Wow, chapter two is up!! I'm extremely sorry for the long delay and you can blame it… on anyone but me!!! (Driver's test and vacation!!!). But finally I managed to take a few minutes from my busy schedule and put this up for all of you. Hopefully any future deadlines I make up will be enforced *grin*.
I'm sure you're sick and tired of hearing me talk, so on with the fic. Oh, but I would like to say a huge thank-you to my beta readers/ editors:
Eternal Fire and Milli!!!
You can thank them for the perfectly proofed chappie!!!
As always, any suggestions are more than welcome, no matter how harsh. Now for the fic (really, I mean it…)
Trials Will Tear Us Apart
Chapter Two: Once Too Often
Sakura shot up in bed, gasping for breath as her entire body shook with what had seemed to be overwhelming fear. That dream again, the one in which the shadow came for her. A violent shudder wracked her form and she suddenly felt very cold. Her sweat soaked pajamas did nothing to keep her warm and the howling wind was a constant reminder of the freezing temperatures outside.
I must relax, I must relax, I must relax. She chanted inside her head, attempting to calm her racing pulse. A quick glance to her left assured her Syaoran was still sleeping peacefully, oblivious to her nightmares; that, at least, was a relief. Her eyes focused on his face, peacefully slacked as he slept. She loved the way his hair fell over his eyes in that careless fashion, moving ever so slightly with each exhaled breath. His chest rose and fell in an even motion and her own lungs followed his example, calming her shaking body until she could think clearly again.
There was a time when sleep meant letting go of any thoughts or concerns and waking up oblivious to the world but Sakura was no longer able to sleep like that, at least not since the… incident. She found herself waking up and knowing exactly where she was and exactly what had occurred before she drifted off into slumber. Now, for example, she was not at all surprised to find herself laying beside Syaoran in her older brother's room.
With a sigh, she settled slowly back in the pillows and took advantage of Syaoran's warmth next to her. Everything seemed better when she was wrapped in his arms, feeling the steady beat of his heart vibrating against her back. Even her nightmare seemed stupid and insignificant.
Which it would have been, if it was only a nightmare.
That particular vision, where the horrible shadow visited her and sought her assistance, had been reoccurring steadily for well over three weeks. Sakura realized it was a premonition but didn't think it gave out enough information to be worth worrying her friends and family; they were already preoccupied with her condition. Touya and her father were extra nice, keeping a careful eye on her at all times, and Tomoyo was assuring her constantly that she was there for her if anything was bothering her.
It was nice to know they cared, but Sakura would have preferred they didn't worry. Yes, the twelve months "anniversary" was quickly approaching, but she would deal with that in her own way. The whole thing wasn't that bad, it had returned Syaoran to her. A smirk crossed her face. Alright, maybe she was being a tad overoptimistic…
Syaoran's hands crept around her waist, pulling her closer to him and he mumbled something in his sleep. Her smirk turned into a smile as she allowed her hand to slide up to rest against his cheek. He was so exhausted from the flight over here, her poor little Syao-chan, that she was surprised he'd stayed awake as long as he had last night. The Chinese warrior had even managed to sleep through her fit, which was surprising since he was usually so in-tune to her emotions and feelings. Not that it matter, she was thankful he wasn't questioning her over the incident. But if he ever found out about it…
Warm and adequately calmed, Sakura let her mind float to happier things. She thought about the festivities of last night and sitting comfortably in the living room at Syaoran side, or the fact that today was Christmas and that mounds of presents were inevitably waiting downstairs. And the fact that someone was standing in the doorway, watching.
Her eyes flew in that direction and gave a startled yelp, making her hands fly up to cover her flushed case. This wasn't good. This was the opposite of good time infinity. Her father was standing in the doorway staring at her laying on the bed, next to Syaoran, in bed with Syaoran.
Sakura's mind erupted into a whirlwind of thoughts as she gave another small squeak. What was her dad going to do now? What could any dad do? She had to admit, if she was the parent and found her child in the very same situation… A shiver went down her spine. Please don't make Syaoran leave, not when he's back after a year. Please oh please…
This was all her fault. If she hadn't been so impatient and just waited until some decent hour… Okay, she'd have to explain that. Her dad was very understanding, he'd listen. Sakura opened her mouth to speak but couldn't make the words out. The blush was rising in her cheeks, turning her face bright read as she blinked up at Fujitaka.
