Trials of Love

Chapter 12

Skeletons

*Dedicated to

Windy*wings

"Some people have skeletons in their closets…I have a graveyard…"

                "He…waking up…"

                "…--tain…might be right…"

                Syaoran Li cursed silently in his head. 'Damn, they're never going to leave me alone…' With a sigh of long suffering, he cracked open a brilliant amber eye.

                The room spun for a moment, before he realized that he was staring at a ceiling.

Again.

Once again, he swore quietly. 'How many times do I have to look up at that blank ceiling before it goes away?'

                "Mmmm…" He glowered blearily at all those that were huddled around his form. "What do you want?"

                An irate Sakura abruptly bobbed him on the forehead. Amber eyes flew open once more. "Hey!" He croaked, his voice hoarse. "What was that for?"

                "That, my dear, was for being an insensitive jerk! I've been waiting for a good two hours, and all you can say, is 'What do you want?'"

                Syaoran blinked as Sakura continued her rant. 'Knew I should have kept on sleeping…' He grumbled to himself.  He did a mental check over himself. 'Let's see…feel like crap, can't breathe properly, throat is killing me…' As the list went on, he finally stopped. He was making himself depressed and thinking gave him a headache.

                "…Are you listening to me?"

                "Hmm? Oh, sure Sakura."

                His cherry blossom huffed, before giving him a tired smile and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "You scared me, you know."

                "I did?"

                "Yes, you idiot! 'Kill me.'" Sakura mimicked.

                "Oh." Syaoran blushed. "Well, I had to keep her attention, didn't I?"

                Sakura kissed him again. "Yes, you big lug. But did you have to give me a heart attack at the same time?"

                "Sorry," The amber-eyed sorcerer muttered bashfully.

                Sakura sighed and smiled gently at him, running her hands through his dark brown locks. "Well," She pursed her lush lips together. "As long as you don't do it EVER again, I'll forgive you."

                "Okay…promise made."

                Sakura giggled before she was interrupted by a slightly tactless 'Ahem'.

                The emerald-eyed teen nearly jumped out her skin as she observed the wide-eyed stares. Syaoran's face was flushed, and if it was from embarrassment or fever, no one could tell. Syaoran eyed his mother's slightly insane beam, as she looked on at the seen, while the stuffed animal had his mouth dropped open.

                "Oh shut up." He muttered

                "Maybe I should start doing this to get attention from Tomyo." Eriol mused to himself, and instinctively recoiled from Tomyo's well-placed elbow in his stomach.

                The amethyst-eyed teen, looking very somber with tears running down her face, stepped closer and shakily bowed.

                "Syar-" Her voice broke slightly. "Li-san…please forgive me for my actions against you."

                Syaoran smiled gently at her. "You have nothing to apologize for, Tomoyo-chan. Those were not your actions, and it is unjust to hold you against them. Besides, we have been friends longer than that, ne?"

                Tomoyo smiled weakly back. "Hai, I suppose so."

                "Of course."

                After a few moments of silence, Kero spoke up. "Kid…what was that thing?"

                Syaoran flushed with nervousness. "Well, you see-"

                An authoritive voice rang out. "I believe they are ready to learn the truth, Xiao Lang. The whole truth."

                Identical amber eyes widened, as both siblings cried out.

                "The whole truth?"

                "Mother! You cannot be serious!" His sister exclaimed, looking shocked. "It is a Li clan secret."

                "The whole truth." Her voice was clear, and both ceased their protests.

                Seeing many pairs of eyes settle upon him, Syaoran hesitantly began. "You know how some people have skeletons in their closets? I have a graveyard…" He paused for a moment. "What you are about to hear should go no further than these walls, for this is a very closely guarded clan secret." He paled. "Should the clan elders find out that this was told, then that will lead to instant death." And with a deep breath, he began his tale.

                He was six. Six years old, happily playing in the sandbox when taking a break from his training. He happily glanced at his father who also seemed to be training. The dark haired man spared a smile at his son before continuing with his kata.

               

                It was a warm summer day, and it was an odd breeze that suddenly chilled him to his very bones. It was an icy wind that had something …sinister…underlying it.

                His father's amber eyes that mirrored his own perfectly narrowed and he tightened his stance. Faster than the eye could see, he scooped his son up  and placed him in a hidden position high up in one of the trees.

                Syaoran understood the principle of his father's anxious eyes and silently agreed to stay in his position. His father left, returning to the ground below. Suddenly, he say a regal looking woman appear from thin air. He shivered as he saw her sightless eyes… a black void. And if it were true that the eyes were the windows to the soul, then she didn't have one.

