Yea yea I no I havent updated in a very long time. But im busy n sides, im
stressing bout school rite now so this fic isn't exactly on t top of my to-
do list. Not that I have 1 or nethin. . . n this writers block isn't really
helping either. Well enuf of my problems lets talk bout t story a bit shall
we. Lol. Ooh. . . I left u guys in suspense there in t last chap. . . hehe
sorry. But then agen I think its kinda obvious that I leave cliffhangers in
every chap. Well, almost every chap. Annoying isn't it??? Hmm. . . ironic
that a wolf should work 4 a fox. . . lol. Well lets just get on w/ t story
since every1 probably wants 2 no what happened already n are uninterested
of my talking.
Ok. . . this is t shoutouts that I said ill make up 4 in t last chap. . .
Cindy-aw. . . thanx 4 t compliment! ^^
Sunni Anderson-hey u did t same thing I did 2 my fren! Lol. Newayz. . . I like ur parody. O n I guess u don't hafta wait nemore cuz I finally updated. Lol.
Angela-ai. . . I cant finish THAT quick u no. . . n sides. . . I have a feelin this is gonna b a somewhat long story. -_- I never rite short stories. . . welps cya on Sunday 2.
Cherry Tenshi-sheesh. . . will ya stop complainin bout t cliffys! Lol. Jk. Complain all u want im still gonna put cliffys in, LOTSA cliffys, just 4 u. hehehe. *evil grin* Yea yea im a meanie I no u say that all t time. Lol. O yea. . . need help kickin ur bro outta his room??? Netime u need me just gimme a call. Or IM me if im on. . .
Peach-bear-erm. . . gee thanx. . . but personally I think t fighting part kinda sux. Just when I uploaded it I thought of howta make it betta. _
Danielle NGo-alrite alrite ill put up more chaps. Lol jk.
Eclipse-uh. . . we put up cliffys cuz we want ppl 2 read it??? I mean. . . don't ppl wanna cont readin if theres sumtin that make em wanna?? If u leave them in suspense like that they'll b more eager 2 read it t next time cuz they wanna find out what happens. Well that's my opinion newayz. . . but hey in t old days they didn't print out t hole story in a book. They just print out chap by chap. Specially those really old classics that they make u read at skool.
Welps that's all 4 last last chap shoutouts. . . now 4 t last chap. . . lol.
Hermoinepotter-gee. . . ive never been called that b4 but thanx so much! ^^ newayz. . . I don't wanna spoil t ending. . . hehe jk ill just tell u. yes ill end it w/ s+s. their my main couple!
Cindy-yea I no I haven't updated in a LONG time. Very sorry. Eheheh. ^-^U
Cherry blossom-um. . . I didn't wanna make syao THAT mean 2. . . but its essential 2 t plot! Sowwie if I made u mad. . . BUT hes gonna b MUCH nicer from now on. Promise ^-^
. . .-yes I realize that syaos VERY mean in this chap. Newho. . . ill TRY ta update sooner.
Danielle Ngo-alrite alrite ill put up more chaps. Lol jk.
Cherry Tenshi-*frowns* aw don't glare like that! *smiles innocently* yea yea I no im not innocent ive heard that from u a lot. Lol jk. Newayz. . . u needa work on ur glare. Hehe jp. *weary sigh* once agen ur complaint bout t cliffy. . . lol I guess u did guess rite on that last cliffy. . . *applause* now if only ull do that more often. . . haha jj. O btw. . . ur always calm. lol. N YES ill update more!!!
Pheew well that's t last of em. . . o n since I haven't updated in a long time ill try ta make this chap long. Wow. . . t shoutouts took up a hole page. . . now on 2 t story! Finally. . . ^-^ enjoy!
Chapter 10
"Succession"
Syaoran stood there looking down at the yet again unconscious Sakura. (A/N: dang if I keep doin this 2 her pretty soon shes gonna get brain damage. Lol.) Struggle and remorse was evident all over his face. He regretted everything he did but after all he needed someone for ransom. And who better to capture than the girl the leader's been trying so hard to capture? Besides, why should he care about her? Why is she any different from any of the other people that he's handed over to him? Squeezing his eyes shut, he exhaled deeply and began the work of dragging her back to the hideout. As he picked her up the pouch the award money was in dropped out. He retrieved it from the ground and stared at it, sighing.
'You care about her don't you?' a voice in his head whispered, 'That's why you won that money for her so she wouldn't have to and why you feel so guilty about everything you've done.'
'No!' he denied fiercely, 'I don't care about her at all! Go away I don't need a damn conscience!'
