Amber Eyes

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Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot!

Authoress Ramble: Ahh my Goddess! Nearly forty reviews! I love you all! ^_^ Thank you so much! YouÕre all very kind. This chapter is a bit long, but it reveals a lot. I hope you all like plots. =3

Note: If the Òs,Õs and ,s are not quotes and commas, go to View ------ Character Set in Internet Explorer and change it to Western (Mac)! Or change the character set some other way to fix it, itÕs possible!

Shouts To People Who Reviewed!: Thank you so much for reviewing! Much love to Azi, Amanda Panda, Eclipse, Little Wolf LOVER, Shorty, Draco, CardCaptorHikariWolfy, Kimi-chan and ÒREALLY LIKE UR FICÓ (you didnÕt leave a name for me, cutie pie o.o), DL@;~, Ongaku, SulliMike23, kawaiitenshisakura, Cherry, UrbanCinderella, darkemerald22, Sakura-miaka, Tigerdrake, Mika, WezL, hana no tenshi (Eva), Princess Kinomoto, and Blossom190! Thank you again for your support!

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Sakura screamed as tears slid heavily down her pale cheeks, her eyes wide with fear. The WolfÕs hand muffled her cries. He pressed his dagger closer to SakuraÕs throat, so close that it nearly cut her delicate skin.

ÒShut up!,Ó he barked in poor Kaeran. Sakura stopped screaming verbally, but inside, her mind was still doing so. She began to panic, going into shock as she felt the other WolfÕs hand travel higher and higher up her thigh, under her dress.

Then, suddenly, Sakura heard a voice yell from the mouth of the cave.

ÒSakura!,Ó the familiar voice shouted, filled with fear that was quickly turning into anger. Sakura turned her head as much as she could. She saw SyaoranÕs silhouette at the mouth of the cave, his sword drawn. He ran closer to Sakura, his sword glinting in the moonlight.

ÔPlease be careful, Syaoran,Õ she prayed. Syaoran reached the two Wolves and raised his sword.

He screamed a command in Lian to the Wolves, much to SakuraÕs shock; how could a Kaeran peasant boy know the language of the Wolves?

ÒGet away from her, you bastards!,Ó Syaoran screamed to the Wolves. He stepped into the pale moonlight, and they immediately recognized him, lowering their daggers and stepping away from Sakura.

ÒNow get the hell out of here,Ó Syaoran said dangerously, still clutching his sword. ÒIÕll take care of you later.Ó

Sakura watched in shock as the two Wolves obediently bowed deeply to Syaoran, answering him respectfully in Lian.

ÒYes Sir,Ó the Wolves said in fear as they bowed deeply to Syaoran, who was still glaring at them, the look in his eyes dangerous enough to kill. They quickly raised themselves and ran for the mouth of the cave, disappearing as they ran through it. Sakura watched all of this in confusion and shock.

Then everything began to suddenly overwhelm her. She could still feel the rough touch of the WolfÕs calloused hand sliding up her thigh under her dress, on her bare skin, still feel the sharp edge of the knife on her throat. Though she was shocked about it, SakuraÕs heart was in too much turmoil to think about the reason why the Wolves had feared and obeyed her amber-eyed friend.

She began to sob uncontrollably, her back sliding down the cave wall as she crumpled into a ball on the cold, hard stone floor. As Syaoran watched this, he felt a knife stab into his heart and twist. He immediately ran to her, kneeling in front of her and taking her shaking body into his strong arms.

Sakura cried into SyaoranÕs warm shoulder as he began to slowly rock her back and forth, trying to calm her. He whispered soothingly to her in perfect Kaeran.

ÒShh,Ó he said quietly, ÒItÕs alright now, Sakura. TheyÕre gone, and they canÕt hurt you any longer.Ó Sakura continued to cry, though his words were indeed comforting her.

ÒYouÕre safe now,Ó Syaoran whispered, holding her trembling body tightly, ÒYouÕre safe now, and youÕre going to be okay.Ó

Sakura cried for a long time, and Syaoran never ceased comforting her. His gentle yet strong hold on her body never loosened, and his words never became anything less than patient and kind. Slowly, Sakura began to cease crying, comforted. She began to feel safe once again. Instead of trembling with sobs, her body began to shiver in response to the bitter cold.

ÒSyaoran,Ó she whispered, her tearstained cheek pressed against his warm shoulder. He held her tightly in response.

