~ Chapter 9 ~

Midnight Run

Sakura gorged her food faster than ever before that night, then rushed her plate to the sink.

"I'm full…but it's getting late, I have to take my shower!" She flung herself down the hallway to the bedroom, shut the door, and leaned against it – heaving a sigh.

"I don't think that went well," she wiped some sweat beads off her forehead and stared at us. Tasuki lazily dozed on Sakura's bed, obviously not caring whether or not he was a guest in her room. I sat on her wobbly desk chair and just looked at her wall of pictures.

"Well, I have to take my shower anyway, you two just keep doing whatever. You know what to do if someone comes in, Chichiri …" She took her hair tie out of her hair and put it away.

"Tasuki snores right?"

I nodded.

"Really loud?" She walked near the door.

"Yeah no da."

"Well, be prepared to use your magic on this bum," she jerked her thumb in Tasuki's direction. He was now in a different position. An SD Tasuki was sprawled out in a tangle of blankets and his mouth wide open. "Can't let our plan for tonight go to waste." She peeked out the door for a second.

She looked back at me and gave me an 'ok' sign with her fingers. "All clear."

About ten minutes later Sakura came walking back with very wet hair. She returned her 'brush' to its spot, and sat down where I was, which was on the floor with our back to the desk to see the wall. (She had taught me a lot about the different things here, which is how I had come to know what a 'desk' and a 'brush' are. Tasuki, on the other hand, has a lot to learn.)

"It'll be at least an hour until my hair dries … what do ya wanna do?"

I thought for a moment.

"Well, we won't have to wait an hour if you don't want to no da," I smiled at her perplexity.

"What?"

"Here," I snapped my fingers, and her hair was completely dry. "That should make everything a little easier no da."

She tapped her hair lightly and blinked. "Hey thanks."

Sakura decided to step out of the bedroom after a half hour of little entertainment. Smoke saw she was leaving and followed at her heels.

"I just gotta tell everyone that I'm tired and going to bed … be right back," she whisked herself out the door quickly and quietly shut the door behind her. Tama stretched, while on the bed, and walked onto Tasuki's stomach then curled up to sleep some more. Tasuki shifted a bit and kept snoring (but I made sure it wasn't loud).

As I leaned all the way back onto the floor, I took my mask off and closed my eyes.

"I wonder … how everyone's doing no da …" I yawned and put my hands behind my head to prop it up. As I slowly started to fall asleep, my mind wandered to our expedition that was to take place in a few hours. Would we see the others?

I rolled over onto my side, and absentmindedly felt the permanent scar sealing my left eye as I drifted off. Another question rolled in my mind: what about Sakura's powers … and her link to Suzaku?

I couldn't think any more about it, sleep had soon taken over my body.

Sakura walked in about 15 minutes later, after putting on her "School-was-so-busy-today-that-I-can't-stay-awake-too-much-longer" act. Smoke followed as well.

The room was pretty dark, and some light snoring was faint in the darkness.

"Chichiri, you awake?" No answer.

"I'll take that as a no."

Sakura groped around in the darkness, afraid to step on a sleeping Chichiri, and tried to find her reading light lamp switch. When she found it she clicked it on 'low' so it wouldn't wake Tasuki and Tama. Sakura's eyes flashed the green again as she rolled up her short-sleeves. She then lifted both Tasuki and Tama from the bed and placed them next to Chichiri on the floor.

Sakura then took Chichiri's kesa off the desk chair and over the two and Tama, and knelt down to tuck the kesa in more around them. She sat down to watch Tama curl up right next to Chichiri's stomach and yawn. Sakura picked up Chichiri's mask he had left next to him and studied it. She lifted the mask to her face, took it off, and ruffled his bangs lightly, as she did in the mall scene. Her thoughts were interrupted with tonight's upcoming events.

"Even I'm not sure of what's gonna happen …" She sighed, returned the mask to where it was and bid them goodnight, as she clambered into her own bed and fell asleep.

"Oi, get yer ass outta bed!" Tasuki whispered harshly into Sakura's ear. She covered her head with her blankets.

"Mmf…goway…too early…" she managed to say. Tasuki frowned and looked at me. I knelt down, as Tasuki was right by Sakura's bed.

"Fine … we'll do it th' hard way if ya'd like …" Tasuki's tessen made a scratching noise as he lifted it from its sheath. He brandished it in her face. "Don' make me use it."

Sakura blew it off. "All right…"

"Sakura … it's 12:15 no da …" I whispered glancing at her alarm clock. "We're late and off schedule na no da."

Sakura climbed out of bed and stretched, cracked her back, and grabbed her sneakers. She had obviously slept in her clothes. Tasuki and I, on the other hand, had changed back into our normal clothes.

Sakura wrote a quick note to her parents, saying she was leaving, and probably never coming back. It was very short, especially because of the fact that she just said plainly that she was "outta here and to her real home." She left it on her pillow and slipped her sneakers on.

"Chichiri, do your stuff."

"Ow! Hey!"

"Ssshh! No da!"

"Sorry Tasuki … anyway let's fly!" Sakura ran out to the middle of a deserted main road, which seemed very risky and dangerous. Tasuki, Tama, and I watched from her more desolate road leading to her driveway with bugged eyes. I stuffed Tama into my kasa quickly.

Tasuki leaned in my direction. "What the hell is she doin'?"

"I guess we'll see no da …"

Sakura got down on her hands and feet, looking as if she was going to sprint, and in a split second the green glow appeared and her crimson wings sprouted from her back. As if running a race, she ran at full speed all the way down the main road, and Tasuki and I had to walk more into the same road to see where she was going. When she reached the very end she leapt straight up into the air sharply at top speed and gained momentum as she spun in a few loops and flew directly at us.

"AHH! HELP! NOOO I KNEW SHE COULDN' BE TRUSTED!" He reached for his tessen madly.

Tasuki and I turned SD right away and started to run in little circles, screaming.

Sakura swiftly grabbed Tasuki and put his legs around her shoulders so he could sit for the ride.

"Shut UP Tasuki!" She did a loop and came around in back of me and grabbed me from behind.

"DAAAA!" I shouted in surprise. I was a tad nervous Sakura would lose her grip on me and drop me, as she held me since Tasuki took the position on her back. Sakura facefaulted and flew higher in the direction of the school.

"Jeez, you act as if you've never flown before."