done without you? I love you!" Syaoran exclaimed before his mind caught up to what he had just said. In surprise, Sakura stepped away from Syaoran, her mouth open and forming an 'o'.
"Sakura, I came back from Hong Kong, just for you," Syaoran said softly. Syaoran felt his face flaming up, but before Sakura could respond, he reached out and pulled her back to him and caught her lips up in a kiss. Stunned, Sakura pulled away from Syaoran, and quickly turned her head away.
"Come on, let's go on down. We're leaving tomorrow morning anyway, and it's time for dinner. Aren't you hungry?" Sakura said hurriedly.
Syaoran had to laugh at Sakura; her thoughts were still on food. "Hey, where'd that stuffed animal go? You didn't bring him on the trip with you?" Inside though, he was being torn apart. She had rejected him. He had lost her.
"Kero-chan? Nope. He wanted to stay home because Suppi came visiting, and he brought a new video game over." Syaoran faked a laugh as he followed Sakura down the hallway to the dining hall. Sakura smiled at him falsely too as they entered the dining hall.
"Syaoran-kun! Sakura-chan! You stayed out long enough!" Meilin berated them as they entered the dining hall. "We were about to go out looking for you!"
"Gomennasi!" Sakura replied, smiling brightly as Meilin. "We were caught up in something and lost track of time." She was only half in reality though. Her heart was torn between two thoughts, her love for Syaoran and how much he loved her. He had just confessed to her, but she was surprised that she didn't know what to say. Hadn't she always loved him, from the day that she had known his character truly? She loved him, but what had made her hesitate when he had asked her?
Sakura was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't realize that Syaoran was in an absolute state of gloom. Syaoran glanced at her only twice during dinner, but she was looking out the window the entire time. He sighed and decided to just wait for her to make a decision.
Everyone had made their own dinners out of food that they had found in the fridge, mostly just sandwiches.
"HI! I'm back!" Everyone froze as they heard a loud voice yell to them from the main entrance. Tomoyo spun around, and then sighed in relief as she realized that it was only Miki-san.
"Konnichiwa!" Tomoyo responded.
"Gomen nasi that I didn't arrive back here last night, that storm was awful! I hope that you are all alright?"
Nodding, Sakura replied that they had all stayed inside until the storm died down and had had plenty of fun exploring the cabin.
Smiling at them, Natashi promised that she would make them a great breakfast the next morning before they left to return to Tomoeda. Expressing their thanks, the group trooped up the steps to the bedrooms.
Silently, after everyone else had gone to bed, Sakura made her way out of her bed. She headed towards the bathroom, remembering that she had left her bracelet there. As she passed by Leisa's room, she thought that she heard sounds coming from inside. Concerned, she realized that the door was open a crack.
Telling herself that she shouldn't, Sakura was overcome by her curiosity. Peeking in, she was shocked to see Leisa kissing another boy on her bed. She averted her eyes and then jerked her head up as she heard the boy's voice and recognized it.
She felt like her heart was being torn to shreds. "Syaoran?" she whispered. As she focused on them, she saw enough to make out the obvious messy brown hair.
She barely absorbed everything that was happening. Syaoran. Kissing Leisa. She left in a daze.
Is he that type of person? Did he only want me because of my body? Why is he doing this to me? Doesn't he love me? Why? Syaoran.
Without knowing how, she made her way up to the third floor. She was surprised as she realized where she was. She sat down and spread out, trying to get into a comfortable position.
She sighed, contemplating how her life was turning out. She didn't even know why she was, but she wasn't tired yet. She stared out of the windows, looking down the mountains and the snow-blanketed ground until it disappeared from her view.
Suddenly cold, she pulled her feet up to her chest and hugged them to her chest. She shivered, and then started as she felt someone slip their arms around her stomach, not too tightly, but just strong enough to carry her over to the sofa.
"Syaoran!" she yelled in mock anger, half-surprised and half-confused. "What are you doing up here?"
"Hello to you too," he replied calmly. Settling down, Sakura laid her head down in Syaoran's lap, while he played with her long auburn hair, even more confused. Why wasn't he with Leisa?
He leant back against the sofa that they were on, and sighed. "Sakura, have you ever thought about what's going to happen to us once we graduate from high school? You know it's our last year, right?"
Sakura nodded. "I know, Syaoran, I'm worried. What about the rest of the cards? I know there's got to be some more out there, and even though I know who are sending them out, I don't want to confront them yet. I want to know them better. Why? Why are they doing this? But Syaoran, the last few cards are going to be the hardest that we've ever met yet...And what's going to happen if I have to go out to college and the cards still aren't all captured?"
"Sakura, the Clow Card Book, it had bound every single Clow Card to it. Wherever the Book goes, the cards have to go also. And how do you know that the last few cards will be so hard?" Syaoran asked her.
"I.I.I had a premonition," Sakura said softly. Syaoran grasped her hand tightly.