The voice squirmed away back into the deepest corner of his mind but still grated at him. Grumbling, he carried her towards the direction of the hideout. He had not even taken three steps yet when an idea popped into his head. Smiling mysterious, he continued his task.
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*
After riding for so long it was a relief to finally see the familiar city of Tomeda beyond the rolling hills. They had, after all this time, reached home. Fujitaka and the rest sighed gratefully at the sight of the entrance. As they rode on in, the people walking around recognized them and shouted out greetings cheerfully. The gate closed behind them when everyone entered and they smiled.
The city was truly beautiful, as everybody claimed; not just the residents but merchants as well as travelers who passed by. And the people were as friendly as the city was beautiful. There was a high and impenetrable wall surrounding the whole city to keep out not-so-friendly visitors. Houses lined the huge streets on both sides. The houses were not very grand, nor expensive, but they were cozy and had the comforts of home. Surrounding many of the houses were gardens of variations of plants; ranging from herbs and spices to vegetables. There were a few shops here and there. A blacksmiths hammer could be heard ringing in the distance and so could a mother's voice calling her children to supper. Huge trees offered shade to the weary and birds of all sizes twittered happily. Though all this was very magnificent, the city would be much more beautiful had the former king had not been so careless and lazy. In fact, all who resided there disliked the king, he was a tyrant. But they dare not make it known less someone hears and report to him, and their head would be detached from their body the next morning.
They rode on pass the people and returned the greetings happily, glad to be back home. Suddenly a little boy of about five ran into the middle of their path while his mother chased after him. She was near hysterics when he finally stopped right in front of them and she held on to him protectively, afraid that he was going to get crushed. Fujitaka, who was leading, had to jerk the rein back violently in order to not crush the boy. The mother let out a big sigh of relief.
"Where's Miss Sakura?" he asked innocently, unaware that he almost got squashed.
"Well. . . she won't be coming back anymore. . ." Fujitaka answered quietly, his voice strained.
"Why not?" he inquired, staring up at him with those big blue eyes of his. He still had little traces of baby fat and his blonde hair came down well over his eyebrows; an adorable little boy with pink cheeks and dimples.
"Because she has gone off to a place very far away," Fujitaka replied, trying his best to explain why Sakura wasn't coming back anymore.
"Will I ever see her again?" he asked sadly.
"Maybe. . . in a couple of decades, I hope. . ." From the way of how distant his eyes looked, one could not tell if he was addressing the boy or talking to himself.
The mother gave him a look of understanding and sympathy. She reached up and gave him a pat on his hand. Since the horse was tall and she stout, she had to practically tip-toe in order to reach his hand. (A/N: hehe. Makes me feel taller. ;p) She had been pretty, once, but the hard times that had come to pass, fortunately, brought a look of weariness to her brown eyes and a little gray in her hair. Her husband had also died in the war, so her eyes seemed dull, having lost its life. He nodded appreciatively and signaled for them to ride on.
Moments after, they spotted the White Palace, with a smaller but no less impenetrable wall surrounding it. True to its name, it was indeed white, and shimmering under the grand and glorious sun in its zenith. It seemed ironic to them how the weather clashed with their mood. They half-expected it to be raining. As they approached the gate, it opened to let them in and a messenger ran out to greet them.
"Welcome, Great General," the messenger greeted, a fist on his chest and down on one knee, bowing.
Fujitaka gestured for him to rise and he complied. He was a tall and lanky youth not much older than twenty with brown curls and matching brown eyes. His uniform consisted of white and blue livery. Breathing hard, Fujitaka could tell that he had been running hastily to inform him of something. The tightness of his face confirmed it. There was a worried light in his eyes and his livery was damp with sweat despite the cool weather.
"What news have you to inform me that is so important that you couldn't wait until I reached the castle?" Fujitaka inquired.
The messenger seemed surprised that Fujitaka knew that it was urgent but quickly shook it off. "Advisor Clow Reed wants you to come to him in the Throne Room as soon as possible."
"Can't this wait?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Very well, then. Run ahead and notify him that I will be there shortly."
The youth bowed, fist to his chest, and ran back to the castle, his livery billowing behind him. Fujitaka clicked his tongue to urge his horse on and the rest followed. As soon as everyone went inside, the guards shut the gate behind them. They rode towards to the castle at a steady pace, neither hurrying nor meandering. They soon reached the entrance to the castle and the doors opened to welcome them in. Getting off their horse, they nodded to the two guards and went inside.
