Sorry it took so long to up-date! Wah! I am SOOO SOOOOOOOOOO sorry!!!!! I
am!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ What's gone on before ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Did you do anything else?" He asked, almost skeptically.
I nodded. "Of course! I learned how to use weaponry of almost every kind. I used to always have to practice with my older brother. And-" I looked at the others to make sure no one was listening, and realized that they were too far ahead to hear anyway so I continued, "and that's also when I set the Clow Cards free. Believe me, it took a LONG time to capture all of them!"
He grinned ruefully. "Seeing that it took you even until you arrived here, I'll believe it."
"Hey!" I defended. His grin only widened and I saw a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously and gripped a tighter hold on the reins.
"Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't tip you off of your horse when you have such little experience," he said teasingly. "But once you're off, THAT is where the fun begins. Don't let your guard down."
I looked mock-offended when he said I had very little experience and then pretended to glare when he basically said he was going to 'get' me. I grinned and held my head high. "Oh yeah?" I asked. "Well you just better watch your back!"
He grinned. "I will. Oh, I will."
Well, that's where I left off last time if you remember correctly. I'm home today, on this rainy Wednesday morning, and boy am I going to have a ton of make-up work to do! I HATE missing school for that reason, especially if you feel as terrible as I do! Uhg! I have a headache, my muscles are sore, My throat hurts because I keep on coughing up mucus from my lungs, which also hurt by the way, and I have a 102 degree temp. Today officially stinks in my opinion.
Yet. here I am, still being a helplessly hopeless romantic, wanting to please my readers so I did the one thing I'm sure all of you will thank me for. I WROTE THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THE STORY AND UP-DATED!!!!! (That is. I HOPE I'll be able to up-date today. If not, then look up above at what I had previously written and hopefully you will all forgive, although pity isn't necessary. I'll be up and at'em by tomorrow hopefully. ^-^)
Well, here's the 28th chap, hope you like it! The only problem is. It's been SO long since I wrote to this, that I forgot what was going to happen in this chapter! Waaaaaaaa! Oh well. I'll improvise. I'm sure you'll like it either way. Don't forget to review!!!!
Melting A Stone Heart Ch. 28 O.O I know I know. The ending will prolly be in, um, ten chaps??
*****Sakura*****
Tomoyo, being the one that was always prepared, had brought picnic lunches for all of us. When we reached our destination, two large blankets were laid out side by side for the seven of us to sit on. We didn't eat right away, oh no. We set everything neatly out, all of the wonderful food and delicacies, a container of punch and a larger one of plain water, while others laid down on their stomachs or sat with their legs stretched out before them, face upturned toward the sun. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, but not too hot to be worried about being sunburned or getting dehydrated. The whole sky was a light teal blue, only one extremely thin almost non-existent cloud far off to the right. Birds were singing their normal songs as they soared and dipped their wings in the sky, the slightest breeze just enough to get them going again. And here I was, getting to spend this wonderful day with all of my friends, those dearest to me. I felt serenely at peace. Everything was going perfectly well, and I was purely happy.
"Hey, Sakura?"
I turned toward the person I knew had spoken my name, Syaoran. "H-Hai?" I asked a little uncertainly.
He wiped the tiny beads of sweat that had appeared on his forehead with the back of his forearm, then tossed his head to the side to get his bangs out of his eyes. I stared. Boy did he look good like that! "Could you hand me one of the canteens of water. I'm dying of thirst."
I laughed and reached down for on of the many canteens, then handed it over to him. I watched as he unscrewed the bottle and brought it to his lips, taking a long swallow. "Too much work for you to handle?" I asked teasingly.
He tore the mouth of the bottle away from his lips, his eyes meeting mine. "No," he said all of a sudden. Before I noticed the sparkle in his eye or the mischievous smirk that crossed his face, he took the canteen, shook it in my direction, and sprayed my entire mid-section, a few stray drops gently brushing across my face. I squealed at the coldness of the water that was now on my stomach. I was more surprised than anything else. I gasped as heads turned in our direction, but paid them no heed.
Stooping, I grabbed another canteen and began unscrewing the lid. "You're going to get it now!" I yelled, but he had already dashed away. I chased him, maneuvering between trees and missing as I sloshed the water in his direction. "Come back here, you!" I shouted, re-gathering my skirts in slippery fingers. He dashed behind another tree and waited, then splashed me once again, this time the water cascaded down from the top of my head.
"Ha ha! I came back!" He replied smartly, then disappeared once again.
"Hey!" I complained. "No fair! YOU don't have to run around in heavy skirts drenched with water!"
"That's your fault," he stated. "You spilled that water on yourself while running."
"Ugh! I'm going to get you Sayoran Li!"
"Ooh, Syaoran, she's using your whole name now," Chiharu teased. "You better watch out!"
He neared her, glanced into her laughing eyes, and then turned in the direction I was coming from. Unknowingly for him, Chiharu leaned down, grabbed a spare canteen, and dumped its contents on Syaoran's head.
"Argh!" He yelled, whipping around to see who caused the unforgivable deed.