In the bed beside her, something stirred. Syaoran sat up, wiping his eyes and seeming quite groggy as he blinked numerous times. She could take the thought of him leaving no longer and burried her burning face in his nightshirt. "Sakura, is…" he stopped mid-sentence, face going uncharacteristically pale as his eyes focused on the figure standing in the doorway. "K…Kinomoto-san!"
While Syaoran was known to, on occasions, blush furiously he hardly every stuttered. Now his face was white as the sheets he lay in and words were tumbling from his mouth seemingly non-stop. "Kinomoto-san, I… we… it's not, I swear it's not what…"
A gentle chuckle filled the room. Sakura lifted her head from her hiding place, chancing a glance at her father and found, to her amazement, that he was smiling. Her breath caught in her throat as he held out a calming hand to the two flustered teenagers, turning his gaze steadily to Syaoran.
"That's okay, Li," he said in a placating tone. The smile hadn't left his face, maybe that was a good thing. "I trust you to respect my daughter and you wouldn't purposely hurt her, I know. I came to tell you that breakfast was ready."
Watching her father curiously, Sakura wondered. "So you knew I was here the whole time."
"I might have considered it. Don't take too long, or the food will get cold."
The door closed, eliciting two identical sighs from the occupants. "I thought he was going to make you leave," she admitted, wrapping her arms around him.
"I saw my life flash before my eyes," Syaoran admitted with a smirk, returning the embrace. "I think, all things considered, he just wanted to see you happy." He paused for a moment, tilting her chin up to look into her eyes. "Are you happy?"
"How could you ask such a question!" She demanded, pulling him even closer. "Of course I am. But I'll be very hungry if we don't get downstairs in a couple of minutes.
**************************
Hundreds of miles away across land and sea, a gathering of elderly men sat in one of Hong Kong's most ancient buildings. The Li mansion was nearly as old as the city itself, but this underground chamber had been built in times previous even to that.
"Ah, Li-sama. So good of you to finally grace us with your presence."
The elders seemed quite annoyed, Ping noted with an amused smirk of his own. Apparently that pretty little servant girl had done her job informing them he would be arriving. Not that it mattered that he had been called over forty-five minutes ago. If someone had to be blamed it would be his fiancée. She was, after all, the one to shove him into that pond. And he couldn't go before the councils soaked through with pond water.
Taking a seat cross-legged on a cushion, he took his time looking at the faces around him. There were roughly thirteen people in the room, twelve men and a single woman. He let his gaze lock on her, staring until she looked up to meet his eyes. Li Yelan.
She was always so calm and collected, staring back at him with cold, expressionless eyes. Those eyes reminded him of Syaoran in everything but color. The defiance held there, all over layered with hatred and smooth disdain… he wanted nothing more than to beat those emotions from her expression. He couldn't, of course. At least not yet. But her time would come.
Ping had thought that being the leader of his clan would give him all the power he could ever want. It didn't. Even now, after being leader for nearly a year, all his actions were hindered by the council and, above all else, that damn woman. He didn't understand just why she had so much power. Sure, her husband was leader and then her son was nominated, but that shouldn't mean a thing. Both were gone now, that should give him divine control.
Despite his feelings that these meetings were foolish, he reclined into his pillow and turned his eyes away from his ex-cousin's mother. He had to control his emotions, wait until his plan for complete domination was in action before he revealed just how he felt about these idiots surrounding him…
"Indeed." Ping's voice was silky smooth, brushing off the previous comment with an air of indifference. "Why was it that you called?"
"There is a grave matter at hand, revolving around your actions against the Card Mistress."
His face cracked into a toothy grin. Yes, he remembered that incident, how could he not. "Surely the elders of the Li clan have not so suddenly adopted a conscious?"
They ignored his comment, a second elder clearing his throat to speak. Ping scanned the faces quickly, bringing his gaze to rest on the youngest of the men. His most important alley, Sung-shi, was staring back at him with a calm expression. Nothing to be concerned with.
"Tell me, Li-sama, have you noticed an unexplainable presence as of late?"
Yes, he had. Just today, at the pond, he had been attempting to divine what it could be that was disturbing his senses. Could the elders know what it was?"
He nodded in affirmation. "Yes, in fact. I have."
The man continued. "We have been watching it for quite some time. At first it seemed to be nothing more than a small pouch of excess energy. But over time it has grown and has taken on a… life of its own."
"What do you mean?" Ping's brows narrowed.
"When we tracked it before we were able to do so without interruption. Now, however, it has been very difficult to see how much this thing has grown. Only when we catch it off guard can we access its development, and doing that is becoming more and more difficult."
So whatever it was that he had felt was growing steadily and judging by the way it had felt, this being was magical. "Is it a threat?"