The Grand Hall was superb, with its high ceiling and lit candles on either side of the room. The massive rug beneath their feet had a picture of a fearsome dragon and ferocious tiger in the midst of battle inside a symbol of the ying-yang. Servants scurried about here and there, doing chores. A young violet-eyed maiden was tending a vase of flowers caringly when she turned around and saw them in the doorway. A look of shock and excitement struck her face as she forgot what she was doing and ran up to them.
"Uncle Fujitaka!" she exclaimed happily as she embraced him in a warm hug, "You're home!"
He released her and smiled affectionately at his lovely niece. He ruffled her lavender hair and stroke her creamy cheek. She reminded him much of Sakura. They were very close friends and never had a cross word for one another.
"Hello Tomoyo," he greeted.
"Hi, Touya! Hi -'' she was about to say Sakura but then realized she was not present. "Um. . . where is Sakura? Is she in the Outer City?" (A/N: once agen, as I have tol u b4, I m NOT good at naming things. So plz don't laugh, even though im laughing at myself rite now. Lol.)
Fujitaka closed his eyes and sighed sullenly, holding back the tears that threatened to spill.
"Sakura. . . is dead. . . she was captured by the Black Fox," Touya answered.
"What?. . . No!" Tomoyo gasped, stunned. Then looked at Fujitaka searchingly.
"You two may go and do as you please now," Touya addressed the two guards that accompanied them.
They nodded and swept him a formal bow then left.
"I'm afraid it's true," Fujitaka said grimly, his eyes downcast.
Tomoyo let out a sob and ran away to the direction to her chamber. Servants nearby stopped their work and looked her way, then stared at Fujitaka and Touya. What had made the kind and calm Tomoyo cry? Touya made as to go after her but Fujitaka grabbed his sleeve and stopped him.
"Let her be alone, she needs to deal with this, as we do," Fujitaka advised him.
Touya nodded understandingly. Then the two made their way up the long winding stairs to the Throne Room, where Clow Reed was waiting for them.
The Throne Room was a smaller version of the Grand Hall, except there was a throne in the middle of the room composed of white marble. Clow Reed stood to the right of the throne while another advisor, a magician, stood to the left. Reed was clad in white whereas the magician was covered in black. Reed was a tall man, with black hair and blue piercing eyes that seemed to know everything. His eyes seemed more knowing behind his spectacles. The magician, on the other hand, was short and frail, his face hidden behind a hood. No one has been able to see how his face really looked like, not even the king.
"You wished to speak with me?" Fujitaka inquired.
"Yes, we must speak to you concerning the succession of the throne," Reed stated.
"But the king is not dead yet. . ."
"Fujitaka. . . after you left to visit. . . ahem, her grave. . . he caught a mysterious illness and died. Since he had no siblings or children, and you are his cousin, you are most fit to be king."
They bowed down to him as he stood there, speechless. The soldiers lining both sides of the room knelt down also and chanted, "All hail King Fujitaka, long live the king." (A/N: yea yea corny and so-not-original phrase I no. . .-_-u)
Recovering his senses, he walked slowly and hesitantly to the throne and sat down. Seeing that, Touya ceased standing there and looking dumb and got down on his knees. 'Oh my gosh, I'm a prince!' (A/N: nooooo really???)
Getting up, Reed looked around for Sakura, but failed to see her here. "Your Majesty, where is Princess Sakura?"
Unfamiliar to hearing anyone calling him Majesty, he didn't notice that Reed was talking to him and continued staring straight ahead, lost in his own thoughts.
"Your Majesty?" Reed's voice held concern as he placed a hand on Fujitaka's shoulder.
Startled and jerked out of his thoughts, Fujitaka spun around to face him.
"May I ask where Princess Sakura is, Your Majesty?" Reed repeated himself.
"Oh. . . well, you see. . . Sakura was captured by the Black Fox. . ."
At the mention of the Black Fox, the guards shifted their feet uneasily. Once famous knights of high standing, they were assigned to capture the leader. Not only did they fail but were outsmarted by the gang. The only reason they kept their heads was that Reed interfered and calmed the former king down. Thus, they were demoted to being guards for the king.
Sympathy and pain entered Reed's face. After all, he knew Sakura ever since she was still in the cradle and looked at her as the daughter he never had, as he did Tomoyo.
"It looks as if mourning would have to wait. Right now we have to present you to the people as the new king before riots start and some fool decides to seize the throne," the hooded figure in black said without the slightest touch of sympathy in his voice.
"Yes, I suppose you're right," Fujitaka agreed.
And so Fujitaka and Touya marched outside to the balcony, followed by the two advisors and twelve ex-knights.