"Ha ha! Yeah! Good job Chiharu! You're the best!" I shouted as I ran towards them.
"Why you." He shook the canteen in her direction but she moved to the side too quickly. Instead, he soaked a reading Naoko and a calmly sitting Rika. They both looked up at the young Prince with mirthful eyes, each girl grabbing a canteen. Syaoran backed away in horror, not liking the evil looks in the three girls' eyes.
"Girls against Syaoran!" I yelled as I took him by surprise and sloshed cold water down his back. He yelped and turned on me. I smiled prettily and blinked innocently in his direction, distracting him from my friends so they could get him from behind also. I grinned when they took the ready position and then brought the water towards him, but he grabbed me and turned around, causing me to get the full force of the water. "Eek!" I cowered into Syaoran's arms and then the water stopped.
"Sakura!" Naoko said, shocked.
"Oh my, we are SO sorry!" Rika amended.
I slowly turned my face up to Syaoran's cocky grin. I glared. "You, are SO going to get it!"
"Oh yeah?" He asked as he slowly raised one of his arms above my head. I gulped and looked up at the canteen, eyes going wide as he slowly tipped it to one side. All I could do was squeeze my eyes shut and cringed as the contents drenched my hair and ran down my shoulders. He tipped the canteen up once more and it stopped just as it had begun.
"Yeah," I said, dumping the water down his front.
I was vaguely aware of the other three girls picking on Yamazaki and getting him wet as well. Tomoyo sat calmly and serenely on the spread out blanket, a closed smile gracing her lips. Eriol was standing, a tiny half- smirk on his face as he watched everything going on around him, yet made no move to get involved. Then I looked back at Syaoran, and jumped away, racing out of his water range. I laughed, looking behind my back at he gave chase.
[AN: this is horrible! I forgot everything I wanted to have happen in this chapter!!!! Ahhh!!!! I'm hopeless!]
"You won't catch me THAT easily I'll have you know!" I yelled, my heart thumping giddily against my ribcage as if trying to break free.
"Oh yeah? How much do you want to bet?" He shot back, speeding up.
I blanched. He was holding BACK?!? "Eep!" I tossed water over my shoulder, spraying his front and managing to also get a mist of spray in his hair and on his face. It didn't slow him down though. Sadly.
"Syaoran!" I yelled, panicked, not knowing what to do. I was actually SCARED right about now!
He smirked at me when I looked back at him, then grabbed my shoulder and tugged, pulling me down to the sodden earth that was wet from the effects of our water fight. I winced as I hit the ground, but he had the worst of the impact, shielding me from the fall and then rolling over so I was pinned beneath him. I swallowed, or tried to. It was a little hard at the moment. My face felt like it was scorching my skin off, as I turned about as bright of a red as fresh blood.
"Didn't someone ever teach you never to look behind you?" He whispered, lips brushing my ear.
I about died.
He chuckled. "It always slows you down. I may not have caught up with you otherwise."
His breath was puffing in hot breaths across my flesh.
"S-Sy-Syaoran-" I stuttered, not able to form a coherent sentence.
He pulled away to look me in the face, his eyes mocking. I eyed him warily. "Then again, you are such a lousy runner that I would have caught you anyway. Your slower than a snail. My capturing you was inevitable."
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. "Wha-WHAT?!?" I screeched. Why don't YOU try running in a DRESS princy!" I glared up at him, or tried to. I never was really good at it.
He grinned, and it was then that I noticed the teasing in his eyes. I blushed a lighter shade this time, feeling silly and small.
"I don't know about you, but I don't think I would look very good in a dress."
There was silence for a moment, and nobody moved. Then someone cleared their throat, causing Syaoran and I to look over at the person. It was Eriol, smirking evilly while raising a skeptical eyebrow. My gaze then fell to Tomoyo, dreaming what she would be doing. No. She wasn't. It couldn't be, could it?
Yep. She was sketching like there was no tomorrow, glancing up at us from time to time as if to make sure every hair was in place. I stared at her in horror, then looked at Syaoran. He was straddling me, with both hands on either side of my head, holding one of my wrists. I was glad to find that it was the wrist that DIDN'T hold the canteen of water.
Daringly, I lifted it to poor it all over him.
Nothing came out.
The water was gone; all used up.
Shoot.
Syaoran noticed this, raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'If you would have done it, you'd be dead,' and hurriedly jumped up off of me.
I gulped, slowly rising to my feet. How long had we been lying like that? Enough time for Tomoyo to finish the picture? I bit my lip. I'd DIE if anybody saw that! What if-what if someone saw it and took it the wrong way???
Then I'd die a horribly painful death.
VERY horribly.
"Kawaii," Tomoyo breathed, placing her finishing touched on the black and white picture.
I made a beeline in her direction, dread filling my entire body.
"Let me see it Tomoyo-chan," Rika said, curiosity clear in her voice.
I walked over toward the clustered girls, all of whom were admiring Tomoyo's work.
I peeked over the shoulder of Naoko and Chiharu, hoping it wasn't what I thought it was.
It was.
