Hey there! Before I go any further, I just wanted to point out that Syaoran
had no magical powers and neither does Sakura. Well, this is chapter 2. I
hope you guys like it.
Disclaimer:
Yui: I hope you guys know that this is a fan fiction, so none of this excluding the plot belongs to me.
Syaoran: *glares menacingly at Yui*
Yui: And what are you glaring for?
Syaoran: You called me a kid
Yui: You shouldn't take things so seriously. Did you really think that this story would be any good if you weren't mad at someone? Besides, you'll get Yoko-san back anyways. ^_~
Syaoran: Yea, yea whatever.
Yui: Let's get on with this, shall we?
The Keeper of Time
Chapter 2 ~ Capture!
Ocean City; Evening
A tall masculine figure made his way through the bucketing streets of Ocean City. No one was out on this rainy night, for it was pouring hard. The young man grumbled to himself and pulled his cloak closer to him. It was quite cold.
Syaoran had spent his few hours aimlessly wandering the city, trying to search for something unknown to him. Then, in the middle of his search, it began to rain-hard. This was just his luck. The only thing that seemed good to him was that the streets had lampposts and that the habitants of the city had lit them before the rain began. At least he would have light to see.
Within a few minutes, Syaoran reached the inn where his cousin was resting. Sighing in relief, he entered, his cloak dripping wet. The room inside was crowed with gambling men, drinking, laughing; and it smelled of smoke and ale. Some men had passed out on their chairs.
A waitress walked up to Syaoran and faced him boldly. "How may I help you, sir? Are you in need of a room to board for the night? Perhaps you are weary from your travels and would like a drink?"
Syaoran kept an emotionless face and replied, "My companion has already rented a room under the name 'Clow'. I just need to find it."
The waitress only nodded. "Up the staircase, fourth door to the left," she said and left to tend the men at the bar. Without another word, Syaoran walked up the stairs and turned left. At the fourth door, he knocked three times before someone answered.
"Who calls?" came an unrecognizable voice from inside.
"Only a friend; open the door." Syaoran ordered, and the door opened slightly. Two ruby eyes peered through the crack and studied Syaoran for a minute.
"Your sword?" a feminine voice demanded, and Syaoran pulled out his weapon, handing it over. The woman suppressed a sigh and opened to door. She'd recognize his sword anywhere. Syaoran entered without hesitation and pulled off his dripping cloak.
"What were you looking for that had taken hours and hours?" Mei Ling queried, taking Li's cloak and hanging it by the window. Syaoran stopped to study the room. There were two beds, one on each side of the room. A table was stationed by the window, which was large enough for a person to climb through. Mei Ling's choice was good.
"Li, did you hear me?"
Syaoran gave her a short nod. "I don't know. My instincts told me to look. Something, or someone important is around here somewhere. I mean to find it, or him."
Mei Ling strolled to the window and stared out at the rain. "I don't suppose that it would have something to do with the Temples? Maybe it's the key to getting in." she suggested. Syaoran shook his head.
"The only person able to enter the Temples is the Keeper of Time. That was why we couldn't enter."
Mei Ling frowned. "So that means we have no hope of getting the shards of the Key." She stated. If that was so, then what was the point of the journey?
"That's not entirely true. There should be a way to break in. The Sages must have known that their powers would weaken some day. They can't just leave the Key for the wrong person to pick up. That'd be too careless of them." Li rubbed his eyes and removed his boots.
Mei Ling groaned. This was getting complicated. "My head's too. heavy. Let's just get some rest and rethink this in the morning." She yawned and fell back onto her bed, falling into sleep five minutes later. Li followed her example, only he stared at the ceiling above. What he would lack this night is sleep.
MarK3t St. 9:21a.m.
"Here it is!" a sweet voice exclaimed, over the noisy market. A delicate hand passed three old coins to the woman in the shop. The shopkeeper gave her several bags of bread and smiled cheerfully.