"Hear me, people of Tomedea!" the magician roared, using magic to carry his voice throughout the land, "I present to you, humble citizens, your new king, King Fujitaka Kinomoto!"
People in the streets cheered loudly, joined by those inside houses peeking out of windows to see what was going on. They cheered not only for Fujitaka, but for themselves as well, for Fujitaka was nothing like the old king, now deceased, and their lives would be much better from now on. Soon the cheering died down and Fujitaka went back inside, followed by everyone else.
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*
After a very long day of informing Fujitaka of the past events that he'd missed, Reed finally retreated to his chamber. Closing the door behind him, he took off his spectacles and rubbed his eyes, then came face to face with his wife, Kaho. (A/N: LOL! Kaho!!! Omg that's funni! Ahem. . . ok. . . ill regain my dignity now. . . yes, I no tat sum of u mite not agree w/ me makin kaho his wife but I needed her 2 b SUMTIN. After all, im TRYIN 2 include all t cast of ccs in here, but it seems like I wont b able 2 do that. . . hmm. . . unless. . . *chews on an idea that just popped in2 head* well newayz, shes gonna play a impt part in this story.) Kaho had reddish- orange hair that shone like the sun's rays during sunset. Her golden cat's eye seemed to probe into you, searching. Tall and slender, she was really pretty.
"So how did it go?" she inquired.
"A bit tiring. Fujitaka doesn't know the first thing about being a king. I fear that he will easily be persuaded by the other advisor," Reed stated.
"Why didn't you think of a plan to get rid of him a long time ago? I knew from the first time I laid eyes on him that he was up to no good."
"Don't you think I tried? But he was too clever and had the former king wrapped around his finger."
"I don't understand, I know you have magic, powerful magic, but yet you don't let that show. Why?"
"Because I don't want anyone to know. . . not yet anyways. . ."
Suddenly Kaho stiffened and her eyes went dull. Noticing, Reed forgot all about his weariness. After awhile, the dullness disappeared and she became normal again. This usually happened when she had the Foretelling, which was not very often. The talent enabled her to see into the future.
"What did you see?" Reed asked anxiously, as she only got it if a situation was dire.
"Darkness covered the land, but was defeated by the Light Princess. The Final Battle is coming soon. . ." she recited from memory.
Outside the door, a spy listened closely to what was being said. Luckily, he had not arrived soon enough to hear them discussing Reed being a sorcerer. After he obtained the information bout the light outshining darkness, he quickly ran to report what he had heard.
"You realized that there is a spy outside our door, do you not?" Kaho said.
"Of course I do. But do not fear, I have warded the room from eavesdropping. All he'd heard is your prediction, which I intended him to hear," Reed said casually.
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*
"So. . . she claims that I will be defeated does she. . ." the man laughed malevolently. Then eyed the spy sinisterly. A spy can never be trusted to not tell someone else. . .
In the night, under the crescent moon, a shriek was heard and all was still. . .
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*
Meiling walked alongside Yelan and her four daughters, weary from all that walking around and excitement. It seems as if she had finally used up all her energy, what with all that being dragged around like a rag doll by the four crazy girls.
"I'm tired!" Meiling whined, "Can I go home now?"
"Yes, it's getting late isn't it?" Yelan acknowledged, "We should all head back now."
"Aw, but Mother!" the four sisters wailed, "There's so much left for us to do! Must we leave so early?"
"Early?!" Meiling exclaimed bewilderingly, "What are you talking about?! The sun set hours ago! And we must've walked miles going around this town! This is hopeless, you guys never seem to run out of energy." Meiling threw up her hands, exasperated. "What did you people do, eat a bowl of sugar before we left?"
"Oh, doesn't she look cute when she gets angry?" Feimei stated, laughing. Then reached out a hand and pinched Meiling's cheek.
"DON'T call me cute. And how many times have I told you to not pinch my cheek? It's annoying!" She put on a scowl that nearly rivaled Syaoran's and rubbed her now red cheek.
Her outburst only caused the four of them to burst out laughing.
"Do calm down, Meiling," Yelan scolded sharply, then in a much cooler tone said, "we are going home right now, and I do not want any arguments from any of you. And I'm sure that Syaoran and Sakura are home by now, waiting for us."
Meiling lifted her chin up and smiled haughtily, satisfied while the sisters pouted. They left the town and proceeded home. Meiling walked with them half a mile then left them to go home since her house was in another direction then where they were headed.
Walking slowly through the thick and dark woods, Meiling was unaware that someone was following her.