I regrettably closed my eyes, but the picture was as much in my mind as it was on the paper. She had outdone herself with this drawing, but she just HAD to draw it with me blushing, and Syaoran, his mouth inches from mine. I hadn't even noticed at the time. The picture said it all, and was quite embarrassing. Especially the way he inadvertently pinned me down.
"Tomoyo," I half complained, half growled. "Give me that picture! Don't you DARE show ANYONE!!!!"
She smiled innocently up and me placed the drawing in with her others, along with sheets of unused paper, placed that between all her other sketchbooks, placed that somewhere in the messy bag filled with blankets to sit on, and then sat herself on top of it. I groaned. I was never going to get my hands on that picture as long as I lived. When the other three girls gathered around her and sat at the edges of the large bag as if to keep the picture from me, I sweat dropped. This was NOT my day.
But it got worse. It ALWAYS gets worse.
At least this helped me to not dwell on the little 'incident' from before for very long.
All of a sudden, one by one, Tomoyo, Naoko, Yamazaki, Chiharu, and Rika stopped. Everything about them stopped. Their beating hearts, their heaving chests, their blinking eyes, and their bodies. Everything. They weren't clod, they weren't in ice or anything. it was as if time itself had stopped. Them along with it. I gulped, then looked over at Syaoran and Eriol with questioning eyes. Syaoran moved toward me as if to protect me. Eriol gave me a slight nod, as if confirming my suspicion that it was him. Tokurashi.
[AN: YAY! After all this time, I still remember the evil dude's name!]
So the only reason we weren't affected, was because we had magical powers. The others didn't.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here. It seems you have grown in number, little cherry blossom."
"What do you want, Tokurashi?!?" Syaoran yelled up at the vastly darkening sky. Dark grey clouds were rolling in, but there weren't normal clouds. Oh no, these moved much too fast, and were more thick. There was an evil aura around them that sent chills down my back. I involuntarily shivered. This was not good.
"What do I want? What do I want?" He cackled darkly. "Nothing you can give, lone wolf. Yes, you ARE alone. You will forever BE alone. I cast that spell upon you, and it shall remain! I will never free you from my curse. You are alone.
"Alone.
"Alone. And it shall remain that way."
*****Syaoran*****
I gave a start, the echoing words of 'Alone,' ringing through my head. I didn't want to be alone. I WASN'T alone! I wasn't! I had Sakura! Didn't I?
The clouds wrapped around my form, leaving barely enough room to breath through the putrid stuff. It smelled really weird. I couldn't decipher it.at all.
When I finally had to inhale, I took a deep breath, willing my lungs to work. It was then that I went under. I was in some sort of a trance.
Wait. Maybe I wasn't. It seemed real enough. It seemed as if everything was normal, and carefree. It was a little dark where I was, but maybe it was nighttime.
No. No! I couldn't go under!
'Under what?' A gentle voice soothed.
Under.
I couldn't remember. Something was wrong!
Or was it?
No, nothing could have been wrong. It was so peaceful here, so quiet. I liked it. It seemed calm, and filled with tranquility.
Yes. Tranquility.
*****Sakura*****
I watched in horror as the clouds rolled in, then clashed against Syaoran, who was standing only a few yards away at the time. I backed away, not wanting to get drawn in, but my mind and heart screamed at me to go get him. What was that stuff? Would it suffocate him? Would he be alright? How could we win when we had to fight against something that you could run your hand through?
"Eriol, what is that stuff?" I asked, clearly worried. I clutched at my key, ready to use it, but not knowing what card I could use against it.
"It's a certain counter balance of dreams and images," He said, his staff glowing and then growing. "I'm not sure exactly what Syaoran hears, sees, or feels, but by my guess, since it is from Tokurashi, it can't be good."
I nodded. "How do we get him out?"
He shook his head. "I don't know just yet."
I grit my teeth. I didn't like being helpless, and I liked it even less when one of my friends could be in danger! What about the others? Would they ever go back to normal? Would time be able to continue as it had in the past?
Lightning crashed overhead, blinding. Thunder roared immediately. I gulped. That could only mean one thing. The lightning was right over head.
"Watch out!" Eriol warned, shouting over at me as another bolt of lighting shot out toward me, missing by three slim hairs. I jumped, staring at the scorched part of the earth. Normal lighting wouldn't do that. This had to be magic. HIS magic.
I clenched the key and it automatically became my wand. I stared at it, completely shocked, but pushed the thought aside. I had to protect myself now. And Eriol.
And Syaoran.
'Syaoran, are you okay?' I thought mentally, wishing he could hear. 'You aren't hurt are you? You're alright? What is Tokurashi doing to you? What is it that he wants?'
*****Syaoran*****
'You're alone,' the voice was saying. 'Always alone. Listen to me. Listen to your heart. It is stone. You are incapable of caring. You will NEVER love. You think you know what love is? That's puppy love. She'll turn her back on you. She doesn't care about you. No one will care about you. Ever. You are alone.'
No! I wanted to shout. I needed to reassure myself. My family cares about me, everyone knows my cousin cares about me, and Sakura. She just HAS to care about me. Even a little. Even as a friend. I might be able to handle that.