"Thank you, and please come back!" she called after the auburn haired lady. Sakura turned and waved good bye. She then smiled to herself. "There's going to be enough to last until supper!" she said to herself, and walked down the bustling street. People were crowding around trying to buy some goods for breakfast. Sakura hummed a light tune and crossed the street.
~ * ~ * ~
"Damn it! They just don't know when to quit, do they?!" Li cursed under his breath. He had slept for four hours the night before and the moment he awoke, the Hunters already at his door. Before he knew it, he and Mei Ling had grabbed their weapons, pulled on their boots and jumped out the window. Unfortunately, their pursuers had broken down the door the moment they had done so and followed them without hesitation.
Mei Ling kept a straight face and moved through the crowd with Li swiftly and at ease. Anyone who glanced at them wouldn't know that they were fleeing from their pursuers or know that they were very agitated by the sudden escape.
Both were moving easily through the crowd when two wagons full of barrels and of goods wheeled in their way. In a few seconds, both leaped over the first wagon only to land on the second, which unfortunately had loose cargo. Barrels of ale and packed food rolled off and smashed onto the stone streets and customers, causing mayhem. Deciding that this would be a great distraction to the enemy, Mei Ling turned around and pushed all the shipment in the first wagon over; then took off after her cousin.
Both hastily made a sharp turn at a corner by a merchant's stand and crashed into something, tripping over and a thud was heard. Mei Ling groaned and Li grunted as he rubbed his head and opened his eyes to see what he had bumped into. Some women gasped and a man couldn't suppress a "My goodness," and people swarmed around to see what the commotion was about.
Li glanced around himself and his eyes stopped on a motionless figure lying beside him. It was a girl with a bundle of bread alongside her. Then, there that feeling was again-the need to find something followed by relief. Syaoran was about to lift up her face but was interrupted by the shouts coming from behind.
"There they are!!! Here! Over here!" Hunters were already pushing their way through the crowd.
"Oh, shit," Syaoran cursed under his breath and Mei Ling shot him a look of disapproval. She got on her feet and tugged on Xiao Lang's sleeve.
"Hey! We can't worry about this girl right now. She has nothing to do with us and we're not going to endanger innocent people, so let's go!" Mei Ling hissed in Chinese. Immediately, Li scrambled up and was practically dragged by Mei Ling through the alley. By the time the pursuers finally broke through the crowd, they were gone.
Yoko-san, the leader was in a fury, but hid his anger well. "You there!" he barked at the nearest soldier. He winced, but turned to the Hunter and bowed.
"This message is for the King. You make sure this gets to him, understood?" Yoko thrust a scroll in the cowering soldier's hands. "And make sure that the King, and only the King reads this, got it?! Or I'll have your head." He added maliciously, glaring hard at the poor man. The soldier nodded fearfully and ran off in search of a horse. Everyone knew that when Yoko the Hunter gave life threats, it would be done.
"Clear out!" Yoko snarled when he realized a crowd of citizens were gaping at him. The group left without delay at his fierce tone. He growled in frustration and noticed a figure lying on the floor. Having nothing better to do, he bent over and observed the petite figure. It was an unconscious girl, about sixteen-seventeen years old, and a beautiful one at that.
Foul thoughts raided the man's mind and a thought struck him. Yoko smirked and pulled the young thing into his arms. Perhaps she was connected to the two fugitives.
"Men! Move out, we're leaving the city." The tall leader commanded. He mounted his horse, the young lady in his arms. Not far away, his two escapees were watching his every move.
Mei Ling scowled to herself and clenched her fists tightly in fury.
"Well! It seems that the girl would've been ruled suspect whether we like it or not. We have to get her out of it. It's not fair that harm would come to the innocent bystanders." Mei Ling broke the odd silence. "What are your plans, Xiao Lang?"
Li frowned deeply and continued to stare forward. "This is a trap for the both of us. He's using the girl as bait," He cleverly diagnosed. "There is no doubt about it. He knows that we're watching him carefully and took the girl, the dog."
"Forget dog! He's more of a fiendish wolf!" Mei Ling interjected. "He's disgustingly shrewd, dirty minded, and a mean jerk." She continued, emphasizing the word, jerk. Li stared at the girl. She seemed to strain in holding her temper.