The chamber broke into a muffle of soft whispers as the elders discussed the question among themselves. Ping smirked, satisfied with having caught the old bunch off guard. Finally, things calmed.
A third elder cleared his throat. "That is not important, although highly likely. At this point, we wish to discuss with you the origin of this being. You have felt this presence, true, but have you taken the time to feel what it was like?"
His face screwed into a look at confusion and distaste. The elder's arrogant tone made his blood boil, especially since what he was saying made no sense. Why the hell would this presence feel like anything special? He could feel magic coming from it, wasn't that enough?
"Apparently not," the man continued and Ping was tempted to rip his heart out. "The magic swirling inside this being is a mixture. Part belongs to the young Card Mistress. The other, if we are not mistaken, is yours."
Sakura… In his mind he could see her as clearly as ever with her beautiful figure and that innocent aura fluttering around her like cloth in the wind. The prospect of his magic mixed with hers was a delicious thought, for some reason, and he smiled to himself in satisfaction. Still, he couldn't see the point of this conversation. "What does this prove?"
"You asked us earlier if we considered this thing to be dangerous. The correct answer would have been no, not at the moment, but powerful things have been known to become a nuisance."
"So we need to take care of it before it becomes a problem," he nodded in understanding. "But how, if it is potentially dangerous and as powerful as you suspect."
A forth took over, it was always amusing when they did this. Ping wondered sometimes it all the elders were somehow connected by a sort of divine tie. They certainly acted like it, at times. "We're uncertain what the consequences would be if we disposed of the thing outright, since the magic it uses belongs to you and the Card Mistress. Were she within our easy access, however, we might be able to better control the end result."
"So you want the Card Mistress here." Ping smiled, he liked that idea. He definitely wouldn't mind being able to see her again, or touch her, or…
"And we think it's only fitting that you, as leader, retrieve her."
"Me."
Sung-shi stood up, grinning like mad. "Consider it, Li-sama. No doubt a certain… person is with the Card Mistress at her home in Japan, a certain person who tarnished your honor by refusing your request. Wouldn't you like to… repay that debt? And bring the Card Mistress with you in the process?"
Meeting his friend's eyes again, Ping felt a delighted expression cross onto his face. Of course, why hadn't the thought of that? What would be more entertaining than humiliating Syaoran, utterly and totally, before taking away his precious flower yet again? He didn't want to kill him, just maim him badly enough that he couldn't follow back to Hong Kong…
Throughout the conversation, no one had been aware that the door leading into the room was left slightly open. Or that a ruby eyed girl was peering inside with a horrified grimace. Meiling leaned back from the door, the breath catching in her throat as a sick feeling washed over her entire body. The cool stone of the opposite wall felt good against her head as she sunk back against it.
For possibly the millionth time, she was disgusted that she was a Li.
Oh Sakura… why can't they leave her alone? Haven't they done enough to her already? She felt like crying and Li Meiling didn't feel like crying often. The destroyed expression hidden behind Sakura's usual giddy smile flashed into her mind and she allowed her head to drop into her lap. It's bad enough they want to steal her away from her family, but sending Ping after her…
That type of work was usually left to training children, like Syaoran's Clow Card escapades back when he was ten. Very rarely did the clan leader ever leave the vicinities. In fact, it was all but unheard of in modern times. They were heartless bastards, that was the only reason they suggested Ping go. It was to instill fear and to remind that the Li clan was all powerful.
But there was something more pressing on Meiling's mind. I wonder, do they realize Syaoran isn't even with Sakura at this point? He's training with Eriol in England, has been for the past year. If Ping were to leave to bring her back, there would be no one to stop him. Poor, poor Sakura.
She refused to be useless. Meiling refused to be helpless as her dear friend's life was ripped apart, again. Somehow, she had to warm Sakura.
It was impossible for her to leave the grounds of the Li mansion but that wasn't necessary. One phone call could spoil these horrible plans before they were put into action. Personally calling Syaoran or even Sakura was out of the question, as their numbers had been blocked from use along with anyone else involved in the issues of last year. A certain English sorcerer, however, had managed to stay out of the mess.
******************
Eriol was felt very pleased with himself. He'd been staying with Tomoyo for a total of twelve hours and had managed to evade any and all of her questions. A smirk played over his features as he indulged in that thought. This extreme success was due, in part, that she hadn't been pestering him about why they were back and Sakura's part in it. She'd asked once, as soon as they stepped inside the door and kept her silence from then on out. He was grateful for that, it was going to be hard enough to explain the situation once…
The door to his room opened unceremoniously and admitted a certain dark-haired girl. It seemed he had spoken to soon, he thought, fighting to keep the calm smile on his face.
