Hey fellow CCS fans! I'm back with another chapter of "No Strings Attached"! Yeah! I bet you're just so overly excited that you can't contain yourself....*cough, cough * yeah, ok, sure. *lol*

Well, ff.net has been down for a while, but I'm REALLY glad it's back now!! YEAH!! And thanks to all who R + R the last 7 chaps...you guys inspire me to keep going!

OBkb, on with the story.

[FYI: this story is almost concluded. I think I'm gonna write about 2 more chapters @ the MOST and then conclude it!]

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Sakura - - 17

Syaoran - - 18

"..." Spoken Words

*...* w/italics Thoughts

~~~~~~~~~ Scene Changes/Flashbacks/change in P.O.V

[...] Authors Notes

Disclaimer: The CCS characters DO NOT belong to me, ok! They belong to © Clamp...so please don't sue me!! ^^'

~No Strings Attached ~

Just in case you forgot, here's a review of the last chapter:

"Are you sure?"

Syaoran nervously looked at her.

"Uh, no, no I don't know a thing, ok...Kero told me nothing....absolutely, positively nothing."

*Hmm...I think he's hiding something from me...but what could it be? Syaoran would never hide anything important from me...would he?*

Chapter 8: A Foreboding Presence

He sat in his dark and gloomy room, as usual, concocting a scheme of what his next action should be.

"This 'Little Wolf' of Sakura's is getting in my way," he said, "If I do not remove him from the situation soon, he may convince her of what he already knows...about who I really am. That would be a horrendous incident on my account."

He slouched a little in his large, leather chair and placed his fingertips upon his temples. Then, closing his dark brown eyes, he began chanting softly.

Just as the sinister man began his meditation, another figure appeared in the room.

The man ceased his meditation momentarily.

"What do you want, Gloqumed?" he said, annoyingly.

Gloqumed bowed and placed his large gloved hands inside the arms of his over-sized, black robe.

"I am exceedingly sorry to disturb you, My Master, but I have an urgent message from Metronaus. He has word of the position of the Card Mistress and the Chinese boy."

Gloqumed's Master perked up at the mentioning of the subject.

"He has word, eh? What word? Tell me more, servant."

Gloqumed nodded and slowly glided toward his Master's desk.

"Metronaus has reported that they are currently avoiding your alter ego, Ryu, and are walking around Tomeda aimlessly. If you don't mind me saying, Master Odium, you could use their current position to your advantage. You know, confuse them a bit, make them get lost a little and then strike. They would never suspect it, especially if you struck suddenly and did not give them the time to sense your dark aura."

Odium [AN: which is actually another word for 'evil'...hehehehe] thought for a moment and then returned his attention to his servant.

"I am liking your suggestions, my apprentice. You can devise wonderful strategies when you really think about them. Keep that up, and begin preparing for an assault. We are to follow through with that plan of yours."

Gloqumed smiled evilly and bowed to Odium once more.

"Of course, Master, immediately. I'll send word to you when we are ready."

With that said, he quickly scampered out of the room, fully discarding the manner in which he entered.

Odium smiled wickedly, Gloqumed's evil scheme continuing to brew with in his foreboding mind.

"This will be their first, and final, battle against me. Too bad for them they do not know of it..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura and Syaoran...

Sakura and Syaoran continued wondering aimlessly through the streets of Tomeda when they realized they had come upon an unusually haunting forest.

Sakura shivered as they came closer to it. Syaoran looked at her and then back at the forest.

"Something isn't right here..." he said, pulling his sword from mid-air, "I sense something here...although, it seems somewhat...familiar in a way."

Sakura looked at him worriedly.

"Is it...evil, Syaoran?" she asked, gulping.

Syaoran paused briefly and looked about himself and Sakura.

"I don't know...the aura is so familiar, I can't tell..."

Sakura glanced around as well, when she felt it. She began breathing really heavily and looking around frantically.

"S-Syaoran....I-It's Ryu...He's c-coming...I f-feel it...."

Syaoran looked at Sakura's stuttering form and embraced her.

"Don't worry Sakura, I won't let him hurt you ever again, understand?"

Sakura looked up at him with in their embrace and smiled weakly.

"Thank you, Syaoran...I always knew I could count on you."

Syaoran smiled back and tightened the hug.

"Of course Sakura"

Then Syaoran paused again and listened. For what, Sakura didn't know, but she stayed silent as he continued to listen. Suddenly, he broke into a battle stance toward the entrance of the disturbing forest.

"He's in the forest Sakura...At least that's where I feel the force coming from." he whispered lowly to her. "C'mon Sakura, we're going in...stay close to me and be aware of your surroundings...he's most likely hiding, waiting to strike us when we least expect it."

Sakura nodded and closed the distance between herself and Syaoran's backside [and no not to be closer to his butt *lol*].

Slowly and as cautious as possible, they entered the forest, not knowing what to expect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Battle begins...

Odium waited patiently in his chambers for Gloqumed's call, pondering his attack.

Suddenly, another one of his servants burst through his chamber door with out knocking.

"What do you want!" he screamed, annoyed beyond belief.

The servant nervously bowed to Odium and hurried over to his Master.