                The small boy hugged himself as he observed the exchange below. His father stood strong and proud, defiant to the woman. Though an excellent warrior, he was quickly struck down, just as every Li clan leader had in the past. A single blow across the midsection had him down. He stumbled to his feet, while Syaoran glanced on with horrified fascination as she taunted his honor, his family.

                She toyed with him.

                And she took delight from it. Soon, however, she grew bored of her game. And she cut him down unmercifully, again and again until his corpse was mutilated beyond recognition. Syaoran looked down from his position in the tree, numb and unable to tear his eyes away from the gruesome sight. After a few minutes, she grew tired and decided to give the family a little 'present'. The woman cut out his father's intestines and hung him from the tree…the very tree where Syaoran was hiding. However, as she touched the tree, a blue aura shot out of his father's body, hitting her straight in the back. She gave a scream of agony as she felt her soul being torn out of her body.

                It was then, as she lay dying on the ground, that she gave him a cruel smile, glancing directly into his horrified eyes. "Until we meet again, Little Wolf…" And with that, she gave a burst of insane, mocking laughter that forever rang in his ears, before a black mist left from her body.

                And then, she was gone.

                His family had found the petrified body hours later. He was told he went into shock for a matter of months, and when he snapped out of it, he was a cold and unemotional warrior. A warrior that was ready to avenge his father's death should she come back.

                And she had.

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                Everyone else had left.

                Sakura was the lone occupant as she watched Syaoran sleep. He had quickly fallen into slumber after his emotionally taxing tale. The emerald-eyed teen was there to soothe his whimpers and small cries, in which she was certain, were dreams of the past.

                She mentally shuddered as she remembered the flat voice he had stated his life in. Constantly living in fear and pain. Constantly reliving the memories and having that small voice in the back of his head whisper, "What if?"

                Even Kero had fallen silent after his story. Neither time nor place for wisecracks.

                Syaoran's mother, eyes distant with pain had unshed everyone out of the room except for Syaoran and herself.

                Sakura didn't know how to react. This explained his cut-off and cold exterior when she had first encountered him. His mind was solely wrapped around the mission. No time for play. Sakura felt an immense sorrow overcome her as she thought back upon how Syaoran had lost his childhood at age six.

                Six.

                She was still playing with Barbie then, while he watched his father get slaughtered.

                The sorceress felt a fury; a rage, take root in her heart. She swore, with all her soul that she would avenge her lone little wolf.

                And there was nothing that anybody could say or do that would change that.

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Floating.

Drifting through a sea of darkness.

                Syaoran was quite put out and annoyed at himself. How many times had he passed out now in the past two days? Maybe he should just stay in the black void and save his enemies a lot of time and effort. Or maybe, he thought to himself, he should just stick up a sign on his chest reading, 'Syaoran Li; Sorcerer—please knock out.' He soon, however, gave a mental groan, and began clawing himself through the various levels of darkness, slightly thankful that it as a void instead of memories.

                'Light, light, light,' He mentally chanted. 'Ah, there it is.'

                The first thing that he was aware of was a migraine that seemed bound and determined to cause his head to explode. Then the soreness of his limbs hit him like titanic hitting the ice burg, and he groaned as he greedily gulped oxygen through parched lips.

                "Syaoran?"

                Sakura, he noted absently. Slowly, he twisted his neck to the direction of the angel's sweet voice. His head throbbed in time to his pulse, and he noted it was extremely chilly in the room.

                Weary emeralds bored into his dazed and pained café ones. Her hand was cool on his scorching forehead, and he let out an involuntary shiver. He vaguely noticed that Sakura had drawn another blanket across his trembling form.

                He grasped her hand. "Please—stay."

                He felt his eyelids close and sleepily gave a silent yawn. 'I'll just rest my eyelids for a few minutes…'

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                Sakura's eyes narrowed as she saw Syaoran shift and wake up, disorientated.

                "Syaoran?"

                His weary eyes met her own. He felt pain; she could see it. An agony that almost went beyond the meaning of the word. He shivered, though it was warm in the room, and his head was hot against her hand. Gently, she draped another thick comforter over his form.

                He grabbed her hand, and whispered hoarsely, "Please—stay."

                "I will." She doubted that he could hear her, however, as his eyes drifted shut.

                "I promise…I'll always stay…"

                Hey! Shichan here! I'm awfully sorry that I haven't updated. *Ducks tomatoes thrown her way* I know, I'm very sorry. I'd like to apologize to windy*wings, my favorite reviewer. I know I haven't updated as much as I should, but I was uninspired. Now, however, I have found some inspiration. Next chapter should be up soon.