"Tomoyo, good morning. Is there something I can help you with?"
With a resolute slam, the door closed behind her.
"I want to know exactly what is happening, Eriol," she stated, speaking slowly. "I have as much of a right as anyone else to know what's going on, especially if it involves Sakura. So spill it."
Mind whirling, he looked desperately for a way out of this one. Seeing no solution in sight he sighed, about to tell the story when…
Like a sign from above, his cell phone went off.
The look on Tomoyo's face suggested murder as she glared at him, hands placed daintily on her hips. "Don't you dare answer it."
"At least let me check who it is." Digging through the bag until he found the small device, Eriol flipped it open and could hold in his gasp of surprise. "Tomoyo, whatever you do, do not make a sound."
"Who is it," she wondered, sounding worried.
He didn't answer, answering the call instead. "Meiling, is everything alright?"
"It took you long enough to answer to damn phone, Hiiragizawa." The girl on the other end barked out, not waiting for him to reply before continuing. "You and… you need to get to…. to her as soon as possible, it's urgent!"
"Slow down, Meiling," Eriol said calmly, her tone disturbing him. The vagueness when it came to the names Syaoran and Sakura was to be expected, but he'd never heard the girl so upset. "We're already as close as we can get, they're together again, so that problem is solved. But why are you so worried?"
She breathed a deep sigh of relief, some of the urgency draining from her tone. "Oh, thank-god. I was so afraid."
"Why? Is this something we should know about?"
"Yes," again, Meiling sighed. "I'm afraid it's not good news. Ping… he's coming back."
Eriol felt his entire body grown cold, the blood draining from his face as he stared, unbelievingly, at the phone in his hands. "Back?"
She gave a quiet grunt of affirmation. "Yes, for her." Her voice dropped dramatically until it was barely above a whisper. "They, the council has been feeling a presence that contains both her and Ping's magic and they're worried about the consequences so they want to get rid of it immediately. So they… they need her here and… you have to warn Sya.. him! Ping's coming for revenge and if he catches him off guard…"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure he's aware of it." Mentally, he swore. What could the Li clan's presence have to do with any of this. Unless… The same obscene word repeated over and over in his head, that had to be it. "Meiling, did they say anything about…"
A loud noise echoed from her side of the line, followed by a little yelp of surprise. Something clattered from her hand, probably the phone, and another something hard made a loud crash in the background. Then, the line went dead.
The object in his hand held Eriol's attention transfixed yet again as he stared at it in disbelief. It was useless to try and call back, there was no way to get through, he only hoped she was alright…
A light tap on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. Turning, he looked up into Tomoyo's face. She looked concerned and more then a little frightened as she inquired, "You.. you've been in contact with Meiling. I thought that wasn't allowed, is she alright, what did she say? She's coming back, isn't she?"
"Tomoyo," his eyes were grim, "Tomoyo, she told me Ping is coming back, for Sakura and revenge on Syaoran."
Her mouth opened in an 'O' of disbelief."
"Remember I told you there were complications Sakura could face as a result of these… events, but I didn't mention what?" She nodded. "I think Meiling might have enlightened me as to the cause… But we need to speak with Sakura, and soon."
************
Sakura and Syaoran sat alone at the Kinomoto table, a huge stack of pancakes separating them as they happily ate, take turns questioning the other about the year they spent apart.
"How many times, exactly, did you feel like doing poor Eriol some type of harm?"
Syaoran choked, pretending to somewhat offended. "Poor Eriol?"
"Answer the question," she replied tolerably.
"As you wish. No less than half a million. My turn."
She giggled into her hand. "Alright, go ahead."
"Lets see, how…"
Upstairs, Sakura heard a loud thump, followed by a slamming door. A bright smile covered her face as she fought down the urge to laugh. "Duck."
Poor Syaoran was utterly confused. "What?"
"I said, Du…" But she didn't get to finish. A blur of yellow whirled past his ear with enough speed to send Syaoran's chair teetering dangerous. He steadied himself quickly, even more confused than before, and blinked in surprise when he noticed the plate of pancakes in front of him was now very empty.
"The yellow bullet strikes again," Sakura commented, picking up her syrup-drenched guardian and cradling him in her palm. "Kero-chan, where are your manners? You didn't even say hello to our guest!"
