Chapter 3: Bloody Satisfaction
The Forbidden City was now dark, night has come, all the soldiers and royal guards began to take a break and get ready to go home. All the shops, warehouses, and schools had all closed. The only two buildings left with lights on, was Clow's workshop, and the palace training grounds. Da gongs (Chinese time keepers) wandered the streets striking their loud gong 9 times to indicate it was none o' clock.
From Clow's workshop, Sakura heard the time. Sakura, resting her face upon her palm of her hand, Sakura wondered about what happened yesterday night.
Sakura Narration
Why? Why was my party crashed? Who was that man? What did he want with me? How did he know my necklace? Did father buy it from him? "Sakura!" Oh Clow-sifu is calling me; we must be close to completion of the Clow cards. Clow-sifu never asks me to stay this late with him. It's very obvious that the Clow cards are almost done. "Yes Clow-sifu!" I'm so tired; all I could think about was my birthday crash. "I could see you are still worried about your birthday." How does Clow-sifu know these stuff? "Sakura, I'm a wizard, I obviously know this stuff." That's right; wizards can look in the hearts of people and read their mind. But Clow-sifu hasn't taught me how to do that yet. "I will one day!" Dammit Clow-sifu stop reading my mind! "Sorry Sakura!"
End Sakura Narration
Training Grounds:
Syaoran was in the middle of a sanded ring. The lanterns which hung on the poles gave enough light to see what Syaoran was doing. Syaoran put his fists side by side along the knuckles and placed them beneath his belly. He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. Then he began to visualize the recurring night of Sakura's birthday.
Flashback
"Fwan, he didn't hurt you did he?" Syaoran grabbed the sides of Sakura's arms while she was down on her knees and shook her. Sakura looked around at her surroundings. Guests were scattered and coming out from behind the drapes. "Sakura are you alright?" Min asked, "I shouldn't have left you alone, I should've known that they would ruin my little girl's birthday, those damn rebels." Sakura put her hands down on the ground next to her and started to have tears drip from her eyes.
"Father…" she trailed with a choked voice, "…did you steal this necklace?" Min was taken back; he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No Sakura…" Sakura bursted at her father, "Then why? Why did that man want to kill me for this stupid necklace? He was scary father." Syaoran supported Sakura by picking her up. "Listen Fwan, I know they wrecked your party, but what about this, since we can't dine here, we can use the Li family banquet hall to hold your party." Sakura looked at Syaoran. "But then all the people, they won't be here." Syaoran gave a mean face to Sakura, "Well, think about this Fwan, who do you know of all these guests, are they all your friends?" Sakura took a second to think about it.
"No!" she said, "They are all father's subjects." Min felt guilty, "Sakura, are you saying you wish not to dine with my subjects?" Syaoran answered for Sakura, "Well General," he said being very cautious that he might upset his superior, "I'm pretty sure that for her special 16th birthday, I think she would desire to only have her friends share the occasion with her." Sakura smiled at Syaoran and agreed with him by nodding. General Min, looking at his poor daughter and the confident Li Syaoran, he gradually accepted. Sakura was delighted and started to call for her friends to follow her as she began to trail to Syaoran Li's banquet hall.
Syaoran walked and started to follow Sakura until General Min put his arm upon his shoulder. "Risking the family banquet hall are we?" Syaoran shook off the General's arm in almost total disrespect, if he had done anything more, the General probably would've branded him, "Sorry General," Syaoran apologized with remorse, "But keep in mind that it is your daughter's night, and if you upset her, you will upset yourself." General Min, with an expression on his face ready to punch his subject, continued to hear what Li had to say, "As a trainee and subject under the great General Min, I have offered my dwelling as your daughter's happiness."
Min looked at Syaoran with both respect and with disappointment. "Hmm…" he hummed with a conceited tone, "It looks like they are training you well Syaoran Li." Syaoran bowed down a little until the General kicked him in the stomach for letting his guard down. Syaoran, with excruciating pain in his stomach held on to the sides. He winced when he picked his head up and looked at the General Square in the eyes with a "what was that for?" look. "Syaoran," the General helped Syaoran up, "You may have made my daughter happy, but you also disappointed me and her as well." Syaoran looked confused. "Yes, as a matter of fact you were disappointing. What was that display of letting that rebel live?" Syaoran looked away from General Min, "General, he didn't do much harm to Fwan, I only-""Didn't do much harm!" Min interrupted, "My daughter is terrified and disappointed that dining in the royal banquet is held off because of those damn rebels."
