Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura isn't mine, so don't sue me or set any kind of army of monkeys on me.
Author's note: First off: thank you so much to my reviewers! *big smile*
A little fluff and a little mystery ahead now! More development of some parts of the storyline, too. This chapter took quite a while: it's a little longer than my previous chapters, among other things. Anyway, enjoy! ^_^
Whispers in Dark Corners Chapter SixIt was still raining.
It had been raining since the middle of the night, when it had begun with a gentle shower, which had progressed into the kind of persistent, drumming rain that set in for hours. This shower looked as if it could last until the next day, at least.
Sakura sat, half-crouched, on the wide windowsill of a great bay window of the library, gazing out at the sheets of lazy drops that fell outside. The long curtains half-hid her from the room, enclosing her in the world of the window and the grey day outside. Her bright green eyes had a faraway look to them, as if she were somewhere else, in her mind at least. She sighed, a small, gentle sound, strangely sensitive as it mingled with the background sound of the pattering rain.
She remembered her brother telling her that, on days like these, their mother would gather the two of them around her, and tell them a story, to make their being trapped inside easier to put up with. Touya said that Sakura usually ended up falling asleep with her head in her mother's lap, and how their mother had smilingly refused to move until Sakura woke up on her own. Touya said that Sakura had always preferred sleeping near her mother than anywhere else.
The stories had distracted the children from the sad and sweeping rain.
Sakura's mother wasn't there to distract Sakura from it now.
"Are you…"
Sakura's train of thought broke off, reducing to a murmuring sadness at the back of her mind.
She turned her head to the voice that had spoken gently nearby.
Syaoran's rich brown eyes gazed at her with a worried look.
"Are you all right?" he tried again.
A bittersweet smile crept across Sakura's face.
"I'm fine. I was just remembering… Some things." She looked back out of the window again.
She wished she had more control over when these melancholy moods washed over her.
Warm arms slipped protectively around her before she could even feel the next sweep of sadness.
She had looked so isolated, tucked away behind the curtain like that. The dull daylight touched her face, giving a pale, empty colour to her skin.
He had approached tentatively, wondering if she would mind him disturbing her.
He couldn't bring himself to stay away, though. Her curled-up body and the distant look to her face- what he could see of it- drew him to her instinctively.
"Are you…" he began. He wasn't sure if she was crying or not. He didn't want her to feel embarrassed, or forced into a conversation.
She turned to look at him. It made his heart go tight to see the look in her eyes: so far away. In the first moment when she looked at him, it was almost as if she was looking straight through him.
"Are you all right?" He couldn't bear that look in her eyes.
She focused on him then, and a strangely sad smile touched her lips.
"I'm fine. I was just remembering… Some things," she replied quietly.
She didn't want to talk about it, whatever it was. That didn't upset Syaoran at all: he understood. He just felt that he wanted to do something.
She had turned away from him again, gazing out of the window at the drizzling rain. Her slight form leant against the cold glass.
He stepped across to her, and slid carefully onto the wooden ledge behind her. Still in one fluid, gentle movement, he leaned forward, closing his eyes, and rested his head against her curled-over back, and slipped his arms around her, right around her, to encompass her drawn-up knees and encircled arms as well as her crouched body. She was so soft and small, and so cold.
He let his warmth seep into her as he let his own body relax against hers.
Sakura blinked a little hazily when she first felt those arms wrap around her, but as the form that leant gently against her back warmed her cold body, she found her sadness leave her. She heard a small, contented sigh behind her, and felt Syaoran relax into her.
She found that a small, kind smile had spread over her face.
The clouds made the daylight bleak and uncertain. Dark eyes contemplated the desolate view outside, watching the falling rain, lost in thought. A raised arm leant against the window frame, the figure in a relaxed stance.
It was so quiet, that you could pick out the tiny sounds of stray raindrops tapping lightly on the glass of the window.
"I'm glad you're here," said a quiet voice, not so lost in thought as it appeared.
A slight pause.
"As am I." The reply was murmured contentedly from the dull shadows over by the door.
A figure stepped closer, emerging silently into the weak light.
"I… missed you."
A soft smile touched a young face, clearing any worry from view.
The two figures stood by the window, and gazed out at the rain.
"Oh, hello."
Mei-Ling looked up with a polite smile before she recognised the voice. As she took in the face before her, open dislike spread over her own features.
"Good afternoon, Ruby," she said abruptly.
Ruby waited, watching Mei-Ling with the air of a cat watching a mouse that thinks it has escaped. She had a look of curious satisfaction on her face as she watched the younger girl.
"Don't give me that look," said Mei-Ling, her eyes flashing, instantly provoked.
"What look?" asked Ruby innocently.
"Shut up!" said Mei-Ling, in a furious whisper. "Don't play dumb. You're mother was a lying, backstabbing creature, and you are exactly the same. So don't pretend to be all polite and lovely: I know what you really are!" Her bright eyes were shooting flames at Ruby.
"You really don't have any manners," commented Ruby disdainfully. "You must take after your mother, as well. It's no wonder my father chose my mother over yours in the end, really."
Her airy words had Mei-Ling bristling.
"How- how dare you!" The words burst from the black-haired girl incredulously.
"Your mother should never have been engaged to my father in the first place. She tried her best to get him: I'll give her that. But she could never have had him in the end. Not with my mother as the other choice. My father loves my mother as he never could have loved yours."
Mei-Ling couldn't even speak. She didn't know what to say.
She was saved from trying.
"You're pathetic if you still can't get over it," said Ruby indifferently as she walked away.
Mei-Ling was left in stunned silence, alone in the hall. Or so she thought.
She whirled round to see Tomoyo taking a hesitant step back, a little way down the hall.