Whoohoo finally done w/ this chap. Wow, I made it KINDA long. . . o wellz I guess that makes up 4 t delay just a bit. N im very sorry 4 t delay. Ill try ta update sooner next time instead of waiting 4 a month or so. . . newayz, u should b happy cherry tenshi cuz I didn't leave a cliffhanger this time. Lol, jk. Welps, I don't got much 2 say now cept leave a review plz. Buh baiz! ^-^
Ok. . . this is t shoutouts that I said ill make up 4 in t last chap. . .
Cindy-aw. . . thanx 4 t compliment! ^^
Sunni Anderson-hey u did t same thing I did 2 my fren! Lol. Newayz. . . I like ur parody. O n I guess u don't hafta wait nemore cuz I finally updated. Lol.
Angela-ai. . . I cant finish THAT quick u no. . . n sides. . . I have a feelin this is gonna b a somewhat long story. -_- I never rite short stories. . . welps cya on Sunday 2.
Cherry Tenshi-sheesh. . . will ya stop complainin bout t cliffys! Lol. Jk. Complain all u want im still gonna put cliffys in, LOTSA cliffys, just 4 u. hehehe. *evil grin* Yea yea im a meanie I no u say that all t time. Lol. O yea. . . need help kickin ur bro outta his room??? Netime u need me just gimme a call. Or IM me if im on. . .
Peach-bear-erm. . . gee thanx. . . but personally I think t fighting part kinda sux. Just when I uploaded it I thought of howta make it betta. _
Danielle NGo-alrite alrite ill put up more chaps. Lol jk.
Eclipse-uh. . . we put up cliffys cuz we want ppl 2 read it??? I mean. . . don't ppl wanna cont readin if theres sumtin that make em wanna?? If u leave them in suspense like that they'll b more eager 2 read it t next time cuz they wanna find out what happens. Well that's my opinion newayz. . . but hey in t old days they didn't print out t hole story in a book. They just print out chap by chap. Specially those really old classics that they make u read at skool.
Welps that's all 4 last last chap shoutouts. . . now 4 t last chap. . . lol.
Hermoinepotter-gee. . . ive never been called that b4 but thanx so much! ^^ newayz. . . I don't wanna spoil t ending. . . hehe jk ill just tell u. yes ill end it w/ s+s. their my main couple!
Cindy-yea I no I haven't updated in a LONG time. Very sorry. Eheheh. ^-^U
Cherry blossom-um. . . I didn't wanna make syao THAT mean 2. . . but its essential 2 t plot! Sowwie if I made u mad. . . BUT hes gonna b MUCH nicer from now on. Promise ^-^
. . .-yes I realize that syaos VERY mean in this chap. Newho. . . ill TRY ta update sooner.
Danielle Ngo-alrite alrite ill put up more chaps. Lol jk.
Cherry Tenshi-*frowns* aw don't glare like that! *smiles innocently* yea yea I no im not innocent ive heard that from u a lot. Lol jk. Newayz. . . u needa work on ur glare. Hehe jp. *weary sigh* once agen ur complaint bout t cliffy. . . lol I guess u did guess rite on that last cliffy. . . *applause* now if only ull do that more often. . . haha jj. O btw. . . ur always calm. lol. N YES ill update more!!!
Pheew well that's t last of em. . . o n since I haven't updated in a long time ill try ta make this chap long. Wow. . . t shoutouts took up a hole page. . . now on 2 t story! Finally. . . ^-^ enjoy!
Chapter 10
"Succession"
Syaoran stood there looking down at the yet again unconscious Sakura. (A/N: dang if I keep doin this 2 her pretty soon shes gonna get brain damage. Lol.) Struggle and remorse was evident all over his face. He regretted everything he did but after all he needed someone for ransom. And who better to capture than the girl the leader's been trying so hard to capture? Besides, why should he care about her? Why is she any different from any of the other people that he's handed over to him? Squeezing his eyes shut, he exhaled deeply and began the work of dragging her back to the hideout. As he picked her up the pouch the award money was in dropped out. He retrieved it from the ground and stared at it, sighing.
'You care about her don't you?' a voice in his head whispered, 'That's why you won that money for her so she wouldn't have to and why you feel so guilty about everything you've done.'
'No!' he denied fiercely, 'I don't care about her at all! Go away I don't need a damn conscience!'
The voice squirmed away back into the deepest corner of his mind but still grated at him. Grumbling, he carried her towards the direction of the hideout. He had not even taken three steps yet when an idea popped into his head. Smiling mysterious, he continued his task.