'You think the cherry blossom will have feelings for you? How could she? You tease her, make fun of her, glare at her, yell at her. Why should she care about you?'
Because! She. she HAS to!
'She doesn't. She can't. You do not deserve her feelings. You think she might worry about you? Open up to you? LOVE you? Think again. She deserves better. Much better. She just pities you.'
No. It's not true. It can't be true! What was this voice TALKING about? Leave me alone!
'Yes. Alone. Alone. You WANT to be alone. You don't need anybody. You'll just get hurt. They'll die. Eventually they will all die. Just like your FATHER. You don't need anyone. You are strong. You can protect yourself. Having someone to love would just get in the way. You'd have to PROTECT her all the time. It's such a waste. You get hurt in the meantime. Why bother? What's the point? You WANT to be alone.'
No. No. I don't. I LIKE protecting Sakura.
'So, you think you deserve her? She'll leave you. She'll go with Eriol. She'll DIE! She'll leave you. She'll leave you all alone.'
No! Sakura isn't like that!
'You think you know her? WHAT do you know about her? You don't even know her favorite color.'
It's pink. It has to be.
When there was a pause I started getting more confidence. Yes, I DO know Sakura. She WON'T leave me like my father did! She cares! She cares about EVERBODY!
I cried out as a sharp pain drove into my head. I couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't see.
''The pain of getting left behind by that cherry blossom is even worse,' the voice soothed; coaxed. 'You don't want that, now do you?'
My eyes must have been dilated. What was going on? What was the question? It didn't matter, I know the right answer.
No.
My mind voice sounded dull and lifeless even to me.
*****Sakura*****
I heard a shout filled with pain come from the middle of the cloudy fog and my head snapped in that direction. Syaoran was hurting! I had to save him!
A dashed toward the thick of the fog, not once doubting my actions.
"Sakura!" Eriol yelled, trying to call me back.
"I have to save Syaoran!" I shouted over my shoulder. "You stay here! Try to pinpoint where Tokurashi is and stop this! Don't worry. I'll be fine!"
With that, I disappeared into the purple-gray fog, not even able to see my hand when I held it in front of my face. Oh shoot. This was going to take a while.
"Syaoran!" I yelled, desperately hoping my voice would carry to his ears.
"Sorry Cherry blossom, but your words cannot reach him," I voice stated, sounding smug and amused with himself. Yes, it was Tokurashi, his voice was definitely masculine. But I hated him. He was endangering my friends, and therefore I could not forgive him very easily, if at all.
"Syaoran!!!!" I shouted, louder this time. "Where ARE you?!?"
I kept moving, for that was all I could do. That and yell until my voice grew reedy and hoarse from overusing my vocal cords.
*****Syaoran*****
'You don't ever have to be left behind again, as long as you push others away from you. Do not get emotionally involved.'
Yes.
'You don't need the pain, the agony of your heart tearing in two.'
No.
'You can live without love. You don't need it, do you?'
No.
'I can't hear you.'
I don't need it.
'What?'
I DON'T NEED IT!!!!!
'Much better. You can live in solitude. You can live in your books. You will be the one to hurt other people's hearts, not the other way around.'
Right.
'You like being alone.'
I do.
'You find it calming, and peaceful.'
Yes.
'You know that no one will come for you.'
That is correct.
'You also know that no one will EVER, truly love you.'
There was silence, nothing moving, no other sound, nothing to be seen, nothing questioning in the back of the mind that had to do with random things, the future, or perhaps the past. There was only here, now. No future, the past lay forgotten. I stood, not able to form my own questions. Not able to think of what I truly wanted. The voice, the strangely comforting voice, had to be right. Didn't it?
Love. What of it? What was love? How does one define love? The grass beneath their feet? Maybe the stars overhead? A beautifully bloomed flower, wavering gently in the breeze. What was love anyway? Why was it needed? I didn't need to love. It only caused pain, and agony in the past. It only hurt, never soothed. Not now, Not anymore. Not after HE died.
Of course I don't NEED to love. I don't NEED to...
But, will someone ever love me? Can someone ever love someone such as I? Do I know that no one could ever love me?
Yes.
And unbeknownst to me, a single tear trickled down my cheek.
*****Sakura*****
"Syaoran!" My throat hurt, my eyes watered, whether from the fog or from actual tears I did not know, and my head was pounding. I was finding it harder and harder to breath with ever step I took. Maybe that meant I was getting closer to Syaoran.
I collapsed to my hands and knees, wand in a death grip and I coughed until my lungs ached.
"Syaoran," I rasped, wiping the saliva from the corner of my mouth. "I'm coming. Don't give up. Don't you DARE give up."
Well, I think I'll stop there. PLEASE DON'T BE TOO MADE AT ME!!!!!
OH YEAH! *You all have to, please, HAVE to go to fictionpress.net and go to Sapphire Midnight and read my original stories! Please?!? I'm doing corrections to the first chapter of Blood Bound, because I want to revise it and publish it. Please tell me the truth if you think it's good enough.*
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! YOU ARE ALL THE BEST IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! (In my opinion.) ^____________^;;;
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ What's gone on before ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Did you do anything else?" He asked, almost skeptically.
