At Your Side by Silver-MoonStar
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS *darn*
A/N: Before I begin ranting, thanks two all those who reviewed before; Kan-Chan, Anime-girl, Hana no Tenshi, Crystal, Kitty-Kat and the anonymous reviews by sum1, S&S Forever, sango of the shadow clan and um… No Name. Love you guys! Make me feel that I must continue and I am!
Chapter 8: All lost… or not?
.:||Sakura (Her Words)||:.
My head felt a little woozy. I looked around. I was in an alley, dark, dominating, intimidating and mysterious. Okay, Sakura what the heck are you doing in this alley? I shook my head and got up hesitatingly?
I couldn't remember.
Where was I from? Who are my friends? The questions flooded my head but I couldn't answer anyone of them! All I remember was that I'm Sakura. But Sakura what? I'm Sakura, Sakura… it echoed thoroughly in my head but nothing else came in. I'm Sakura Nothing, Sakura What? Sakura… Is that even my name? I'm not even sure!
My first few steps were staggering. My balance was disturbed, the liquid in my head whooshed like a see- saw inside my skull. My clothes were grubby and were torn to near rags. I looked once more around the alley. Did I live here? The bright lights at the far end were enticing but was I suppose to go out of here? It was frustrating but none my answers were replied. The silence helped in building up my anger. I leaned against the paint peeling walls, beating it while my teeth gritted against each other.
A loud crushing sound made me look up. A hole was in the wall. My fist was dusty. I wiped my tears with my arms. Did I do that? Whispers emitted from the bright lights. Shadows blocked the radiance. People were on- looking. What am I if I can punch a hole into the wall? Surely no human could do that. Am I a human at all? I strive for answers and got nothing! More whispers surrounded me , even from the darkness. I ran into the gloom, stumbling and crying. What's wrong with me? Me… Sakura? I jumped and took flight. Wings were beating behind on my back. Where did they come from? Velocity increased and I flew above the buildings. A mass of blinding light swarmed my eyes.
It was cold. Horribly cold. Wind was touching the exposed skin of my body that were not covered with my shirt. My white wings beat slowly, the wide wingspan allowed me to float. Am I an angel? But angels are suppose to be beautiful, clean. Not dirty and smelly. Whispery bits of my hair fluttered into my view. It was auburn, dirty auburn. Dark and sticky. This is hateful! Tears pricked my eyes. I landed on a roof. Who am I? Who am I truly?
.:||The Apartment||:.
"Where is she?" Syaoran was practically wild with rage. "I…I don't know," Eriol was stuttering. He was lost for once. Clow Reed had never anticipated this. The Bird Key was lying innocently in his hands. "You're know about these things! You should know!" Syaoran pinned him to the wall. "Cool it! What's wrong with you?" Eriol said. Syaoran let him go. He was right. What's wrong with him? Sakura he had only known Sakura for a mere week… could it be…? No, it can't be… she was like the irritating little sister he had never had…probably.
"You have got to find her…What'll Tomoyo say?" Syaoran quickly covered up his uneasiness. He let Eriol go. The blue- haired boy eased up his collar. "Yes, what will I say?" Tomoyo's voice butted in.
"Tomoyo!" Eriol stammered. "It's Daidouji for strangers," she growled. Eriol's eyes frowned. He was hurt. "Wha— I—" Eriol felt slapped in the face. Syaoran eyed the two of them, "I'll go check the Cards." He went off.
"What happened to Sakura?" Tomoyo grew concerned. 'She's more anxious of her friend than herself' Eriol thought admiringly. "She's... gone," Eriol replied nervously. "The Cards…?" Tomoyo started. "—are gone!" Syaoran finished. He dangled the empty cover in his hands. Tomoyo grabbed it. Her eyes widened in horror. "What could've caused this?" she shrieked. "I…I don't know," Eriol answered nervously. "So much for the reincarnation of Clow," Syaoran muttered. Eriol shot him a deathly glare. His mind was a jumble. "I need time," Eriol said finally. "Syaoran, call Mizuki will you?"
"This is no time to have a date mister!" Tomoyo said exasperated while Syaoran ran out of the room. "She has magic…" Eriol said, confused. Tomoyo backed off. 'She's even more perfect than ever, looks, brains, magic and probably money… wait Sakura needs me, this is no time to compete!' Tomoyo thought. She disappeared into her room.
.:||The Next Morning||:.
"Have you found out yet?" Syaoran asked the moment Eriol appeared outside his room. "No, but I made everyone else in school forget that there was even a Sakura," Eriol replied. Syaoran stared at him. "I didn't erase her existence, I just place a temporary memory spell over everyone else who knew her. It wears off after five years," Eriol said. "Can you remove it whenever possible?" Syaoran asked quietly. "When she's found literally," Mizuki appeared beside Eriol. "Other than that, we have to wait," Eriol said. "Can't you track her down or something?" Syaoran asked. "Without the cards nor her wand, it's very difficult since we don't know how many people have magic. Her aura would be dim," Eriol said slowly. "But it can be done?" Tomoyo asked walking into the dining area. "Yes," Kaho replied. Eriol stared at his plate of toast. "How?" Tomoyo pumped them on.
"Sacrifices have to be made," Eriol replied quietly. "What sacrifices?" Tomoyo questioned. "Anything, emotions, feelings, senses," Kaho replied. "Sacrifices of whom?" Syaoran frowned. "Of either sides," Eriol said, "If the spell is performed, Sakura may lose one of her senses, possibly even her entire memory. And one of us may lose our life. Even then, it may not succeed. But it does guarantee that she can be anyone close to us."