Her little guardian was too busy digesting the stack of seven pancakes to pay much attention. "Ne? Oh, sure, sure, Sakura-chan. Whatever you say," he said in a sing song voice, reclining on his back and patting his full stomach. After a few seconds of silence, her words set in and he leaped up in panic. "Guests!!!!" and immediately pretended to be a stuffed plaything.
Syaoran, having regained his composure, smirked at the little creature. "Long time no see, stuffed animal."
Kero tensed, his eyes snapped open, the breath caught in his chest. "The BRAT!!!!" He flew out of Sakura's hands and right at Syaoran's face. Hovering there, inches above his nose, he demanded in an obnoxiously loud tone, "What the hell took you so long?! I should bit your nose off for making Sakura cry over you and…"
The Card Mistress was desperately reaching out for the little flying animal, grabbing at him to stop the words that were spilling out of his mouth. "Kero-chan!! You're not supposed tot ell him that," she hissed, making one last forlorn swipe at him. Something connected with her hand, but it wasn't Kero's fluffy form.
She looked up and found Syaoran's earnest gaze on her, his hand clasped gently over her own. "Did you really… cry? Because of me?"
Sakura forced a smile, she was so used to doing this now a days it was like second nature and looked away since she knew Syaoran could always tell when she lied. "Don't worry about it, it's not important."
"How could it not be important?" His voice was a mummer, sounding very near her ear. She jumped slightly, feeling his arms around her waist pulling her to him, then relaxed with a sigh. "I never wanted to make you cry, Sakura. Ever. For any pain I caused you, I'm sorry. So incredibly sorry…"
Her hand covered his where it was resting on her stomach and she leaned her head against his shoulder, pressing a gentle kiss to the underside of his chin. "You don't need to…" A cold sensation passed over her body, one that was very familiar but that usually only came when she slept. It tensed her muscled, forcing her to abandon her sentence half-way through.
"Sakura?"
She hardly registered his voice was as it became more and more apparent… Yes, the shadow was coming. But why? Why had it leapt so suddenly from her dreams to real life? And why couldn't things stay normal, if only for a small period of time.
It entered through the kitchen door like any other normal being would, opening the white wood thing then closing it behind itself. Amid conscious souls, it took a shape much like that of a small child. Not that she could see much of its appearance, it was the shadow for a reason with all of its features shaded by a night-like gloom.
Glancing behind her, she met Syaoran's eyes and watched as they widened then narrowed at the intruder. Yes, he could see it too. Soon Sakura found herself hidden from view behind Syaoran's form, his arms spread wide and his transformed sword in hand. He faced the intruder like he had so many times before, expecting any number of things, but not what happened.
From the shadow he received a purely questioning expression. It reminded Sakura of a curious child and almost made her laugh. Almost, had she not been petrified of the thing before her. Its eyes turned to her and took on a hurt expression.
"I called for you," it said, sounding very vulnerable and childish, "but you didn't come."
Sakura froze. How could this thing be so different from the one in her dream? If she had had no previous dealing with it, she would have found it quite… innocent. None the less, she did her best to become invisible.
Its eyes, or the space of its face where its eyes should have been, sought her out despite Syaoran's protective form. "You did not come!" It repeated in disbelief. "Why, if you did not want me, did you create me?"
"I… I didn't!" Sakura managed to stammer, her hand fisting in the back of Syaoran's jacket.
"What the hell are you," the young warrior demanded. He held his sword in a defensive stance, slicing it one through the air as if to make his point. "And what do you want, damn it!"
Its dark eyes passed over him in a lazy fashion. "My words are for my creator alone."
"I didn't make you!" she repeated in a desperate tone. "I don't even know what you are!"
"You cannot renounce it, mistress. Many times I have visited you in your dreams."
"If that's true then you're evil and I would never, ever create something as vile as you."
The expression that passed over the shadowed face was nearly violent. "So you deny my creation…"
His form tensed and Syaoran took a deliberate step forward. "I have had enough of your crap!" Accenting his last word with a jab, the blade of his sword ran straight through the creature. Yet it did not fall or seem at all damaged by the metal protruding from its middle as it again met Sakura's gaze.
"You have forsaken me. Rest assured I shall return the favor." Then, it was gone.
-end chpt.2-
A cliffie? Blame my betas, they made me do it!!! (Just kidding guys). If you're confused, please don't worry. Much more will be revealed in the next chapter. What to expect? *cheesy announcer voice* Angst, Drama, Fluff, and some funny as well as a fight scene (I think…) So tune in next time for another episode of Trials Will Tear Us Apart!!!! Oh, and by the way, me heart reviews!!!! pikogio@yahoo.com