Syaoran began to feel guilty, "I'm sorry Fwan," he said under his breath, "General, accept my apologies!" Syaoran bent down on both knees and begged for forgiveness. Once again, the general tapped him on the head, hard! "Foolish boy!" he yelled, "If you succumb to your enemy and blame yourself upon guilt, then you shall surely fall. As a general and a great man, I forgive you." Syaoran was helped back up with his welcoming hand, "But remember, if I was an enemy, I would kill you." Min gave Syaoran a smile and patted him on the back in a fatherly way.
Syaoran walked away following Sakura until the General called him to turn around. "Listen boy," he said as he stood beside Syaoran, "If you see another one of those damned rebels, don't show any mercy next time. Do a good job, and I promise, I will make you a captain." "Thank you General!" Li walked away with a smile on his face.
End Flashback
Syaoran punched the closest pole to him with powerful force that shook the pole. Next he turned around and in a rage, rushed to another pole and hit it with his shins. Syaoran didn't feel any pain; instead, he went back into the center of the ring and breathed in again.
"Li-hing?" A light heavenly voice woke Syaoran from his deep meditation. "Who's there!?" Syaoran asked in a valiant tone taking a fighting stance. Sakura peeked her head out behind the corner. Under the moonlight, Syaoran began to blush.
Sakura Narration
"Hi Li-hing!" Li-hing is a very good student; he's always training even though class is over. "Fwan, what are you doing this late?" "Oh, Clow-sifu wanted me to help him; we're almost finished with those Clow Cards." "That's a relief!" As the moon shines on Li-hing, I always wonder how he can be so serious sometimes, I know he has a soft heart, he just hardly shows it. "Are you training?" Well, I know what his answer is; I just don't know what to talk about. "Aw…Wei-sifu keeps on telling me I have to practice my form."
"Are you okay all alone by yourself?" "Aw..." "Do you need anyone to accompany you? You are lonely?" Please say yes Li-hing, I wanna stay here just for a little while. "No, I'm okay!" Darn! "Well, that's good, you take care Li-hing!" "Aw…" Li-hing is very independent. Most of the time, he will never ask for help or company, he always likes to be alone. But one day I just wanna be with him, maybe just once so I can make him rely on people. Eh? What was that sound I just heard? It sounded like a wolf.
"AWWWWOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
End Sakura Narration
"Sakura step away!!!" Syaoran pushed Sakura aside as a man came out from the shadows and hit Syaoran in the ribs with his pole. Syaoran clutched his side, and the pole, and flipped the man carrying the pole. "Sakura run!" Syaoran then was attacked by 3 men, all with poles, Syaoran was tackled by one man, and the two others held him down with their poles. "Don't move kid, we just want her."
"Li-hing!" she cried out, "I'm gonna save you!" Syaoran struggled, "Don't worry about me I can take them, they want you, just GO!" "Boss, she's here, get her before she runs away." Sakura heard this and started running for her dear life, she began to cry as she left Syaoran there defenseless and stripped of his pride. She kept on running, looking back, "Syaoran, I'm gonna get Clow-sifu, he will help." She kept on hurrying to Clow's place until a man with a machete stood in her way and she bumped into him. "You again?" she said in disgust, "What do you want with me? I have nothing to give you." The man with a red headband and black short hair stared at her. "Sakura, please we only want you to come and talk to us!" Sakura shot open her eyes, "You know my name?" she asked.
Syaoran was being held down, the three men tried vigorously to hold him down. "Damn, this kid sure is strong!" "Hold him down, we gotta let boss talk to the girl and take her to our base so if they can see she's the one." Syaoran heard enough. Mustering all his strength, he pulled 'The Incredible Hulk' and bursted out of all three of the men's grasps. Two of the men were knocked out; one of them rubbed his head and followed Syaoran who was running toward Sakura.
"Hey kid stop!" Sakura heard; "Li-hing, he's alright!" she happily smiled. "Let go of me!" Sakura screamed as the man tried to grab her by the hand and carry her away. In desperation, she bit his hand. "Owwww!" The man let her go, Sakura pulled out a piece of paper with a Chinese symbol on it and shouted, "Thunder god, please help me!" From the piece of paper, Sakura shot thunderbolts at the man and the man ran off avoiding all the thunderbolts. "Don't make me hit you again!"
Just in the nick of time, Syaoran arrived, "Fwan, run now!" Sakura nodded and ran for the direction of Clow Reed's. Syaoran then saw the man, "You!" he grunted. Syaoran began to recall what the General had told him earlier. 'Kill the damned rebels!" Syaoran ran towards the man and tackled him in the back. "I'll kill you!" he growled. Then all of the sudden, the man chasing Syaoran choked him with his pole; "I got him boss, run back to the base!" "NO!" the boss shouted, "I can't leave you Hirotaki!" The boss was reluctant, but he saw the look, the ambition in Hirotaki's face, and he left right after yelling, "AWOOOOOO!!!"