Mei Ling then noticed her cousin's look and realized what she had just implied. "Not that all those words describe you, dear cousin. You're more of a noble wolf. A little too serious at times," She grinned at him and patted him on the back. "Don't be offended."
"Right" Li answered dryly. He returned his fix of gaze to the leader of the Hunters when something caught his eyes. A raven-haired young lady was hastily making her way to the dangerous man, obviously distressed as she called out a name.
"Just when things can't get any better," Li muttered and leaped into the crowd. Mei Ling turned at his words, and watched him run off.
"Yea, cous, go save her butt," Mei Ling sighed and leaned against the brick wall. It was really nice when Syaoran decided to be the hero of the day.
Li pushed his way through the street, watching the raven head's actions. Abruptly, she paused and snatched a pan from who knows where and continued her approach. He sped up his pace and was rewarded was finding himself a foot away from the girl.
~ * ~ * ~
Tomoyo desperately clutched the pan in her hands, slowly approaching Sakura's capturer. She took a step forward when a strong hand clasped over her mouth, preventing her from screaming. Another arm wound around her waist, and Tomoyo felt herself being pulled into the alley.
"That would not have been very wise, Miss." a hard voice told her quietly. Terrified, Tomoyo's knees gave way. The stranger was kind enough to hold her up.
"Listen to me, alright? I need to talk to you, so if you promise not to scream or attack me, I'll release you. Deal?"
Afraid of what the man might do if she disagreed, Tomoyo nodded her head slowly. The man removed his hand from her mouth and let her sit for a moment. She slumped to the ground and breathed slowly to calm her rapid heart. Then she glanced up. Surprisingly, the man looked very young, and was probably only a few years older than her.
"Who are you?" Tomoyo asked, finding her voice.
"It's Li to you, miss." Syaoran waited for her to give her name.
"Daidouji, Tomoyo." Tomoyo answered bluntly. She still seemed uncomfortable, and then remembered what she was trying to do.
"Please! You must help me. They have my friend, and they're taking her away from the city." Tomoyo beseeched helplessly. The seemingly dark man stared at her, as if trying to make a decision.
"Come with me," he said finally, and pulled Tomoyo up, leading her away from the group of Hunters.
Distressed and confused, Tomoyo opened her mouth to complain, "-,"
"We can't do anything here. So we're going to wait until they camp down outside the city. Now, stay quiet. I don't want to draw attention." Li interrupted before Tomoyo could say another word. In silence, both moved through the street at ease. While they ran, Tomoyo couldn't help but stare at the brown haired man. He seemed quite. familiar. But surely she had not met anyone even half similar to him on her journeys. Who was this guy?
~ * ~ * ~
"Now, miss Daidouji," Li began. Mei Ling looked at the girl in interest. The raven-head was quite a beauty, but she could tell that the stranger had been traveling around. The girl wore boots quite similar to the ones she and Syaoran were wearing, and her attire was comfortable enough for travel. Also, her hair was done up in a braid so that it would not get in the way.
"No need for formalities Li, if you're going to help me." Tomoyo interrupted, fixing the position of her bag. In all the rush, she had forgotten all about it.
"Tomoyo, then, are you able to describe your friend? Neither my cousin nor I had a good glimpse of her face." Syaoran continued. Tomoyo grinned and rummaged through her bag, apparently looking for something. At last she withdrew a piece of parchment and handed it to Li.
"I have more, if you need better details." Tomoyo offered one to Mei Ling, who studied the parchment for quite a bit.
Syaoran examined the portrait of a young girl, a little younger than him. She was quite small, for a girl his age, and had waist-long hair. She seemed. delicate and very pretty, yet awfully familiar.
"Her name is Sakura. We've known each other since we were very young," Tomoyo said, breaking Li's thoughts. Mei Ling tore her eyes from the paper and looked at Tomoyo.
"She's very pretty," She commented. "Isn't she, Syaoran?"