I nodded. "Of course! I learned how to use weaponry of almost every kind. I used to always have to practice with my older brother. And-" I looked at the others to make sure no one was listening, and realized that they were too far ahead to hear anyway so I continued, "and that's also when I set the Clow Cards free. Believe me, it took a LONG time to capture all of them!"
He grinned ruefully. "Seeing that it took you even until you arrived here, I'll believe it."
"Hey!" I defended. His grin only widened and I saw a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously and gripped a tighter hold on the reins.
"Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't tip you off of your horse when you have such little experience," he said teasingly. "But once you're off, THAT is where the fun begins. Don't let your guard down."
I looked mock-offended when he said I had very little experience and then pretended to glare when he basically said he was going to 'get' me. I grinned and held my head high. "Oh yeah?" I asked. "Well you just better watch your back!"
He grinned. "I will. Oh, I will."
Well, that's where I left off last time if you remember correctly. I'm home today, on this rainy Wednesday morning, and boy am I going to have a ton of make-up work to do! I HATE missing school for that reason, especially if you feel as terrible as I do! Uhg! I have a headache, my muscles are sore, My throat hurts because I keep on coughing up mucus from my lungs, which also hurt by the way, and I have a 102 degree temp. Today officially stinks in my opinion.
Yet. here I am, still being a helplessly hopeless romantic, wanting to please my readers so I did the one thing I'm sure all of you will thank me for. I WROTE THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THE STORY AND UP-DATED!!!!! (That is. I HOPE I'll be able to up-date today. If not, then look up above at what I had previously written and hopefully you will all forgive, although pity isn't necessary. I'll be up and at'em by tomorrow hopefully. ^-^)
Well, here's the 28th chap, hope you like it! The only problem is. It's been SO long since I wrote to this, that I forgot what was going to happen in this chapter! Waaaaaaaa! Oh well. I'll improvise. I'm sure you'll like it either way. Don't forget to review!!!!
Melting A Stone Heart Ch. 28 O.O I know I know. The ending will prolly be in, um, ten chaps??
*****Sakura*****
Tomoyo, being the one that was always prepared, had brought picnic lunches for all of us. When we reached our destination, two large blankets were laid out side by side for the seven of us to sit on. We didn't eat right away, oh no. We set everything neatly out, all of the wonderful food and delicacies, a container of punch and a larger one of plain water, while others laid down on their stomachs or sat with their legs stretched out before them, face upturned toward the sun. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, but not too hot to be worried about being sunburned or getting dehydrated. The whole sky was a light teal blue, only one extremely thin almost non-existent cloud far off to the right. Birds were singing their normal songs as they soared and dipped their wings in the sky, the slightest breeze just enough to get them going again. And here I was, getting to spend this wonderful day with all of my friends, those dearest to me. I felt serenely at peace. Everything was going perfectly well, and I was purely happy.
"Hey, Sakura?"
I turned toward the person I knew had spoken my name, Syaoran. "H-Hai?" I asked a little uncertainly.
He wiped the tiny beads of sweat that had appeared on his forehead with the back of his forearm, then tossed his head to the side to get his bangs out of his eyes. I stared. Boy did he look good like that! "Could you hand me one of the canteens of water. I'm dying of thirst."
I laughed and reached down for on of the many canteens, then handed it over to him. I watched as he unscrewed the bottle and brought it to his lips, taking a long swallow. "Too much work for you to handle?" I asked teasingly.
He tore the mouth of the bottle away from his lips, his eyes meeting mine. "No," he said all of a sudden. Before I noticed the sparkle in his eye or the mischievous smirk that crossed his face, he took the canteen, shook it in my direction, and sprayed my entire mid-section, a few stray drops gently brushing across my face. I squealed at the coldness of the water that was now on my stomach. I was more surprised than anything else. I gasped as heads turned in our direction, but paid them no heed.
Stooping, I grabbed another canteen and began unscrewing the lid. "You're going to get it now!" I yelled, but he had already dashed away. I chased him, maneuvering between trees and missing as I sloshed the water in his direction. "Come back here, you!" I shouted, re-gathering my skirts in slippery fingers. He dashed behind another tree and waited, then splashed me once again, this time the water cascaded down from the top of my head.
"Ha ha! I came back!" He replied smartly, then disappeared once again.
"Hey!" I complained. "No fair! YOU don't have to run around in heavy skirts drenched with water!"
"That's your fault," he stated. "You spilled that water on yourself while running."
"Ugh! I'm going to get you Sayoran Li!"
"Ooh, Syaoran, she's using your whole name now," Chiharu teased. "You better watch out!"
He neared her, glanced into her laughing eyes, and then turned in the direction I was coming from. Unknowingly for him, Chiharu leaned down, grabbed a spare canteen, and dumped its contents on Syaoran's head.
"Argh!" He yelled, whipping around to see who caused the unforgivable deed.
"Ha ha! Yeah! Good job Chiharu! You're the best!" I shouted as I ran towards them.
