They say that what you mock, will surely overtake you.
And you become a monster, so the monster will not break you.
Skys Fall Down
By: Trulie Hope
Chapter One
Author's note: It's been a really long time, hasn't it? Many, many sorries about that. The good news here is I'm halfway through writing chapter five. The bad news is I won't be able to post it until I'm satisfied with the rest of my chapters up until that point. Not to worry, I'm out of school now and have been working at a fairly rapid rate. I can probably fix a chapter a day, meaning the newest chapter should be out this Friday, excluding any hindrances. I appreciate all your patience and support (even thought I think this is one of my inferior stories) and complements, of course. So I will continue writing!! Bare with me, PLEASE!!
P.S.: I'm looking of a BETA READER (someone to edit my work so I don't have to go back and revise it latter *sweat drop*) for this and my other stories. If your interested please let me know! It would be a huge help and motive me to get things out faster! Tell me in a review or via e-mail: pikogio@yahoo.com
It had started a lovely autumn day, over cast yet not too cold. The majority of the town was out in force, enjoying the temperate weather. Children ran and played, their laughter echoing down the streets as parents looked on with pride. Young and old couples strolled hand and hand down tree lined paths, perfectly content with the moment. There was nothing about the weather or atmosphere of the small town that would hint at the events soon to come
The sky burst open with a deafening explosion. BANG. BANG. BANG. Mortar shells, or some similar type of weapon, rained down as airplanes tore through the clear skies with their deadly burdens. None of the residents had time to identify the falling objects, they were too concerned with the damage they caused. Huge holes appeared devouring buildings, vehicles, and people in a shower of rubble. Smoke obscured the sun, plunging the town and all its occupants into a night-like darkness. Flashes of sparks appeared periodically, lighting the sky with fireworks before shattering into millions of lethal pieces.
Everything was chaos. People ran hysterically in every direction, pushing and shoving in an attempt to find asylum. Horrible noise echoed: cries of pain, cries of despair, frantic cars honking, and sirens. Heavy smoke and the hard bit of metal filled the air with obtrusive scents.
"Li-kun, what's happening?!"
A pair of teenagers caught in the upheaval, a girl with auburn hair and a boy with messy brown, were huddled beneath the overhand of a building amid the frantic crowds. They watched in horror as familiar faces rushed by, marred with injury and blood. This was the lowest point of humanity, neighbors fled in fear without thought of those around them.
Another explosion echoed through the air, much closer than any of the pervious bombardments. The girl gave a small cry and dove into a nearby alley, dragging the boy with her. They tumbled behind a garbage can, tangled in each others' limbs as they crouched there tensely. A shower of sharp stones rained down, denting the metal can they hid behind and burning any uncovered skin.
"I don't know, Kinomoto," he admitted, untangling himself from her and examining his newly acquired wounds. "Are you hurt?" She climbed to her feet beside him and shook her head. "Good, we need to get some place safe."
Sakura nodded and winced, covering her face as another shower of metal rained down on them.
They dashed into the street amid the frantic crowds. The air was thick with dust, making Syaoran's eyes water. His companion took a deep breath that came out as a rasping couch. "Don't breathe the air, stupid," he hissed, pulling off his light jacket and tossing it to her. She pressed her face into it, breathing deeply.
"Thanks," Sakura weakly, stumbling to walk by his side again. She took a step foreword then froze, a horrified look flashing across her face. "Onii-chan! Li-kun, Touya's still at home!" and she bolted in the opposite direction without a second word or thought.
She was gone before he could do a thing. "Damn it!" he exclaimed, shoving through the crowd. Soon, he lost his companion's slight form in the crowd, but he knew where she was headed: her home. Glancing to the right, Syaoran saw a large amount of angry smoke billowing from a spot less than half a mile away. That was the district where this attack had begun, the district where, unfortunately, her home was located.