Xiao Lang ignored his cousin's question. Where had he seen this girl before? He was sure it was a long time ago back at home. But he couldn't put his finger on the place. One thing was certain-she had a connection to the Keeper of Time.
~ * ~ * ~
Sakura slowly opened her eyes, wondering why she had been asleep and where she was. She looked up and found herself in a cave, wrapped in blankets.
"Well, see what the birds have brought us-a lovely young maiden," an icy voice said. A man sitting to the far side of the cave turned his cold eyes to the girl on the floor.
"I am Yoko, leader of the Hunters. What is your name, child?" his ice blue eyes seemed to probe her mind. Sakura was easily intimidated.
"S-Sakura. Kinomoto, Sakura is my name," she stammered fearfully. Yoko smirked at her voice. It was soft and light.
"Such a beautiful voice you have, Sakura. There is no need to fear me. I only have some questions to ask of you. Then, I assure you, I'll free you." Yoko promised, but the sound of this voice said otherwise. Yoko watched her in great interest. She was quite the beauty, and he doubted that she would have anything to do with his foes.
"How old exactly are you, Sakura?" Yoko queried in interest.
"Seventeen," Sakura bluntly replied. Something inside her told her that no good would come of this meeting.
"And do you have any friends, or family?" the stony man continued pressing for information.
Growing tenser by the second, Sakura fidgeted with the blanket, twisting it into knots. "I have a friend in the city." She murmured, her eyes cast downwards.
"Yes, well now, do you happen to know these two?" Yoko handed two thick parchments to Sakura. She took them and studied the faces.
One was a young man, an expression of determination and evil planted on his face. He had messy hair, and his eyes were focused, strong. He was quite handsome, despite the look on his face, and Sakura couldn't help but feel as if she knew him; and that the way he was portrayed was somehow. wrong.
The other picture was a young girl about her age. She had her hair tied up and eyes that warned others not to mess with her. She seemed fierce, someone with a violent temper. Despite that, she was still pretty, and would be prettier if she smiled. However, Sakura couldn't recognize the girl.
"I'm sorry; I don't know any of these people." Sakura said politely, handing the papers back to Yoko. Inside, she hoped that she would be able to leave this strange place as soon as possible. The man before her looked very dangerous, especially when he smiled. Yoko smiled eerily and placed the in a bag.
"Of course!" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He now began to think of all the things he could do with such a delicate woman.
"A lovely lady such as yourself wouldn't have anything to do with rogues this these." Yoko assumed easily. His eyes then caught a glitter from Sakura's wrist. It was a silver chain holding seven orbs of different colored jewels, each with a silver center. The charm had slid from inside her sleeve was dangling on her dainty wrist. The sight of it had both shocked and pleased the Hunter.
"Sages' Light," he murmured. Who would've known that a little girl like this would be holding on to the Sages' Light. Oh, she'd come in handy soon.
"Excuse me?" said Sakura, a bit confused. Yoko only chuckled sinisterly, scaring Sakura a little bit. She moved back a little.
"Well, now," Yoko spoke lowly after his laughter died down, "You seem to have more use than I had thought. I'll keep you with me for now." The glint in his eyes couldn't be worse.
Sakura shrank back, her blood turned cold. "W-what? I thought that you were going to let me go!" Yoko only chuckled malignantly. Now Sakura felt sick to the stomach.
"My men are guarding this cave, but you won't be able to see them. Just don't try to escape, or else your death will be slow and painful. I'll come back in a while for you." With those words said, Yoko walked out of the cave, pleased with himself.
Trembling, Sakura pulled her legs up and hugged her knees tightly. If she tried to escape, she would die. Why was she being held captive? And just what was her capturer going to do with her? The thought sent shudders through her body.
"What am I going to do?" Sakura asked herself in a soft whisper.
To be Continued.
Well, here's chapter two. I know I'm kind of dragging out the part where Syaoran meets Sakura. But I promise they'll meet in the next chapter, okay? I hope this chapter wasn't too fast or slow. I tried my best to keep it smooth and hope I didn't over did it. Well, lemme know if it needs fixing okay? Now please review!!!