"Sakura! How could you not tell me?" he asked her angrily.
"Syaoran, stop it!" she retorted. "I don't have to tell you everything! Let go of me!" She struggled to get out of his grip, and Syaoran softened, but he didn't release his grip on her. On the contrary, he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.
"Sakura, I'm just so scared for you. I don't want anything to happen to you. I love you!"
Stifling a sob, Sakura tried to stop the tears that were falling out of her wet emerald eyes.
"Sakura?" Syaoran cradled her head against his chest, trying to comfort her. She was losing her strength, and she finally lay limp against Syaoran, trying to stop the sobs that were escaping her.
"Sakura, I love you. I don't ever want to hurt you." IAnd I don't ever want anyone else to hurt you.I
"I can't bear to see you in so much pain, Sakura. Please, tell me?"
Sakura looked up at Syaoran, almost unwilling to meet his eyes, but knowing that she had to. She had to see if he had been using her or if he was telling the truth. After what she had just seen him do with Leisa, she wasn't sure if she would even be able to face him again.
"Syaoran, just answer me one question. What were you doing in Leisa's room?" Sakura asked him quietly and calmly, though her heart was pounding loudly and she thought that she would die before he would answer her question.
Syaoran's face reddened. He took a deep breath and Sakura could tell that something bad had happened. Her face crumpled, and she looked away from him immediately.
"No, Sakura! It's not what you think it was!" Syaoran cried out.
"Syaoran, what else could it be? I saw both of you in there, kissing like that. I knew it was too much to hope for."
"No Sakura!" Syaoran said in a pleading voice. He gripped her arms tightly and pulled her towards him again. "Don't even doubt how much I love you!"
"Why not?" Sakura cried out. "After you just admitted to me that you were kissing Leisa?"
"I did not!" Syaoran said back to her. "I didn't do anything with her! You know how I feel about her, and I dislike her and her brother both!"
"Then what were you doing in her room? What were you doing on her bed?" Sakura asked him again.
Syaoran sighed. "I went into her room because she told me that.that.she would hurt you if I didn't give her my powers." He looked up at Sakura sadly. "I had to, and I couldn't tell you, you wouldn't let me and then she would kill you. I couldn't let that happen. Nothing can happen to you!"
Sakura stared at him, surprised. Her eyes softened and she felt them fill with tears again.
"Syaoran, gomennasi! I had no idea!" She hugged him hard, leaning on him for support, trying hard not to cry again.
"It's OK, Sakura. I'll be fine."
"But Syaoran, your powers!" Sakura said to him.
He cradled her in his arms. "It's alright. I'll be fine without them, as long as you're alright, I'm fine." He smiled at her, though Sakura could see the agony in them. She felt awful at having been the cause of it all.
"Syaoran," Sakura said softly. He looked up at her, eyes wide in anticipation.
"I.I.aishiteru Syaoran," she whispered to him. As realization dawned on him, he smiled at her broadly.
Emotions that had been hidden inside for years finally came tumbling out in a whirlwind of emotions as Syaoran face came down near hers. His lips sought out hers, and as they met, Syaoran felt a merging between them.
As they broke apart, Sakura smiled at Syaoran, relieved that he was all right.
"I love you, Sakura" Syaoran murmured into her ear.
"Honto ne?" Sakura asked him, a playful smile on her lips.
Nodding, Syaoran smiled back at her. "Honto," he replied.
Pulling him down to her, Sakura kissed him again, her fingers running wildly thought his hair. Syaoran kissed her hard, possessingly.
"Syaoran, but still.your powers are all gone. Stolen by Leisa, I knew that she was one of them.but still, I didn't think that they would go this far. I'm so sorry Syaoran, it's all my fault," she apologized again to him, leaning slightly against his chest, feeling his muscles strong and taut underneath his shirt.
"I'll be alright Sakura. The only thing that I worry about now is you. How will I protect you now?"
"Syaoran, I don't need protecting!" Sakura protested to him.
"Yes, you do." Syaoran told her firmly. Then he smiled at her. "You're always so stubborn Sakura, don't be. It's alright to admit that you're tired or hurt. It's not your fault about Leisa and Kent. That's another thing that I admire you so much about. You always try to see the best in people, even when I was so mean to you. You tried your best to become friends with me, that touched me, Sakura." Syaoran told her lovingly as he ran his hand over her cheek gently.
She smiled at him, and then suppressed a yawn.
Syaoran hid a grin. "So my little goddess is all tired now? C'mon, my room's definitely the warmest in the cabin."
Too tired to protest, Sakura let Syaoran carry her down to his room. He gently laid her down on his bed and smiled at the sight of her sleeping.
"Night Sakura," he whispered to her as he slipped into the covers next to her. She instinctively moved towards him and wrapped her arms around him, and as her hand opened up, Syaoran spotted a card in her hand. He gently removed
~* Morning *~
Tomoyo smiled at them knowingly as they entered the hall, and both of them blushed. They both knew instinctively that she had been there, videotaping both of them but had been too considerate to bother them. Eriol gave Syaoran a sly grin with a look that said "I told you so," written all over it.