ÒDid they touch you?,Ó Syaoran growled, trying to sound tender and kind but failing; there was too much anger in his voice. ÒTell me. If they touched you, I swear to the gods IÕll kill them, IÕll murder them both!Ó

ÒDonÕt,Ó Sakura whispered sadly, ÒThey didnÕt do that.Ó

Syaoran sighed in relief, holding Sakura as close to him as possible. He could feel her heartbeat, beating steadily against his. Sakura continued to shiver.

ÒYouÕre still cold,Ó Syaoran whispered sadly. Sakura nodded slowly.

ÒItÕs alright,Ó she said warmly, though sadly, ÒIÕll be fine.Ó

Syaoran seemed to ignore this. ÒHere,Ó he said firmly. His released one of the arms that he had been holding her with, and reached out to his side, grabbing a large dark green bundle and dragging it toward him.

ÒThis will help,Ó Syaoran said tenderly. He released Sakura reluctantly, then grabbed the dark green bundle and spread it out, wrapping what appeared to be a large, warm blanket around SakuraÕs shivering body. It was neither heavy nor light, and it was very warm; the inside of it, Sakura noted, was lined with warm, soft white rabbit fur.

ÒThank you,Ó Sakura whispered gratefully. She looked into SyaoranÕs eyes; her thank you was for much more than the blanket. He stared back into her eyes, suddenly looking nervous and afraid.

ÒIÕm sorry, Sakura,Ó he began hesitantly, ÒBut I should go before they notice that IÕm gone. Those bastards are probably telling everyone right now where I am.Ó

ÒOh,Ó Sakura said sadly. She obviously didnÕt want Syaoran to leave her, but at the same time, she knew that she could never ask him to do something that might put him in danger; she could not ask him to stay. She nodded slowly, sadly.

Syaoran saw this and frowned. ÒDonÕt worry,Ó he said tenderly, ÒIÕll come back as soon as I can, alright?Ó.

Sakura nodded sadly again, meeting his eyes. Then, Syaoran suddenly closed them and leaned forward. Sakura blinked in surprise as Syaoran pressed his warm lips firmly against her forehead. He pulled away slowly.

ÒI promise,Ó he said tenderly. Sakura blushed deeply, then smiled warmly at him. Syaoran smiled back just a little bit, relieved that she could still smile like that.

ÒGood night, Sakura,Ó he said softly, looking her eyes. SakuraÕs blush deepened.

ÒGood night, Syaoran . . .Ó, she whispered with a gentle smile. Syaoran returned it warmly, then turned away, walking slowly toward the mouth of the cave and finally disappearing through it.

Sakura pulled the blanket more closely around her, shivering. Her heart felt warm, though she was still badly shaken from the attack. She was very lucky that Syaoran had been able to save her. Still cold, Sakura decided to move the blanket from its place around her shoulders and arms to a new position in front of her body, the position a sheet is in when one is sleeping in a bed. She did so, then gasped when she looked down at the blanket in front of her.

Sewn into the dark green blanket was the outline of a beautiful silver Wolf. Sakura was shocked; this was something from the Li kingdom. Had Syaoran stolen this from Wolves has he had the other things?

Sakura then looked at the blanket more closely. She discovered it was not a blanket at all, but rather a dark green cloak. Sakura thought about this for a long time, for the thought bothered her. She had seen his cloak before, and it seemed eerily familiar to her.

Then suddenly, she gasped, remembering. Sakura looked down at the cloak in shock. She had indeed seen his cloak before, earlier in the afternoon. It was the cloak that the Lian Prince with messy brown hair had been wearing.

Sakura was stunned, her mind in shock. Everything suddenly began to fall into place. Why else would the Wolves have obeyed Syaoran with so much fear and respect? He knew the Lian language, and looked similar to the Prince she had seen earlier this morning, albeit from a distance.

Syaoran was the Lian Prince.

SakuraÕs eyes widened at this thought, and she immediately began to think of things that disproved it. It couldnÕt be true. Why would a Prince of the Li kingdom befriend and comfort a lowly Kaeran peasant girl, his enemy and prisoner at that? Why do such a thing and still allow her to remain on this deathmarch to the Li kingdom, to be sold into slavery?

SakuraÕs mind was going into shock. She was confused and disoriented, desperate. Then, SakuraÕs eyes caught sight of the mouth of the cave, moonlight pouring into it. Its two guards had been the two Wolves that had attempted to rape her, and they, of course, had fled, leaving the mouth of the cave unguarded. She was free to leave the cave, if she so pleased.