"Why you." He shook the canteen in her direction but she moved to the side too quickly. Instead, he soaked a reading Naoko and a calmly sitting Rika. They both looked up at the young Prince with mirthful eyes, each girl grabbing a canteen. Syaoran backed away in horror, not liking the evil looks in the three girls' eyes.
"Girls against Syaoran!" I yelled as I took him by surprise and sloshed cold water down his back. He yelped and turned on me. I smiled prettily and blinked innocently in his direction, distracting him from my friends so they could get him from behind also. I grinned when they took the ready position and then brought the water towards him, but he grabbed me and turned around, causing me to get the full force of the water. "Eek!" I cowered into Syaoran's arms and then the water stopped.
"Sakura!" Naoko said, shocked.
"Oh my, we are SO sorry!" Rika amended.
I slowly turned my face up to Syaoran's cocky grin. I glared. "You, are SO going to get it!"
"Oh yeah?" He asked as he slowly raised one of his arms above my head. I gulped and looked up at the canteen, eyes going wide as he slowly tipped it to one side. All I could do was squeeze my eyes shut and cringed as the contents drenched my hair and ran down my shoulders. He tipped the canteen up once more and it stopped just as it had begun.
"Yeah," I said, dumping the water down his front.
I was vaguely aware of the other three girls picking on Yamazaki and getting him wet as well. Tomoyo sat calmly and serenely on the spread out blanket, a closed smile gracing her lips. Eriol was standing, a tiny half- smirk on his face as he watched everything going on around him, yet made no move to get involved. Then I looked back at Syaoran, and jumped away, racing out of his water range. I laughed, looking behind my back at he gave chase.
[AN: this is horrible! I forgot everything I wanted to have happen in this chapter!!!! Ahhh!!!! I'm hopeless!]
"You won't catch me THAT easily I'll have you know!" I yelled, my heart thumping giddily against my ribcage as if trying to break free.
"Oh yeah? How much do you want to bet?" He shot back, speeding up.
I blanched. He was holding BACK?!? "Eep!" I tossed water over my shoulder, spraying his front and managing to also get a mist of spray in his hair and on his face. It didn't slow him down though. Sadly.
"Syaoran!" I yelled, panicked, not knowing what to do. I was actually SCARED right about now!
He smirked at me when I looked back at him, then grabbed my shoulder and tugged, pulling me down to the sodden earth that was wet from the effects of our water fight. I winced as I hit the ground, but he had the worst of the impact, shielding me from the fall and then rolling over so I was pinned beneath him. I swallowed, or tried to. It was a little hard at the moment. My face felt like it was scorching my skin off, as I turned about as bright of a red as fresh blood.
"Didn't someone ever teach you never to look behind you?" He whispered, lips brushing my ear.
I about died.
He chuckled. "It always slows you down. I may not have caught up with you otherwise."
His breath was puffing in hot breaths across my flesh.
"S-Sy-Syaoran-" I stuttered, not able to form a coherent sentence.
He pulled away to look me in the face, his eyes mocking. I eyed him warily. "Then again, you are such a lousy runner that I would have caught you anyway. Your slower than a snail. My capturing you was inevitable."
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. "Wha-WHAT?!?" I screeched. Why don't YOU try running in a DRESS princy!" I glared up at him, or tried to. I never was really good at it.
He grinned, and it was then that I noticed the teasing in his eyes. I blushed a lighter shade this time, feeling silly and small.
"I don't know about you, but I don't think I would look very good in a dress."
There was silence for a moment, and nobody moved. Then someone cleared their throat, causing Syaoran and I to look over at the person. It was Eriol, smirking evilly while raising a skeptical eyebrow. My gaze then fell to Tomoyo, dreaming what she would be doing. No. She wasn't. It couldn't be, could it?
Yep. She was sketching like there was no tomorrow, glancing up at us from time to time as if to make sure every hair was in place. I stared at her in horror, then looked at Syaoran. He was straddling me, with both hands on either side of my head, holding one of my wrists. I was glad to find that it was the wrist that DIDN'T hold the canteen of water.
Daringly, I lifted it to poor it all over him.
Nothing came out.
The water was gone; all used up.
Shoot.
Syaoran noticed this, raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'If you would have done it, you'd be dead,' and hurriedly jumped up off of me.
I gulped, slowly rising to my feet. How long had we been lying like that? Enough time for Tomoyo to finish the picture? I bit my lip. I'd DIE if anybody saw that! What if-what if someone saw it and took it the wrong way???
Then I'd die a horribly painful death.
VERY horribly.
"Kawaii," Tomoyo breathed, placing her finishing touched on the black and white picture.
I made a beeline in her direction, dread filling my entire body.
"Let me see it Tomoyo-chan," Rika said, curiosity clear in her voice.
I walked over toward the clustered girls, all of whom were admiring Tomoyo's work.
I peeked over the shoulder of Naoko and Chiharu, hoping it wasn't what I thought it was.
It was.