"I'm- I'm sorry, Miss Mei-Ling, I was just-"
"Forget about it. Forget what you heard. It doesn't matter anyway," cried Mei-Ling, as she stormed past Tomoyo and vanished up the stairs at a run. Her irate steps thudded away into silence.
Tomoyo let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.
Mei-Ling's anger, even when in role, was formidable.
What did Mei-Ling's and Ruby's mother have to do with the game? She wondered. It didn't really make much sense to her.
But Ruby's and Mei-Ling's characters did not get on. That much was clear.
Tomoyo sank back against the wall with a sigh. The weather had her feeling so tired: she couldn't seem to summon up any energy that day. She hoped she wouldn't have to witness another scene like that one just then, anyway. She'd already had all she could take for the day.
"Don't worry," said a familiar voice.
Tomoyo turned to see Eriol stood near her. She hadn't even heard him approach.
"You're mistress is not, perhaps, so kind as you had thought," he observed calmly.
The thought struck Tomoyo, surprising her.
"I… I suppose not. But she has always been kind to me," she replied, a little nervously.
"I am sure."
Eriol stepped closer, and touched Tomoyo's arm. "She must think quite a lot of you. I am sure she must have something in her will for you: all good masters and mistresses do so for their faithful and favoured servants," he said quietly.
"Yes- yes, she has. She told me she will make sure I can live well should she..." She hesitated, unsure of how to phrase it. "…Meet with unfortunate circumstances…" Her sentence trailed off uncertainly.
Before Tomoyo knew it, Eriol was stood right in front of her, trapping her in her position against the wall. His eyes gazed into hers intensely.
"You deserve as much," he murmured.
His eyes searched her face intently. She blushed as his body leaned slightly against hers, pinned against the wall. Eriol must be in role, surely: he would never be so bold in real life. Though I can't help wishing that he would…
"Excuse me," said a voice from nearby.
Eriol jumped away from Tomoyo.
It was Touya again.
"Once again, I find you are taking up Tomoyo's busy time," he said bluntly.
Eriol bowed. "I apologise, my Lord."
Touya suddenly produced something from his jacket pocket.
"A letter. From your fiancé, I presume. The postage mark is from England. It was very thoughtful of your parents to give her the address of this place, so that she could write to you while you are here," observed Touya calmly.
Tomoyo had barely heard most of what Touya had said.
From your fiancé…
Your fiancé…
Your fiancé…
She felt her knees go weak, and grabbed at a small table by her side to stop herself from falling.
"Tomoyo!" cried Eriol, holding her other arm to support her, his concerned gaze taking in the hurt and shock in her blinking blue eyes. He fervently hoped she remembered that this was all just an act.
She took a shuddering breath, and attempted to stand up straight again. It's just a game; just a game…
Touya strode over to them, and handed the letter to Eriol. "Your parents would not appreciate it if you delayed in your reply. A fiancé of such a wealthy family should not be kept waiting, lest they be offended," he said coldly.
He looked at Tomoyo, taking in her shocked state. He bowed to her politely, and marched away, turning from sight at the end of the hall.
Tomoyo tried not to look at the letter in Eriol's hand as she pulled her arm from his gentle grip. She stepped away from him, keeping one hand on the table until she was sure of herself.
"Please, Tomoyo! Don't go! Let me explain," he said urgently.
Tomoyo shook her head. Her eyes turned to him with nothing but pain in their gaze. "There is nothing to explain: this was never anything but a dream. You are too far above me; you are already engaged to someone I could never compare to; and you barely even know me anyway," she replied, her voice falling to a whisper as she turned away from him.
"No! You are all I want, no matter what anyone else says. The engagement was made against my will anyway: I've never even met the girl! And I know you well enough to know that, even if this is just a dream…" He brought a hand up to her face, tilting her chin up so that she could not avoid his earnest gaze. He paused, watching her with troubled but determined eyes. "Even if this is just a dream, it is one I never wish to awake from."
Tomoyo took a startled breath as he pulled her close, embracing her warmly. His arms wrapped around her, and his head came down to rest on her shoulder.
"You may be poor, and my parents may object… But we will find a way. Somehow, we will find a way," he murmured.
Tomoyo closed her eyes, and refused to think about it. She brought her hands up to reach around Eriol, holding him as he held her. He was so close, and so warm.
"But how?" she wondered sadly.
He squeezed her comfortingly.
"I don't care how, but we will find a way," he said again.
He pulled away from her, and there was a look in face that made Tomoyo pale. He looked so… ruthless. She felt suddenly uncertain.
The ruthlessness was in his voice when he spoke.
"No matter what, I will have you: I don't care what it takes."
Author's note: Whew! That was quite a hard chapter to write, for me!
More action and mystery to be had there! I hope you enjoyed it. There were a few things in there that I've been waiting to get around to, so I'm feeling pretty satisfied now that they're there. ^_^ Hope you liked it.
Thank you to Pnaixr0se8 (More of Touya ruining it: sorry! He likes doing the whole 'Lord of the Manor: do as I say' thing ^_^ A little S + S moment for you, anyway. *smile*), sourmuggie (Another update! Yay! The Ring is indeed a very freaky film: there isn't much scariness in this chapter tho, so I hope you're okay! ^_^ Yay for S+S fluff!) and meinien ('the two fluffs'… *giggle* Yes, they're doing fine! And I have updated before May 10th, so you can indeed be happy! ^_^) for reviewing! It made me very happy!
Well, I'll update again when I can, which shouldn't be too long. I'm just tied up with college work and my other fics at the mo.
In the meantime, why not leave a review and encourage me to write more? ^_^ Please do, it'd make me really happy.
Thanks for reading!