"Ok Chinese boy," growled Hirotaki, "I got you in my sights, now I'll beat you up and take your possessions!" Syaoran began to get extremely furious. 'Kill the rebels!' the voice echoed in his head and his eyes shot up in a flame. Hirotaki released his grip on Syaoran and let Syaoran catch his breath. Syaoran was on all fours catching his breath. "Die in honor!" Hirotaki shouted, "You put up a good fight, but now die a warrior's way, YAAAAHHHH!"
"KILL THE REBELS!" Syaoran shouted. Right before the staff came down; Syaoran pulled out a dagger from his shoe and stabbed the man in the heart, stopping him in his tracks. "I died like…a…wolf…my…brotherssssss…" the man sprawled his hand across Syaoran's shirt, with a long stain of blood brought down with it. Syaoran looked at his hand full of the man's blood and was terrified. "I killed someone…" he was speechless. Syaoran fell on his butt and continued to look at his hands. Soon, his eyes filled with tears, his mouth felt dry.
"I killed someone! I killed someone. I was taught never to do this, but why? Why? Only because I needed to kill the rebels, only because this man was killing me, why did I kill?" Syaoran felt a heap of guilt "Was it righteous? Did I kill for the right reasons?" Syaoran ran his bloody hands across his face staining his face of blood, "To protect those I love, a soldier, no, A WARRIOR, he must fight to protect those that are of his country, of his people, or his PRIDE!!!" Syaoran, once filled with guilt, now filled with ambition, and madness.
Sakura arrived just on the spot with Clow Reed right beside her, "Li-hing!" she shouted, "Are you alright?" Clow Reed felt an evil presence inside Li, "Sonny boy…are you alright?" Syaoran stood up with full force, he turned his face to see Sakura, Sakura saw his face, and it was bloody. "Li-hing!" she shouted and tried to run to him. "Stay away Sakura!" Syaoran commanded and Sakura stopped where she was. Soon enough, Syaoran turned his attention to the knife that he had stabbed the man with. He went to go pick it up.
"Li-hing, what are you doing?" Sakura asked. "Hey stop it son, what's the matter with you, why are you picking up that knife?" Clow asked, "This is not good" he thought. Syaoran picked up the knife in one hand and approached the man sprawled dead on the floor. He got on top of the man and pulled him by his collar. "Listen," he said in an exhausted tone, "You rebel! Die in HELL!" Syaoran in a mad fury took the knife and began stabbing the already dead man. He first stabbed him in the cheek, right through, then the neck, then the eye, then the brain. Sakura after only seeing the first second of what he was doing, hid behind Clow Reed and begged Syaoran to stop. "Li-hing, stop this now!" Syaoran continued poking the body, making slashes at the arms, chest, and stomach. Sakura not wanting to see anymore ran up to Li and grabbed his bloody arm before he could continue.
"Stop this Li-hing!" she begged, "Don't do this! This is an innocent man!" Syaoran stopped on behalf of Sakura. He got off the man and faced Sakura with his blood drenched face. "Li-hing…what's gotten into you?" Clow looked at Syaoran with extreme discontent, and knew this Syaoran was not the same person. Syaoran looked at both the eye witnesses and walked away from them with a mean look in his eyes.
Syaoran, he had felt something the moment he had began the stab session. He felt remorseless, he felt merciless, he felt invincible. Syaoran's head argued, "This is wrong," and "This is not right." But the little devil in Syaoran's face shouted with extreme pleasure, with great content, he now loved to kill. Sakura watching Syaoran walk away, began to cry for Syaoran had changed so much. "Li-hing, my brother, my friend, have you gone stray?"
Character Bio
Tomoyo
Birthday: September 3
Zodiac most Like: Dog
Favorite Hobby: Helping Sakura with house chores and keeping Sakura happy
Least Favorite Hobby: Seeing Sakura sad or getting Sakura mad
Special Talents: Excellent seamstress, cook, house maid, artist, and singer
Favorite Colors: beige, white
Favorite Flower: lily magnolias, pink orchids
Favorite Food: buckwheat noodles, fish
Least Favorite Food: peppers
Something she can Cook: Anything what Sakura desires
Wish List: A new art set
My Comments: Tomoyo in this story serves the same way she does regularly for Sakura. I didn't want to tamper with her at all. Tomoyo is a fun loving person and her last name is unknown because she is of Japanese decent. Telling Sakura would probably spoil something that I am preparing for in later chapters. Just so you're wondering, yes, Tomoyo is Sakura's maid, and is her same age. In this story, Tomoyo meets Sakura because Min specially chose Tomoyo to be Sakura's maid, than to have her working in the brothel.