Disclaimer:
Yui: I hope you guys know that this is a fan fiction, so none of this excluding the plot belongs to me.
Syaoran: *glares menacingly at Yui*
Yui: And what are you glaring for?
Syaoran: You called me a kid
Yui: You shouldn't take things so seriously. Did you really think that this story would be any good if you weren't mad at someone? Besides, you'll get Yoko-san back anyways. ^_~
Syaoran: Yea, yea whatever.
Yui: Let's get on with this, shall we?
The Keeper of Time
Chapter 2 ~ Capture!
Ocean City; Evening
A tall masculine figure made his way through the bucketing streets of Ocean City. No one was out on this rainy night, for it was pouring hard. The young man grumbled to himself and pulled his cloak closer to him. It was quite cold.
Syaoran had spent his few hours aimlessly wandering the city, trying to search for something unknown to him. Then, in the middle of his search, it began to rain-hard. This was just his luck. The only thing that seemed good to him was that the streets had lampposts and that the habitants of the city had lit them before the rain began. At least he would have light to see.
Within a few minutes, Syaoran reached the inn where his cousin was resting. Sighing in relief, he entered, his cloak dripping wet. The room inside was crowed with gambling men, drinking, laughing; and it smelled of smoke and ale. Some men had passed out on their chairs.
A waitress walked up to Syaoran and faced him boldly. "How may I help you, sir? Are you in need of a room to board for the night? Perhaps you are weary from your travels and would like a drink?"
Syaoran kept an emotionless face and replied, "My companion has already rented a room under the name 'Clow'. I just need to find it."
The waitress only nodded. "Up the staircase, fourth door to the left," she said and left to tend the men at the bar. Without another word, Syaoran walked up the stairs and turned left. At the fourth door, he knocked three times before someone answered.
"Who calls?" came an unrecognizable voice from inside.
"Only a friend; open the door." Syaoran ordered, and the door opened slightly. Two ruby eyes peered through the crack and studied Syaoran for a minute.
"Your sword?" a feminine voice demanded, and Syaoran pulled out his weapon, handing it over. The woman suppressed a sigh and opened to door. She'd recognize his sword anywhere. Syaoran entered without hesitation and pulled off his dripping cloak.
"What were you looking for that had taken hours and hours?" Mei Ling queried, taking Li's cloak and hanging it by the window. Syaoran stopped to study the room. There were two beds, one on each side of the room. A table was stationed by the window, which was large enough for a person to climb through. Mei Ling's choice was good.
"Li, did you hear me?"
Syaoran gave her a short nod. "I don't know. My instincts told me to look. Something, or someone important is around here somewhere. I mean to find it, or him."
Mei Ling strolled to the window and stared out at the rain. "I don't suppose that it would have something to do with the Temples? Maybe it's the key to getting in." she suggested. Syaoran shook his head.
"The only person able to enter the Temples is the Keeper of Time. That was why we couldn't enter."
Mei Ling frowned. "So that means we have no hope of getting the shards of the Key." She stated. If that was so, then what was the point of the journey?
"That's not entirely true. There should be a way to break in. The Sages must have known that their powers would weaken some day. They can't just leave the Key for the wrong person to pick up. That'd be too careless of them." Li rubbed his eyes and removed his boots.
Mei Ling groaned. This was getting complicated. "My head's too. heavy. Let's just get some rest and rethink this in the morning." She yawned and fell back onto her bed, falling into sleep five minutes later. Li followed her example, only he stared at the ceiling above. What he would lack this night is sleep.
MarK3t St. 9:21a.m.
"Here it is!" a sweet voice exclaimed, over the noisy market. A delicate hand passed three old coins to the woman in the shop. The shopkeeper gave her several bags of bread and smiled cheerfully.
"Thank you, and please come back!" she called after the auburn haired lady. Sakura turned and waved good bye. She then smiled to herself. "There's going to be enough to last until supper!" she said to herself, and walked down the bustling street. People were crowding around trying to buy some goods for breakfast. Sakura hummed a light tune and crossed the street.