Everyone was silent, thinking deeply. "But why has the cards gone?" Tomoyo appeared to be close to tears. "Some other magic is interfering with Sakura's mind," Kaho said. "English please."
"She means that Sakura is emotionally disturbed and an unknown power is approaching. The Cards feel it even though she doesn't. They don't feel safe with its presence," Eriol replied. "Emotionally disturbed?" Tomoyo asked curiously. Syaoran went red, it was his fault. Eriol glanced at him side- ways. The tension was building up.
.:||Syaoran (His Words)||:.
Sakura was gone… the words kept on echoing in my head. Tomoyo hadn't a clue about us. Maybe it true I do…lo… No! That voice kept on insisting. I remembered the previous night, when I was…Her lips were so sweet and tender. Her body had tensed up. My mind was racing, wondering what I was really doing. I just remembered us laughing… then I pulled her towards myself…she was so light… then she pulled away, breathless… I was stunned…she disappeared leaving me lost…
"Li?" Tomoyo was waving her hand to and fro my eyes. "What?" I shook out. "Someone's here to meet you," she said. Kaho and Eriol were gone from the table. It was Saturday. No school. I looked up and saw her. A wave of something passed over me. My thoughts were emptied. Meilin was standing beside her, "Xiao Lang, meet Pei Fen."
Pei Fen had probably changed over the years. I can't remember anything about her except her annoyance. Her hair was darker than black. It was distinct with her snowy white skin. Her eyes were bluer than the sky itself. She smiled a demure smile. Very lady-like. She had curves that's for sure. It showed through her rather slim clothes. I wondered why I had even thought about Sakura.
"Syaoran?" Tomoyo waved her hand over my glazed eyes again. "Hi, I'm Li Xiao Lang," I offered my hand to Pei Fen. She giggled and gave hers out. The moment I came in contact with her skin, an electrical jolt passed through me.
.:||Tomoyo (Her Words)||:.
I saw Syaoran in a stupor. I wondered whether Eriol was doing it to him. He didn't even say anything while Eriol explained their relationship (Sakura and Syaoran). It was just that blue- haired freak's theory so I couldn't believe it 100%. (A/N: I've made her change like I said =). It appeared that Syaoran had fallen for Sakura. I wished I knew Sakura's point of view but I was busy with myself the past days. I cursed myself mentally. It was too late now…
Kaho and him disappeared into his room going to do goodness knows what inside (A/N: Reality, it's not what some dirty-minders would think of!). Li still appeared dreaming. The doorbell rang. I went to get it, leaving lover- boy alone to his thoughts.
There were a couple of strangers in the doorway. One of them had a friendly smile. Her hair was tied to the back in a hair knot. Her eyes were close to red, but they looked almost like Li's. The other was another Chinese. She was prettier than the first one. Her eyes were blue though. They had a funny look to it anyway. Sort of sly and cunning. Her clothes were skin tight, loose only to the last half centimeter away from the skin. I looked skeptically at them. They were quite translucent too.
"Yes?" I asked politely. "Hi! I'm Li Meilin, Xiao Lang's cousin," the friendly one replied. "He didn't say anything…" I started. "I'm his fiancée, Pei Fen," the other girl interrupted rudely. She had the tone that sounded as though I should understand. Fiancée? I let them in anyway.
~*~
Li was practically drooling over Pei Fen. It made me ashamed to look at him. What happened to his serious self? And what about Sakura? Pei Fen however still had that glint of deceit in her eyes. She giggled all over Syaoran's lame jokes and antics. It made me want to scream!!!
Meilin was there luckily. She was okay. A little crazier than Sakura, something like me except that she approved of Pei Fen which was the opposite of me.
.:||Sakura (Her Words)||:.
I fell asleep on the roof. At first morning light, I woke up. Somehow I remembered that I don't usually wake up this early (A/N: She's striving for her lie- ins :) My wings had gone.
The sunrise reminded me of fire. It was familiar, fire. I recalled knowing an animal of fire… My pants caught fire. I slapped on it frantically. A jet of water gushed out of my left palm, extinguishing the fire immediately. I froze. What am I really?? A mutant? What a way to start the morning. I found out my right hand could start a fire and the left shoot out water! Discoveries of the century! Great!
My stomach growled hungrily. A distant memory remembered thick pancakes stacked atop one another. Voila! In front of me a stack of pancakes stood boldly in mid- air in front of me. A fork appeared. I held it hesitatingly. The pancakes dripped with maple syrup. A plate appeared underneath the stack. I sat at the edge of the roof. The platter followed closely.
The fork sank into the steamed food. It was still hot. The cold atmosphere made my meal seem even better. The food was very much solid thank you. I made another discovery! I could wish up things! That was more beneficial. My chow- down filled me up greatly. I washed it down with a swig of freshly squeezed orange juice.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: I didn't leave you in a cliffhanger. But I'd make it clear that Sakura has amnesia and whoa! What's with her powers? The answer's quite clear I think. But I won't give you guys the answer if you can't figure it out *laughs cruelly* And Pei Fen? You can still determine her characteristics. Oh yeah, don't fret, Jessica's still alive and Romeo and Juliet is going to be played soon! Should I make Sakura's memories come back or make it stay as it is now? What about the Tomoyo, Eriol and Kaho love triangle? Everything is there still before I advance up the story. Stay tune you guys, answer my questions pls! And keep those reviews posted!!!