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*
After riding for so long it was a relief to finally see the familiar city of Tomeda beyond the rolling hills. They had, after all this time, reached home. Fujitaka and the rest sighed gratefully at the sight of the entrance. As they rode on in, the people walking around recognized them and shouted out greetings cheerfully. The gate closed behind them when everyone entered and they smiled.
The city was truly beautiful, as everybody claimed; not just the residents but merchants as well as travelers who passed by. And the people were as friendly as the city was beautiful. There was a high and impenetrable wall surrounding the whole city to keep out not-so-friendly visitors. Houses lined the huge streets on both sides. The houses were not very grand, nor expensive, but they were cozy and had the comforts of home. Surrounding many of the houses were gardens of variations of plants; ranging from herbs and spices to vegetables. There were a few shops here and there. A blacksmiths hammer could be heard ringing in the distance and so could a mother's voice calling her children to supper. Huge trees offered shade to the weary and birds of all sizes twittered happily. Though all this was very magnificent, the city would be much more beautiful had the former king had not been so careless and lazy. In fact, all who resided there disliked the king, he was a tyrant. But they dare not make it known less someone hears and report to him, and their head would be detached from their body the next morning.
They rode on pass the people and returned the greetings happily, glad to be back home. Suddenly a little boy of about five ran into the middle of their path while his mother chased after him. She was near hysterics when he finally stopped right in front of them and she held on to him protectively, afraid that he was going to get crushed. Fujitaka, who was leading, had to jerk the rein back violently in order to not crush the boy. The mother let out a big sigh of relief.
"Where's Miss Sakura?" he asked innocently, unaware that he almost got squashed.
"Well. . . she won't be coming back anymore. . ." Fujitaka answered quietly, his voice strained.
"Why not?" he inquired, staring up at him with those big blue eyes of his. He still had little traces of baby fat and his blonde hair came down well over his eyebrows; an adorable little boy with pink cheeks and dimples.
"Because she has gone off to a place very far away," Fujitaka replied, trying his best to explain why Sakura wasn't coming back anymore.
"Will I ever see her again?" he asked sadly.
"Maybe. . . in a couple of decades, I hope. . ." From the way of how distant his eyes looked, one could not tell if he was addressing the boy or talking to himself.
The mother gave him a look of understanding and sympathy. She reached up and gave him a pat on his hand. Since the horse was tall and she stout, she had to practically tip-toe in order to reach his hand. (A/N: hehe. Makes me feel taller. ;p) She had been pretty, once, but the hard times that had come to pass, fortunately, brought a look of weariness to her brown eyes and a little gray in her hair. Her husband had also died in the war, so her eyes seemed dull, having lost its life. He nodded appreciatively and signaled for them to ride on.
Moments after, they spotted the White Palace, with a smaller but no less impenetrable wall surrounding it. True to its name, it was indeed white, and shimmering under the grand and glorious sun in its zenith. It seemed ironic to them how the weather clashed with their mood. They half-expected it to be raining. As they approached the gate, it opened to let them in and a messenger ran out to greet them.
"Welcome, Great General," the messenger greeted, a fist on his chest and down on one knee, bowing.
Fujitaka gestured for him to rise and he complied. He was a tall and lanky youth not much older than twenty with brown curls and matching brown eyes. His uniform consisted of white and blue livery. Breathing hard, Fujitaka could tell that he had been running hastily to inform him of something. The tightness of his face confirmed it. There was a worried light in his eyes and his livery was damp with sweat despite the cool weather.
"What news have you to inform me that is so important that you couldn't wait until I reached the castle?" Fujitaka inquired.
The messenger seemed surprised that Fujitaka knew that it was urgent but quickly shook it off. "Advisor Clow Reed wants you to come to him in the Throne Room as soon as possible."
"Can't this wait?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Very well, then. Run ahead and notify him that I will be there shortly."
The youth bowed, fist to his chest, and ran back to the castle, his livery billowing behind him. Fujitaka clicked his tongue to urge his horse on and the rest followed. As soon as everyone went inside, the guards shut the gate behind them. They rode towards to the castle at a steady pace, neither hurrying nor meandering. They soon reached the entrance to the castle and the doors opened to welcome them in. Getting off their horse, they nodded to the two guards and went inside.
The Grand Hall was superb, with its high ceiling and lit candles on either side of the room. The massive rug beneath their feet had a picture of a fearsome dragon and ferocious tiger in the midst of battle inside a symbol of the ying-yang. Servants scurried about here and there, doing chores. A young violet-eyed maiden was tending a vase of flowers caringly when she turned around and saw them in the doorway. A look of shock and excitement struck her face as she forgot what she was doing and ran up to them.