"Master! Metronaus' aura has been sensed, your cover is blown...We tried to contact him to warn him of the children's strong senses, but we were unable to reach him. What should be done, Master?" the servant quickly stated, making nervous gestures in the process.

Odium glared at the servant and pounded a fist on the table.

"Continue preparing for our attack. We will still assail them, only it will no longer be a surprise. And call Metronaus to me...I want to speak with him...NOW! GO!"

The servant bowed nervously once more and ran out of Odium's chamber, slamming the large, metal door behind him.

"Err! I cannot believe I trusted Metronaus to carry out this task. I should've known he couldn't handle it! He still has yet to have proven himself worthy..."

Odium drummed his now gloved fingertips upon his black marbled table before rising smoothly and coasting toward his chamber's exit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura and Syaoran had made it about half way into the forest when they spotted a clearing and made their way to it.

Neither had said a word since they had entered the gloomy jungle.

Suddenly, a sinister figure emerged in front of the two teens, brandishing his sword; his identity hidden behind the darkness the mass of trees was causing.

Syaoran jumped back and protectively guarded Sakura.

"What do you want?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Behind the darkness, the heard the evil figure laugh malevolently.

"Come now, boy. This has nothing to do with the likes of you. Be gone with you. This is between my Master and the Card Mistress."

Syaoran's face contorted into an expression of pure hatred.

"Your Master, eh? Who might that be?"

The evil being laughed once more, swinging his sword a bit.

"My Master is Odium Caligraphum. Or better known to you two as 'Ryu Malloren'. I am surprised you figured out so quickly about who he really is. You are quick, kid. Yet, I have been sent to take care of the likes of you two. Prepare to die!" he ended, swinging his sword horizontally in the direction of their necks.

Syaoran fell backwards, shielding Sakura and blocked another attack from Odium's minion.

"Well then, if this fight is between Sakura and 'your Master', who are you?" Syaoran asked, throwing the dark side's disciple's sword away from himself.

" I am Metronaus. Faithful associate of the Dark Realm, servant to Master Odium and your worst nightmare. [AN: yeah, ok, bad line from a horror movie, but gimme a break will ya?]

Metronaus lunged at Syaoran again, but was stopped by his opponent easily blocking his attack.

"Sakura, get away from this, go hide somewhere until I tell you to come out, ok?" Syaoran yelled to her in the midst of the brawl.

Sakura nodded and quickly scurried away behind a bush.

Syaoran continued fighting Metronaus; neither of the two getting anywhere close to even slightly nicking one another.

All were so enthralled with in the battle, that they didn't even sense the next enemy's arrival.

A large, black suction hole appeared in the middle of the clearing and pulled Metronaus straight into it. Syaoran would have been happy to see him go, although he sensed something far worse coming about. He knew that Metronaus would be much easier to defeat than his Master. Just as Metronaus' black boots were sucked in, another figure emerged.

This figure was much larger and clad in black from head to toe. He wore a long black cape and held an unwavering black staff in his right hand. His head was covered by the hood of the black cape he wore, covering his, obviously black, hair. It was Odium.

Sakura quivered when she saw him. How on earth could this have been the Ryu she once knew and loved so much?

*I guess that just proves that some people aren't who you think they are.* she thought with a sigh.

She then returned her attention to the clearing where she saw Odium looming high before Syaoran.

Syaoran would never admit it, but he was terrified. There was something about this man's aura that just screamed 'ultimate evil!' and that was something he has never encountered before. Usually, stuff like this didn't phase him for a minuet, but the way this man carried himself showed that he was powerful: and that he knew it.

Odium smirked at Syaoran in his battle stance, holding his sword high enough to read Odium's chest.

"Do you actually think you can defeat me with that measly little piece of metal?" he asked rhetorically.

Syaoran just kept his 'game face' on and acted like he hadn't heard a word Odium has uttered.

"Well then, Boy, if you really think you can defeat me, bring it on...I can take you easily."

Syaoran's face contorted into hatred and disgust once more as he lunged straight for Odium's chest only to find that he was unable to move.

Odium smirked again and forcefully hit Syaoranin the stomach, making him fall to the ground, drop his sword and involuntarily hold his throbbing middle.

Sakura quietly gasped when she saw him fall.

*I've gotta help him! Even if he told me to hide... I can't sit back and do nothing while Syaoran gets beat up by this lunatic.* she thought as she began pondering a way to stop Odium.

~~~~~End of Chapter 8~~~~~

To Be Continued...

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OBkb, another chapter done! yeah! I'm just gonna stop there...I've got the worst headache from staring at this friggen computer...see ya'll next chapter, Ok??

So...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions or Advice?

Email me:

silvr255@bellsouth.net

:: OR ::
silverserenity2000@yahoo.com

BYEbye!

:: Legal Stuff ::

Storyline © Angel: da Newsies fan

Title © JC Chazes of *NSync

Original ideas and Character © CLAMP