Sakura looked down at the dark green cloak in her lap, the silver eyes of the sewn wolf glaring at her. Again her eyes returned to the unguarded mouth of the cave. She quickly gathered the cloak into her arms, standing and walking toward the pale moonlight. The mouth of the cave, the freedom of the moonlight beckoned her.

Sakura walked through the mouth of the cave after finally reaching it. She breathed in the fresh, cold open air. The cave was located on a mountainside, placed so that she could look down upon the rest of the Wolf camp.

She saw two figures standing by the blazing fire. Sakura looked carefully, the fire lighting their faces. Sakura gasped. Standing by the fire and conversing were Syaoran and the strange girl, Meiling.

Sakura swallowed her fear and stepped forward. She had to find out the truth.

As quietly and cunningly as she could, Sakura crept down the mountainside. She snuck up to the blazing fire, hiding herself by kneeling down behind a large bush. She had a clear few of the two figures, and could both hear as well as, luckily, understand their words.

Sakura frowned. The two figures were definitely Syaoran and Meiling. Was it true, that Syaoran was really in reality a cruel Prince of the Wolves?

Sakura swallowed her doubt, praying that he was not. She listened closely.

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ÒSyaoran!,Ó Meiling cried, watching as SyaoranÕs silhouette approached her. ÒWhere on the godsÕ Earth have you been? I told you to meet me here over an hour ago!Ó

ÒI had previous commitments,Ó Syaoran growled. Meiling frowned.

ÒWhat were you doing?,Ó she asked suspiciously. SyaoranÕs eyes glowed with anger.

ÒI should be asking you these questions, Meiling,Ó he shouted in frustration. ÒWhere have -you- been? What were -you- doing? The only reason myself and my men came here to this kingdom was to search for you!Ó

Sakura gasped behind her bush. That couldnÕt be true- the Wolves had been murderers, destroying lives and homes, taking prisoners. They were not innocent searchers!

ÒWhile you continued to do your FatherÕs bidding,Ó said Meiling coldly. Syaoran gave her an icy glare.

ÒI have to obey my Father,Ó said Syaoran gravely. MeilingÕs lips curved downward into a cold frown.

ÒI suppose I have to tell you what IÕm doing here,Ó she said slowly. Syaoran only glared at her, waiting.

ÒI came here intending to meet with the Kaeran Princess, Tomoyo Kaera,Ó Meiling explained without a hint of hesitation, ÒTo discuss the possibility of peace between our two kingdoms.Ó

SyaoranÕs eyes widened in surprise.

ÒI know that I went against your FatherÕs orders, but I had to go!,Ó Meiling cried pleadingly, ÒThis war must end! It was the only chance we had to bring about peace!Ó

ÒDid you meet with her?,Ó asked Syaoran slowly. Meiling nodded.

ÒI did,Ó she said, ÒBut before we could talk of peace, we were attacked by a group of Lian soldiers. Both of us were captured; they did not believe me when I told them who I was. They were sure I was a Kaeran diplomat.Ó

ÒHow did you get here, then,Ó asked Syaoran seriously, ÒIf you were captured by our men?Ó

ÒI escaped,Ó said Meiling. ÒI came here to you hoping that you and your men could help me to rescue her.Ó

ÒWhat?!,Ó Syaoran said, clearly shocked. ÒThatÕs impossible! Father would never allow it!Ó

ÒI know!,Ó cried Meiling, ÒBut Syaoran, itÕs our last chance!Ó. She paused, her eyes darkening with sadness and fear. ÒThereÕs more.Ó

Syaoran looked at her in calm curiosity. ÒWhat is it?,Ó he asked.

ÒTomoyo thinks that it was an ambush, that I set up the peace meeting intending to capture her. The last time I saw her, she screamed that I was a lying backstabber as she was being dragged away by Lian soldiers,Ó Meiling said gravely.

ÒSyaoran,Ó she continued with a serious frown, ÒI need to talk to her, and tell her the truth. Tomoyo is our last chance for peace between the Kaera and Li kingdoms, our last chance to end this horrible war. We have to rescue her.Ó

Syaoran said nothing for a few minutes, deep in thought. He finally spoke.