"Uncle Fujitaka!" she exclaimed happily as she embraced him in a warm hug, "You're home!"
He released her and smiled affectionately at his lovely niece. He ruffled her lavender hair and stroke her creamy cheek. She reminded him much of Sakura. They were very close friends and never had a cross word for one another.
"Hello Tomoyo," he greeted.
"Hi, Touya! Hi -'' she was about to say Sakura but then realized she was not present. "Um. . . where is Sakura? Is she in the Outer City?" (A/N: once agen, as I have tol u b4, I m NOT good at naming things. So plz don't laugh, even though im laughing at myself rite now. Lol.)
Fujitaka closed his eyes and sighed sullenly, holding back the tears that threatened to spill.
"Sakura. . . is dead. . . she was captured by the Black Fox," Touya answered.
"What?. . . No!" Tomoyo gasped, stunned. Then looked at Fujitaka searchingly.
"You two may go and do as you please now," Touya addressed the two guards that accompanied them.
They nodded and swept him a formal bow then left.
"I'm afraid it's true," Fujitaka said grimly, his eyes downcast.
Tomoyo let out a sob and ran away to the direction to her chamber. Servants nearby stopped their work and looked her way, then stared at Fujitaka and Touya. What had made the kind and calm Tomoyo cry? Touya made as to go after her but Fujitaka grabbed his sleeve and stopped him.
"Let her be alone, she needs to deal with this, as we do," Fujitaka advised him.
Touya nodded understandingly. Then the two made their way up the long winding stairs to the Throne Room, where Clow Reed was waiting for them.
The Throne Room was a smaller version of the Grand Hall, except there was a throne in the middle of the room composed of white marble. Clow Reed stood to the right of the throne while another advisor, a magician, stood to the left. Reed was clad in white whereas the magician was covered in black. Reed was a tall man, with black hair and blue piercing eyes that seemed to know everything. His eyes seemed more knowing behind his spectacles. The magician, on the other hand, was short and frail, his face hidden behind a hood. No one has been able to see how his face really looked like, not even the king.
"You wished to speak with me?" Fujitaka inquired.
"Yes, we must speak to you concerning the succession of the throne," Reed stated.
"But the king is not dead yet. . ."
"Fujitaka. . . after you left to visit. . . ahem, her grave. . . he caught a mysterious illness and died. Since he had no siblings or children, and you are his cousin, you are most fit to be king."
They bowed down to him as he stood there, speechless. The soldiers lining both sides of the room knelt down also and chanted, "All hail King Fujitaka, long live the king." (A/N: yea yea corny and so-not-original phrase I no. . .-_-u)
Recovering his senses, he walked slowly and hesitantly to the throne and sat down. Seeing that, Touya ceased standing there and looking dumb and got down on his knees. 'Oh my gosh, I'm a prince!' (A/N: nooooo really???)
Getting up, Reed looked around for Sakura, but failed to see her here. "Your Majesty, where is Princess Sakura?"
Unfamiliar to hearing anyone calling him Majesty, he didn't notice that Reed was talking to him and continued staring straight ahead, lost in his own thoughts.
"Your Majesty?" Reed's voice held concern as he placed a hand on Fujitaka's shoulder.
Startled and jerked out of his thoughts, Fujitaka spun around to face him.
"May I ask where Princess Sakura is, Your Majesty?" Reed repeated himself.
"Oh. . . well, you see. . . Sakura was captured by the Black Fox. . ."
At the mention of the Black Fox, the guards shifted their feet uneasily. Once famous knights of high standing, they were assigned to capture the leader. Not only did they fail but were outsmarted by the gang. The only reason they kept their heads was that Reed interfered and calmed the former king down. Thus, they were demoted to being guards for the king.
Sympathy and pain entered Reed's face. After all, he knew Sakura ever since she was still in the cradle and looked at her as the daughter he never had, as he did Tomoyo.
"It looks as if mourning would have to wait. Right now we have to present you to the people as the new king before riots start and some fool decides to seize the throne," the hooded figure in black said without the slightest touch of sympathy in his voice.
"Yes, I suppose you're right," Fujitaka agreed.
And so Fujitaka and Touya marched outside to the balcony, followed by the two advisors and twelve ex-knights.
"Hear me, people of Tomedea!" the magician roared, using magic to carry his voice throughout the land, "I present to you, humble citizens, your new king, King Fujitaka Kinomoto!"
People in the streets cheered loudly, joined by those inside houses peeking out of windows to see what was going on. They cheered not only for Fujitaka, but for themselves as well, for Fujitaka was nothing like the old king, now deceased, and their lives would be much better from now on. Soon the cheering died down and Fujitaka went back inside, followed by everyone else.