~ * ~ * ~
"Damn it! They just don't know when to quit, do they?!" Li cursed under his breath. He had slept for four hours the night before and the moment he awoke, the Hunters already at his door. Before he knew it, he and Mei Ling had grabbed their weapons, pulled on their boots and jumped out the window. Unfortunately, their pursuers had broken down the door the moment they had done so and followed them without hesitation.
Mei Ling kept a straight face and moved through the crowd with Li swiftly and at ease. Anyone who glanced at them wouldn't know that they were fleeing from their pursuers or know that they were very agitated by the sudden escape.
Both were moving easily through the crowd when two wagons full of barrels and of goods wheeled in their way. In a few seconds, both leaped over the first wagon only to land on the second, which unfortunately had loose cargo. Barrels of ale and packed food rolled off and smashed onto the stone streets and customers, causing mayhem. Deciding that this would be a great distraction to the enemy, Mei Ling turned around and pushed all the shipment in the first wagon over; then took off after her cousin.
Both hastily made a sharp turn at a corner by a merchant's stand and crashed into something, tripping over and a thud was heard. Mei Ling groaned and Li grunted as he rubbed his head and opened his eyes to see what he had bumped into. Some women gasped and a man couldn't suppress a "My goodness," and people swarmed around to see what the commotion was about.
Li glanced around himself and his eyes stopped on a motionless figure lying beside him. It was a girl with a bundle of bread alongside her. Then, there that feeling was again-the need to find something followed by relief. Syaoran was about to lift up her face but was interrupted by the shouts coming from behind.
"There they are!!! Here! Over here!" Hunters were already pushing their way through the crowd.
"Oh, shit," Syaoran cursed under his breath and Mei Ling shot him a look of disapproval. She got on her feet and tugged on Xiao Lang's sleeve.
"Hey! We can't worry about this girl right now. She has nothing to do with us and we're not going to endanger innocent people, so let's go!" Mei Ling hissed in Chinese. Immediately, Li scrambled up and was practically dragged by Mei Ling through the alley. By the time the pursuers finally broke through the crowd, they were gone.
Yoko-san, the leader was in a fury, but hid his anger well. "You there!" he barked at the nearest soldier. He winced, but turned to the Hunter and bowed.
"This message is for the King. You make sure this gets to him, understood?" Yoko thrust a scroll in the cowering soldier's hands. "And make sure that the King, and only the King reads this, got it?! Or I'll have your head." He added maliciously, glaring hard at the poor man. The soldier nodded fearfully and ran off in search of a horse. Everyone knew that when Yoko the Hunter gave life threats, it would be done.
"Clear out!" Yoko snarled when he realized a crowd of citizens were gaping at him. The group left without delay at his fierce tone. He growled in frustration and noticed a figure lying on the floor. Having nothing better to do, he bent over and observed the petite figure. It was an unconscious girl, about sixteen-seventeen years old, and a beautiful one at that.
Foul thoughts raided the man's mind and a thought struck him. Yoko smirked and pulled the young thing into his arms. Perhaps she was connected to the two fugitives.
"Men! Move out, we're leaving the city." The tall leader commanded. He mounted his horse, the young lady in his arms. Not far away, his two escapees were watching his every move.
Mei Ling scowled to herself and clenched her fists tightly in fury.
"Well! It seems that the girl would've been ruled suspect whether we like it or not. We have to get her out of it. It's not fair that harm would come to the innocent bystanders." Mei Ling broke the odd silence. "What are your plans, Xiao Lang?"
Li frowned deeply and continued to stare forward. "This is a trap for the both of us. He's using the girl as bait," He cleverly diagnosed. "There is no doubt about it. He knows that we're watching him carefully and took the girl, the dog."
"Forget dog! He's more of a fiendish wolf!" Mei Ling interjected. "He's disgustingly shrewd, dirty minded, and a mean jerk." She continued, emphasizing the word, jerk. Li stared at the girl. She seemed to strain in holding her temper.