I regrettably closed my eyes, but the picture was as much in my mind as it was on the paper. She had outdone herself with this drawing, but she just HAD to draw it with me blushing, and Syaoran, his mouth inches from mine. I hadn't even noticed at the time. The picture said it all, and was quite embarrassing. Especially the way he inadvertently pinned me down.
"Tomoyo," I half complained, half growled. "Give me that picture! Don't you DARE show ANYONE!!!!"
She smiled innocently up and me placed the drawing in with her others, along with sheets of unused paper, placed that between all her other sketchbooks, placed that somewhere in the messy bag filled with blankets to sit on, and then sat herself on top of it. I groaned. I was never going to get my hands on that picture as long as I lived. When the other three girls gathered around her and sat at the edges of the large bag as if to keep the picture from me, I sweat dropped. This was NOT my day.
But it got worse. It ALWAYS gets worse.
At least this helped me to not dwell on the little 'incident' from before for very long.
All of a sudden, one by one, Tomoyo, Naoko, Yamazaki, Chiharu, and Rika stopped. Everything about them stopped. Their beating hearts, their heaving chests, their blinking eyes, and their bodies. Everything. They weren't clod, they weren't in ice or anything. it was as if time itself had stopped. Them along with it. I gulped, then looked over at Syaoran and Eriol with questioning eyes. Syaoran moved toward me as if to protect me. Eriol gave me a slight nod, as if confirming my suspicion that it was him. Tokurashi.
[AN: YAY! After all this time, I still remember the evil dude's name!]
So the only reason we weren't affected, was because we had magical powers. The others didn't.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here. It seems you have grown in number, little cherry blossom."
"What do you want, Tokurashi?!?" Syaoran yelled up at the vastly darkening sky. Dark grey clouds were rolling in, but there weren't normal clouds. Oh no, these moved much too fast, and were more thick. There was an evil aura around them that sent chills down my back. I involuntarily shivered. This was not good.
"What do I want? What do I want?" He cackled darkly. "Nothing you can give, lone wolf. Yes, you ARE alone. You will forever BE alone. I cast that spell upon you, and it shall remain! I will never free you from my curse. You are alone.
"Alone.
"Alone. And it shall remain that way."
*****Syaoran*****
I gave a start, the echoing words of 'Alone,' ringing through my head. I didn't want to be alone. I WASN'T alone! I wasn't! I had Sakura! Didn't I?
The clouds wrapped around my form, leaving barely enough room to breath through the putrid stuff. It smelled really weird. I couldn't decipher it.at all.
When I finally had to inhale, I took a deep breath, willing my lungs to work. It was then that I went under. I was in some sort of a trance.
Wait. Maybe I wasn't. It seemed real enough. It seemed as if everything was normal, and carefree. It was a little dark where I was, but maybe it was nighttime.
No. No! I couldn't go under!
'Under what?' A gentle voice soothed.
Under.
I couldn't remember. Something was wrong!
Or was it?
No, nothing could have been wrong. It was so peaceful here, so quiet. I liked it. It seemed calm, and filled with tranquility.
Yes. Tranquility.
*****Sakura*****
I watched in horror as the clouds rolled in, then clashed against Syaoran, who was standing only a few yards away at the time. I backed away, not wanting to get drawn in, but my mind and heart screamed at me to go get him. What was that stuff? Would it suffocate him? Would he be alright? How could we win when we had to fight against something that you could run your hand through?
"Eriol, what is that stuff?" I asked, clearly worried. I clutched at my key, ready to use it, but not knowing what card I could use against it.
"It's a certain counter balance of dreams and images," He said, his staff glowing and then growing. "I'm not sure exactly what Syaoran hears, sees, or feels, but by my guess, since it is from Tokurashi, it can't be good."
I nodded. "How do we get him out?"
He shook his head. "I don't know just yet."
I grit my teeth. I didn't like being helpless, and I liked it even less when one of my friends could be in danger! What about the others? Would they ever go back to normal? Would time be able to continue as it had in the past?
Lightning crashed overhead, blinding. Thunder roared immediately. I gulped. That could only mean one thing. The lightning was right over head.
"Watch out!" Eriol warned, shouting over at me as another bolt of lighting shot out toward me, missing by three slim hairs. I jumped, staring at the scorched part of the earth. Normal lighting wouldn't do that. This had to be magic. HIS magic.
I clenched the key and it automatically became my wand. I stared at it, completely shocked, but pushed the thought aside. I had to protect myself now. And Eriol.
And Syaoran.
'Syaoran, are you okay?' I thought mentally, wishing he could hear. 'You aren't hurt are you? You're alright? What is Tokurashi doing to you? What is it that he wants?'
*****Syaoran*****
'You're alone,' the voice was saying. 'Always alone. Listen to me. Listen to your heart. It is stone. You are incapable of caring. You will NEVER love. You think you know what love is? That's puppy love. She'll turn her back on you. She doesn't care about you. No one will care about you. Ever. You are alone.'
No! I wanted to shout. I needed to reassure myself. My family cares about me, everyone knows my cousin cares about me, and Sakura. She just HAS to care about me. Even a little. Even as a friend. I might be able to handle that.