The Chinese youth scowled. He didn't have to go after her, she wasn't his responsibility. That damn girl got into too much trouble, running off randomly whenever her emotions got the better of her. She felt too much, loved those around her with all she was; it would be her downfall some day. But that was what made her who she was, her ability to love selflessly was what the brown haired youth like most about her. Besides, he wouldn't have been able to bring himself to leave her alone under such circumstances.
Syaoran thought back to moments early when the planes dropped the first bombs. Her eyes had been filled with fear but she'd struggled valiantly to hide it behind her determination. She would die if left on her own or face a fate worse than death at the hands of the ground troops that would be coming soon. The thought made him shudder. No, he wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially not her.
The boy exhaled deeply, taking a minute to gather his wits. Frantic people pushed by him without regard, the sounds around him were overwhelming. Sakura. He focused his thoughts on his goal and sprinted in the direction of her house.
Nothing was familiar. The street he ran down didn't resemble anything he'd ever seen. Piles of rubble stood where familiar buildings and landmarks had been… this wasn't the town he remembered so fondly. The longer he ran, the fewer living people he encountered. Slumped bodies lined the now nearly empty streets and the fighter grew closer at hand, the air stunk of sulfur.
A half-bent pole marked the crossing of two non-existent streets. Syaoran rounded the corner with newfound strength. Her house used to lie on this street, halfway down. That meant she would be there too, if nothing else had happened... He pushed the thought from his mind and sure enough, he saw her figure standing motionless in front of the…
Oh God. Her house no longer stood where it should have, a huge heap of junk heap surrounding a deep hole was there instead. It was impossible. The brick walls and shrubbery, high walls and windows, there was no trace of anything. Not even a plank of wood was left whole in the mess. A bomb had found its mark.
Slowly he approached her and hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. Sakura's eyes were so large they took up most of her head. They didn't blink, just starred at the mess of what used to be her home. She jumped at his touch and turned around to face him, her green eyes brimming with tears.
"We need to find some place safe."
She shook her head violently. "He could still be alive! Li-kun, we have to look!!"
He knew that was impossible. If the initial blast hadn't killed Touya, her brother would have been crushed beneath the weight of the rubble. The thought made him cringe, he couldn't meet her eyes. "Kinomoto, no one could have survived that."
"No…" The tears started to fall, leaving clean streaks on her dirty face. "No, no, no… he's alive! He is! He can't die, Li-kun, it's impossible. I need him here!" She pulled away from him and stumbled towards the wreckage. Her shaking feet didn't her far and she collapsed to her knees, her voice a whisper. "We just have to find him! He's here!!"
Syaoran walked towards her and knelt next to her, taking her shoulders in his hands. This was still and dangerous place to be, because of the affects of the bombings like gas leaks and explosions. They had to get some place safe, pushing luck at this point wasn't wise. The girl didn't acknowledge his presence, just continued to stare forward at the wreckage. Suddenly, she began struggling desperately against his hold, attempting to get towards the rubble and babbling incoherently.
"Kinomoto! Kinomoto! Look at me, damn it! Sakura!"
All his attempts to get her attention failed and he was desperate. With resolve, he did something he never thought he'd do. He hit her across the face. Hard.
His blow sent her reeling backwards, but she caught her weight with her hands. The words stopped pouring from her mouth and she looked up at him, blinking.
"He is dead," he told her, his voice harsher than he had intended. "Touya is dead, and you will be too if you don't pull yourself together. There is nothing left for you here, understand?"
She didn't reply, just stood starring at him with those overly wide eyes.
"Understand?" he repeated, raising his tone.
"H…hai," she choked out.
Nodding in approval, he allowed his tone to soften. "It's still dangerous to be here. Come on, we need to…" A huge explosion cut off the rest of his sentence. It felt like the blast had occurred right overhead, Syaoran hadn't even heard the damn plane. Unimaginable heat filled the air so hot it felt like it would bake him alive and leave nothing but a pile of ashes. He covered his head and hit the ground, burying his face in his hands. A fine sprinkle of something warm rained down on his back and exposed arms, stinging. Rolling again to his feet, he brushed it off.