ÒYouÕre right,Ó Syaoran said slowly, ÒYukito will never consider a peace agreement when his daughter is in the hands of Lian soldiers. And if she is hurt, or killed . . .Ó

ÒThen we will have no chance at peace,Ó Meiling finished for him. Syaoran nodded gravely.

ÒYes,Ó he said slowly, ÒYouÕre right in that this is our last chance for peace.Ó

Meiling watched Syaoran intently, eying him with curiosity. ÒSyaoran?,Ó she asked cautiously.

ÒHm?,Ó Syaoran responded. Meiling hesitantly continued.

ÒIs that what you want?,Ó she asked slowly, ÒDo you hope for peace as I do?Ó

Syaoran stared out into the darkness, his eyes softening as he considered this. Then he suddenly turned to Meiling, anger in his eyes.

ÒOf course I hope for peace!,Ó he snapped. MeilingÕs eyes widened in shock.

ÒItÕs just that . . .,Ó Syaoran continued, ÒI canÕt disobey my Father.Ó

ÒYou can,Ó said Meiling firmly. Before Syaoran could argue with her, she continued. ÒDonÕt you think itÕs worth it, this one time? For peace?Ó

Syaoran again became lost in thought, considering this. Meiling continued after a few moments, her voice desperate.

ÒPlease, Syaoran,Ó she cried pleadingly, ÒFree your prisoners and order your men to follow me. IÕll lead you to where Tomoyo and I were captured, and you and I can begin to search for her from there. Please,Ó she whispered, ÒPlease.Ó

SyaoranÕs eyes seemed to soften at the mention of the prisoners. ÒIÕd finally have an excuse to free them . . .Ó he whispered. Meiling looked at him strangely.

ÒWhat?,Ó she asked. Syaoran turned toward her.

ÒI said that I will do it,Ó said Syaoran, suddenly cold. ÒBut I will do it for peace, not for you.Ó

ÒOf course,Ó said Meiling gently. ÒI knew that you were still as kind as I remembered, Syaoran darling.Ó She took a step forward, walking toward him. Syaoran eyed her nervously.

ÒYouÕre my fiancŽ,Ó said Meiling tenderly, taking another step forward. ÒAnd IÕve missed you. Have you been missing me in return?Ó

Syaoran stood his ground stiffly, and said nothing.

ÒIÕm happy that weÕre together again,Ó Meiling said warmly, ÒAt least for now.Ó Another step forward, and Meiling was less than a foot away from Syaoran. His eyes widened in surprise as Meiling leaned forward.

As Syaoran stood stiffly with his eyes wide, Meiling kissed him tenderly.

Sakura saw this and gasped. She felt as though a knife had been stabbed into her heart and was slowly being twisted. Everything began to flood into her mind. She knew it was safe to assume that her Syaoran was in reality a Prince of the men that had so cruelly murdered her father and brother; he was their leader, in fact. This girl was his fiancŽ, and was kissing him right now. She did not know the reasons behind the way that Syaoran had treated her, but she knew one thing for sure.

It had all been a lie.

Sakura held back a sob as tears fell from her eyes. She turned away from the kiss in pain. Had she loved him? She supposed that it no longer mattered.

Sakura quickly yet neatly folded the dark green clock, leaving it next to the bush where she was sure that Syaoran would find it once he got the chance to look in that direction. Crying, she turned away from the blazing fire and kiss and toward the dark, deep Forest.

She stood and began to run, tears staining her pale cheeks. She ran and ran, not knowing where she was going and not caring. She only wanted to run, to get as far away from the amber-eyed, kind and yet also cruel, it seemed, Wolf as she possibly could.

Sakura ran until she reached a clearing with a beautiful pond sheltered by a wall of trees, the moon and its rays of moonlight reflecting upon its glasslike surface. There she threw herself down upon the ground in front of the calm water, kneeling with her head in her hands as she cried, sobbing, her body trembling. Images of SyaoranÕs kind smile, his gentle touch filled her mind, causing her to cry harder.

Had it truly all been a lie?
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To be continued in the next chapter. The next chapter ends happier, I promise!

If you liked it, or better yet, have ideas, then please leave a review! I love reviews! Reviews = writer faster! =^^= IÕll even thank you personally because I love reviews so much! Hehe.

By the way, if anyone could think up a catchy summary for this story, IÕd greatly appreciate it! I think the one I have is kind of lame and unattracting.

In the next chapter: Syaoran and Meiling continue to talk, though not about the war . . . and then Syaoran chases after Sakura . . .