Mei Ling then noticed her cousin's look and realized what she had just implied. "Not that all those words describe you, dear cousin. You're more of a noble wolf. A little too serious at times," She grinned at him and patted him on the back. "Don't be offended."
"Right" Li answered dryly. He returned his fix of gaze to the leader of the Hunters when something caught his eyes. A raven-haired young lady was hastily making her way to the dangerous man, obviously distressed as she called out a name.
"Just when things can't get any better," Li muttered and leaped into the crowd. Mei Ling turned at his words, and watched him run off.
"Yea, cous, go save her butt," Mei Ling sighed and leaned against the brick wall. It was really nice when Syaoran decided to be the hero of the day.
Li pushed his way through the street, watching the raven head's actions. Abruptly, she paused and snatched a pan from who knows where and continued her approach. He sped up his pace and was rewarded was finding himself a foot away from the girl.
~ * ~ * ~
Tomoyo desperately clutched the pan in her hands, slowly approaching Sakura's capturer. She took a step forward when a strong hand clasped over her mouth, preventing her from screaming. Another arm wound around her waist, and Tomoyo felt herself being pulled into the alley.
"That would not have been very wise, Miss." a hard voice told her quietly. Terrified, Tomoyo's knees gave way. The stranger was kind enough to hold her up.
"Listen to me, alright? I need to talk to you, so if you promise not to scream or attack me, I'll release you. Deal?"
Afraid of what the man might do if she disagreed, Tomoyo nodded her head slowly. The man removed his hand from her mouth and let her sit for a moment. She slumped to the ground and breathed slowly to calm her rapid heart. Then she glanced up. Surprisingly, the man looked very young, and was probably only a few years older than her.
"Who are you?" Tomoyo asked, finding her voice.
"It's Li to you, miss." Syaoran waited for her to give her name.
"Daidouji, Tomoyo." Tomoyo answered bluntly. She still seemed uncomfortable, and then remembered what she was trying to do.
"Please! You must help me. They have my friend, and they're taking her away from the city." Tomoyo beseeched helplessly. The seemingly dark man stared at her, as if trying to make a decision.
"Come with me," he said finally, and pulled Tomoyo up, leading her away from the group of Hunters.
Distressed and confused, Tomoyo opened her mouth to complain, "-,"
"We can't do anything here. So we're going to wait until they camp down outside the city. Now, stay quiet. I don't want to draw attention." Li interrupted before Tomoyo could say another word. In silence, both moved through the street at ease. While they ran, Tomoyo couldn't help but stare at the brown haired man. He seemed quite. familiar. But surely she had not met anyone even half similar to him on her journeys. Who was this guy?
~ * ~ * ~
"Now, miss Daidouji," Li began. Mei Ling looked at the girl in interest. The raven-head was quite a beauty, but she could tell that the stranger had been traveling around. The girl wore boots quite similar to the ones she and Syaoran were wearing, and her attire was comfortable enough for travel. Also, her hair was done up in a braid so that it would not get in the way.
"No need for formalities Li, if you're going to help me." Tomoyo interrupted, fixing the position of her bag. In all the rush, she had forgotten all about it.
"Tomoyo, then, are you able to describe your friend? Neither my cousin nor I had a good glimpse of her face." Syaoran continued. Tomoyo grinned and rummaged through her bag, apparently looking for something. At last she withdrew a piece of parchment and handed it to Li.
"I have more, if you need better details." Tomoyo offered one to Mei Ling, who studied the parchment for quite a bit.
Syaoran examined the portrait of a young girl, a little younger than him. She was quite small, for a girl his age, and had waist-long hair. She seemed. delicate and very pretty, yet awfully familiar.
"Her name is Sakura. We've known each other since we were very young," Tomoyo said, breaking Li's thoughts. Mei Ling tore her eyes from the paper and looked at Tomoyo.
"She's very pretty," She commented. "Isn't she, Syaoran?"