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*
After a very long day of informing Fujitaka of the past events that he'd missed, Reed finally retreated to his chamber. Closing the door behind him, he took off his spectacles and rubbed his eyes, then came face to face with his wife, Kaho. (A/N: LOL! Kaho!!! Omg that's funni! Ahem. . . ok. . . ill regain my dignity now. . . yes, I no tat sum of u mite not agree w/ me makin kaho his wife but I needed her 2 b SUMTIN. After all, im TRYIN 2 include all t cast of ccs in here, but it seems like I wont b able 2 do that. . . hmm. . . unless. . . *chews on an idea that just popped in2 head* well newayz, shes gonna play a impt part in this story.) Kaho had reddish- orange hair that shone like the sun's rays during sunset. Her golden cat's eye seemed to probe into you, searching. Tall and slender, she was really pretty.
"So how did it go?" she inquired.
"A bit tiring. Fujitaka doesn't know the first thing about being a king. I fear that he will easily be persuaded by the other advisor," Reed stated.
"Why didn't you think of a plan to get rid of him a long time ago? I knew from the first time I laid eyes on him that he was up to no good."
"Don't you think I tried? But he was too clever and had the former king wrapped around his finger."
"I don't understand, I know you have magic, powerful magic, but yet you don't let that show. Why?"
"Because I don't want anyone to know. . . not yet anyways. . ."
Suddenly Kaho stiffened and her eyes went dull. Noticing, Reed forgot all about his weariness. After awhile, the dullness disappeared and she became normal again. This usually happened when she had the Foretelling, which was not very often. The talent enabled her to see into the future.
"What did you see?" Reed asked anxiously, as she only got it if a situation was dire.
"Darkness covered the land, but was defeated by the Light Princess. The Final Battle is coming soon. . ." she recited from memory.
Outside the door, a spy listened closely to what was being said. Luckily, he had not arrived soon enough to hear them discussing Reed being a sorcerer. After he obtained the information bout the light outshining darkness, he quickly ran to report what he had heard.
"You realized that there is a spy outside our door, do you not?" Kaho said.
"Of course I do. But do not fear, I have warded the room from eavesdropping. All he'd heard is your prediction, which I intended him to hear," Reed said casually.
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*
"So. . . she claims that I will be defeated does she. . ." the man laughed malevolently. Then eyed the spy sinisterly. A spy can never be trusted to not tell someone else. . .
In the night, under the crescent moon, a shriek was heard and all was still. . .
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*
Meiling walked alongside Yelan and her four daughters, weary from all that walking around and excitement. It seems as if she had finally used up all her energy, what with all that being dragged around like a rag doll by the four crazy girls.
"I'm tired!" Meiling whined, "Can I go home now?"
"Yes, it's getting late isn't it?" Yelan acknowledged, "We should all head back now."
"Aw, but Mother!" the four sisters wailed, "There's so much left for us to do! Must we leave so early?"
"Early?!" Meiling exclaimed bewilderingly, "What are you talking about?! The sun set hours ago! And we must've walked miles going around this town! This is hopeless, you guys never seem to run out of energy." Meiling threw up her hands, exasperated. "What did you people do, eat a bowl of sugar before we left?"
"Oh, doesn't she look cute when she gets angry?" Feimei stated, laughing. Then reached out a hand and pinched Meiling's cheek.
"DON'T call me cute. And how many times have I told you to not pinch my cheek? It's annoying!" She put on a scowl that nearly rivaled Syaoran's and rubbed her now red cheek.
Her outburst only caused the four of them to burst out laughing.
"Do calm down, Meiling," Yelan scolded sharply, then in a much cooler tone said, "we are going home right now, and I do not want any arguments from any of you. And I'm sure that Syaoran and Sakura are home by now, waiting for us."
Meiling lifted her chin up and smiled haughtily, satisfied while the sisters pouted. They left the town and proceeded home. Meiling walked with them half a mile then left them to go home since her house was in another direction then where they were headed.
Walking slowly through the thick and dark woods, Meiling was unaware that someone was following her.
Whoohoo finally done w/ this chap. Wow, I made it KINDA long. . . o wellz I guess that makes up 4 t delay just a bit. N im very sorry 4 t delay. Ill try ta update sooner next time instead of waiting 4 a month or so. . . newayz, u should b happy cherry tenshi cuz I didn't leave a cliffhanger this time. Lol, jk. Welps, I don't got much 2 say now cept leave a review plz. Buh baiz! ^-^