The boy looked over the extent of his injuries, noted how the mysterious power had turned his skin red and made it itch. Aside from that, however, he'd escaped with nothing more than a few cuts and scrapes.
"Kinomoto," he called out to his companion. No reply. He tried again, scanning the ground around him. Finally, his eyes spied a limp body three yards away. His blood ran cold. No.
He rushed to her side, tripping over his feet as he raced to feel her pulse and breathing a sigh of relief when he found one. Sakura was alive, that was enough information to calm his beating heart. The next step was to access her condition.
Looking her over, he noticed shell powder coating her as well, but that was the least extend of her injuries. There was a horrible looking gash just above her eye, deep and spewing a steady stream of blood that threaten to run over her closed eyes. Her body was covered with burns and scratched in addition, many of them looking quite serious. However, it was the cut that concerned him the most, the injury could lead to a concussion.
She needed medical help and they both need protection; a safe place to rest and clean water. The Japanese Self Defense Force should be coming soon, any time now, to offer their assistance as long as the troops didn't run into any resistance. He didn't want to wait that long, though. The girl at his side could easily bleed to death before that happened. Never mind the consequences of the injury…
Scooping her easily into his arms, he did his best to clean the blood from her face and stop its flow using a ripped piece of cloth as a makeshift bandage. Syaoran sighed, pressing his finger to her pulse again. She was strong, despite what he often told her, and she would make it through this. And if he was wrong… he didn't want to think what he'd do if he was wrong.
He launched to his feet, carefully clutching Sakura to his chest to avoid aggravating her injury further, and jogged back towards the center of town. If he couldn't find anyone to help, there was a possibility that he could salvage something of use from the wreckage of the business district that could be of use.
As Syaoran turned a corner, he felt a glimmer of hope. A group of soldiers were walking down the street ahead of him. From this distance, he couldn't make out their uniforms, only that they were a drab grey. They looked generic and there was no reason why they shouldn't be friendly. Still…
Something held him back and he stopped in the shadows. A woman was running towards the group of four, her face and hands bloodied and a crying bundle clasped in her arms. She dropped to her knees in front of the men, begging for help. The man in the middle just smirked, pulled a hand-gun from his belt and…
BANG. Flinching, he turned his eyes away from the sight he had just witnessed. A bitter taste rose in his throat and he stumbled forward, setting Sakura down inside a ruined shop before stumbling to his knees in the alley and retching receptively. He wiped his mouth and sucked in deep breath after deep breath, trying to erase the scene from his memory.
Those men were the enemy, obviously, and they were coming this way. He fought down the urge to panic- there had to be some way to escape. Returning to the store, he kneeled beside Sakura and considered his options carefully. Running back the way they'd come could be an option, but that would put them in danger of shells as well other soldiers. But there was no other way, unless…
The Sakura Cards. He turned towards his unconscious companion, opening the small backpack she had been carrying. Set carefully inside, among other items, were a thick stack of tarot-like cards. Would this work? Could he use them? This had to work, or else they were both dead.
It took a few minutes of flipping through the deck before he found the card he was looking for, fly. Placing the remaining ones back inside the bag, he held the card in front of him and concentrated, all but begging it to work. "Come to my aid, Sakura Card," he muttered.
Amazingly, and glowed and the spirit spoke. "You are not my mistress," it replied, looking him over and identifying him. "Li-sama, where is my mistress?"
"Your mistress is in trouble, she needs your help," he said frantically, gesturing to the unconscious Card Mistress in his arms.
The card frowned before bursting from its confides, resting before him in the form of a large bird. "What do you want me to do, Li-sama?"
"Please, take us to some place safe, some place away from here," he requested, gather the unconscious girl once again into his arms.
Seconds later they were both born upwards into the murky sky. Syaoran looked down at the smoldering city and had to bit back the sick feeling in his stomach. He held the girl closer to him, feeling the comfort of her warmth rush through his body. The card bore them away from the destruction and death, hopefully to a place where they could take refuge, if only for the moment.
-TBC
pikogio@yahoo.com