Xiao Lang ignored his cousin's question. Where had he seen this girl before? He was sure it was a long time ago back at home. But he couldn't put his finger on the place. One thing was certain-she had a connection to the Keeper of Time.
~ * ~ * ~
Sakura slowly opened her eyes, wondering why she had been asleep and where she was. She looked up and found herself in a cave, wrapped in blankets.
"Well, see what the birds have brought us-a lovely young maiden," an icy voice said. A man sitting to the far side of the cave turned his cold eyes to the girl on the floor.
"I am Yoko, leader of the Hunters. What is your name, child?" his ice blue eyes seemed to probe her mind. Sakura was easily intimidated.
"S-Sakura. Kinomoto, Sakura is my name," she stammered fearfully. Yoko smirked at her voice. It was soft and light.
"Such a beautiful voice you have, Sakura. There is no need to fear me. I only have some questions to ask of you. Then, I assure you, I'll free you." Yoko promised, but the sound of this voice said otherwise. Yoko watched her in great interest. She was quite the beauty, and he doubted that she would have anything to do with his foes.
"How old exactly are you, Sakura?" Yoko queried in interest.
"Seventeen," Sakura bluntly replied. Something inside her told her that no good would come of this meeting.
"And do you have any friends, or family?" the stony man continued pressing for information.
Growing tenser by the second, Sakura fidgeted with the blanket, twisting it into knots. "I have a friend in the city." She murmured, her eyes cast downwards.
"Yes, well now, do you happen to know these two?" Yoko handed two thick parchments to Sakura. She took them and studied the faces.
One was a young man, an expression of determination and evil planted on his face. He had messy hair, and his eyes were focused, strong. He was quite handsome, despite the look on his face, and Sakura couldn't help but feel as if she knew him; and that the way he was portrayed was somehow. wrong.
The other picture was a young girl about her age. She had her hair tied up and eyes that warned others not to mess with her. She seemed fierce, someone with a violent temper. Despite that, she was still pretty, and would be prettier if she smiled. However, Sakura couldn't recognize the girl.
"I'm sorry; I don't know any of these people." Sakura said politely, handing the papers back to Yoko. Inside, she hoped that she would be able to leave this strange place as soon as possible. The man before her looked very dangerous, especially when he smiled. Yoko smiled eerily and placed the in a bag.
"Of course!" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He now began to think of all the things he could do with such a delicate woman.
"A lovely lady such as yourself wouldn't have anything to do with rogues this these." Yoko assumed easily. His eyes then caught a glitter from Sakura's wrist. It was a silver chain holding seven orbs of different colored jewels, each with a silver center. The charm had slid from inside her sleeve was dangling on her dainty wrist. The sight of it had both shocked and pleased the Hunter.
"Sages' Light," he murmured. Who would've known that a little girl like this would be holding on to the Sages' Light. Oh, she'd come in handy soon.
"Excuse me?" said Sakura, a bit confused. Yoko only chuckled sinisterly, scaring Sakura a little bit. She moved back a little.
"Well, now," Yoko spoke lowly after his laughter died down, "You seem to have more use than I had thought. I'll keep you with me for now." The glint in his eyes couldn't be worse.
Sakura shrank back, her blood turned cold. "W-what? I thought that you were going to let me go!" Yoko only chuckled malignantly. Now Sakura felt sick to the stomach.
"My men are guarding this cave, but you won't be able to see them. Just don't try to escape, or else your death will be slow and painful. I'll come back in a while for you." With those words said, Yoko walked out of the cave, pleased with himself.
Trembling, Sakura pulled her legs up and hugged her knees tightly. If she tried to escape, she would die. Why was she being held captive? And just what was her capturer going to do with her? The thought sent shudders through her body.
"What am I going to do?" Sakura asked herself in a soft whisper.
To be Continued.
Well, here's chapter two. I know I'm kind of dragging out the part where Syaoran meets Sakura. But I promise they'll meet in the next chapter, okay? I hope this chapter wasn't too fast or slow. I tried my best to keep it smooth and hope I didn't over did it. Well, lemme know if it needs fixing okay? Now please review!!!