Syaoran took a closer look at Meilin, and realized that Hiyoshi had his arm wrapped around Meilin's waist. Something had happened between them too. He shot Meilin a questioning glance, which she avoided.
"Later!" she mouthed to him, then cast a sly look at him as she saw that he was standing awfully close to Sakura and had his arm around her tightly. He nodded, blushing, and she smiled with a knowing look at him. Sighing in bliss, she remembered what had happened that morning.(
*~ Flashback ~*
"Meilin?" she jumped as she heard someone's voice behind her, then relaxed as she realized that it was only Hiyoshi.
"What are you doing up here?" he asked her, coming next to her to sit down. She shrugged her shoulders, unable to think up of an answer.
Hiyoshi sat with her as they watched the sun rise together, then he suddenly spoke.
"Why did you come back, Meilin?"
Meilin sighed. That was what she had come up to the third floor to think about. She had discovered this room last evening and had dubbed it the Sun House. It had showed the sunset perfectly, showering her with the magnificent rays of sunlight as it had finally faded away.
Now, as the sun rose, she gasped at its beauty, almost matching the wondrous sunset that she had seen the night before.
Still contemplating, she remained silent in answer to Hiyoshi's question. She could feel his need, the pressing desire that he had to know the answer to the question. She thought it over, once more.
What did she feel now when Syaoran entered the room? Was her heart still pounding as loudly as before? And how did she feel about Hiyoshi now? He had been so caring, always being there for her when she needed him, always the one she ran to now when she had a fight with Syaoran. Hadn't she known that Syaoran had never loved her with anything more than family love? No, she decided. I have moved on. I loved him, and I always will love him, but it has dwindled to a brotherly love.
"Hiyoshi," she whispered. He immediately responded, looking straight at her, wanting to know.
"I.I came back because I knew that I had moved on," were the only words that she uttered. But from that, Hiyoshi understood.
Gently embracing her, he tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. He smiled at her, and she knew, that he loved her back. Then suddenly, his lips were on hers; gently releasing in her a passion that she had never experienced before, and it was then that she finally realized, that they had been meant to be together.
As they broke apart to take a breath, Meilin smiled at Hiyoshi in pure adoration and love.
*~ End Flashback ~*
As Meilin looked up at Hiyoshi, he smiled at her and tightened his grip around her.
"Are you OK?" he asked her softly.
"Hai," she replied. "As long as you're with me." Hiyoshi blushed and quickly looked away before he fell under another one of Meilin's trances.
"I love you," he whispered to her in her ear. She blushed, and playfully smacked his arm.
"Sweet talker," she murmured back.
Sakura grinned in delight at the foods that were spread out on the table. Miki had outdone herself, working up a marvelous breakfast. Frying bacon, scrambled eggs, hot pancakes, French toast, cooked ham, sausage, tater tots, and waffles.
"I feel full and fat just looking at this stuff," she whispered to Naoko. She giggled back and quickly began taking her share of breakfast.
"Ladies first!" Leisa said, barging her way through. "And if you were a real gentleman, you would offer to get my food for me," she said warningly to no one in particular, it seemed, but to Syaoran, it seemed like a laced threat. He glared at her, and a lesser person would've died, but she held his gaze, almost contemptuously.
Sakura pulled Syaoran away from her, knowing that if she didn't something bad would happen.
"Don't worry about her, Syaoran. We'll get your powers back, don't worry," Sakura said, trying to comfort him.
She filled Eriol, Meilin, Tomoyo, and Hiyoshi in on the details softly as they ate breakfast.
They were all furious and wanted to kill Leisa themselves, but knew that they stood no chance against her, not with Syaoran without his powers.
"Why didn't Kent do anything?" Sakura asked suddenly.
Everyone looked at her with curious expressions on their faces.
"Well, he's supposed to be evil too, right? Why isn't he gloating, like Leisa?"
"Maybe.maybe he just isn't in a good mood?" Hiyoshi suggested.
"Or maybe he doesn't know about it, or he doesn't like the idea," Meilin stated, catching on to Sakura's drift.
"Yeah, I bet he's sick of this whole thing already," Tomoyo added.
"I don't know," Syaoran said. He cast a swift glance at Kent, and turned around again.
"Whatever it is, we'll get your powers back," Sakura assured Syaoran as she turned away to talk with Tomoyo.
"I know you will Sakura, but at what cost will it be?" Syaoran said softly to her back.
Gomennasi for not getting this out sooner, and I know it's really awkward in the beginning, but S+S are finally together, of course. And Meilin and Hiyoshi also in this chapter. I felt like I had to wrap them up. They're my fave couple, after S+S and E+T.
Anyway, hope to get the next chapter up soon, though I doubt that will happen.hope?
Lata!
~Rubygurl