'You think the cherry blossom will have feelings for you? How could she? You tease her, make fun of her, glare at her, yell at her. Why should she care about you?'
Because! She. she HAS to!
'She doesn't. She can't. You do not deserve her feelings. You think she might worry about you? Open up to you? LOVE you? Think again. She deserves better. Much better. She just pities you.'
No. It's not true. It can't be true! What was this voice TALKING about? Leave me alone!
'Yes. Alone. Alone. You WANT to be alone. You don't need anybody. You'll just get hurt. They'll die. Eventually they will all die. Just like your FATHER. You don't need anyone. You are strong. You can protect yourself. Having someone to love would just get in the way. You'd have to PROTECT her all the time. It's such a waste. You get hurt in the meantime. Why bother? What's the point? You WANT to be alone.'
No. No. I don't. I LIKE protecting Sakura.
'So, you think you deserve her? She'll leave you. She'll go with Eriol. She'll DIE! She'll leave you. She'll leave you all alone.'
No! Sakura isn't like that!
'You think you know her? WHAT do you know about her? You don't even know her favorite color.'
It's pink. It has to be.
When there was a pause I started getting more confidence. Yes, I DO know Sakura. She WON'T leave me like my father did! She cares! She cares about EVERBODY!
I cried out as a sharp pain drove into my head. I couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't see.
''The pain of getting left behind by that cherry blossom is even worse,' the voice soothed; coaxed. 'You don't want that, now do you?'
My eyes must have been dilated. What was going on? What was the question? It didn't matter, I know the right answer.
No.
My mind voice sounded dull and lifeless even to me.
*****Sakura*****
I heard a shout filled with pain come from the middle of the cloudy fog and my head snapped in that direction. Syaoran was hurting! I had to save him!
A dashed toward the thick of the fog, not once doubting my actions.
"Sakura!" Eriol yelled, trying to call me back.
"I have to save Syaoran!" I shouted over my shoulder. "You stay here! Try to pinpoint where Tokurashi is and stop this! Don't worry. I'll be fine!"
With that, I disappeared into the purple-gray fog, not even able to see my hand when I held it in front of my face. Oh shoot. This was going to take a while.
"Syaoran!" I yelled, desperately hoping my voice would carry to his ears.
"Sorry Cherry blossom, but your words cannot reach him," I voice stated, sounding smug and amused with himself. Yes, it was Tokurashi, his voice was definitely masculine. But I hated him. He was endangering my friends, and therefore I could not forgive him very easily, if at all.
"Syaoran!!!!" I shouted, louder this time. "Where ARE you?!?"
I kept moving, for that was all I could do. That and yell until my voice grew reedy and hoarse from overusing my vocal cords.
*****Syaoran*****
'You don't ever have to be left behind again, as long as you push others away from you. Do not get emotionally involved.'
Yes.
'You don't need the pain, the agony of your heart tearing in two.'
No.
'You can live without love. You don't need it, do you?'
No.
'I can't hear you.'
I don't need it.
'What?'
I DON'T NEED IT!!!!!
'Much better. You can live in solitude. You can live in your books. You will be the one to hurt other people's hearts, not the other way around.'
Right.
'You like being alone.'
I do.
'You find it calming, and peaceful.'
Yes.
'You know that no one will come for you.'
That is correct.
'You also know that no one will EVER, truly love you.'
There was silence, nothing moving, no other sound, nothing to be seen, nothing questioning in the back of the mind that had to do with random things, the future, or perhaps the past. There was only here, now. No future, the past lay forgotten. I stood, not able to form my own questions. Not able to think of what I truly wanted. The voice, the strangely comforting voice, had to be right. Didn't it?
Love. What of it? What was love? How does one define love? The grass beneath their feet? Maybe the stars overhead? A beautifully bloomed flower, wavering gently in the breeze. What was love anyway? Why was it needed? I didn't need to love. It only caused pain, and agony in the past. It only hurt, never soothed. Not now, Not anymore. Not after HE died.
Of course I don't NEED to love. I don't NEED to...
But, will someone ever love me? Can someone ever love someone such as I? Do I know that no one could ever love me?
Yes.
And unbeknownst to me, a single tear trickled down my cheek.
*****Sakura*****
"Syaoran!" My throat hurt, my eyes watered, whether from the fog or from actual tears I did not know, and my head was pounding. I was finding it harder and harder to breath with ever step I took. Maybe that meant I was getting closer to Syaoran.
I collapsed to my hands and knees, wand in a death grip and I coughed until my lungs ached.
"Syaoran," I rasped, wiping the saliva from the corner of my mouth. "I'm coming. Don't give up. Don't you DARE give up."
Well, I think I'll stop there. PLEASE DON'T BE TOO MADE AT ME!!!!!
OH YEAH! *You all have to, please, HAVE to go to fictionpress.net and go to Sapphire Midnight and read my original stories! Please?!? I'm doing corrections to the first chapter of Blood Bound, because I want to revise it and publish it. Please tell me the truth if you think it's good enough.*
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! YOU ARE ALL THE BEST IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! (In my opinion.) ^____________^;;;
