Disclaimer: The series Card Captor Sakura does not belong to me.
Kimmy: Hee!! ^^ So we've at least contacted each other before. I'm glad you think I'm weird. If I'm writing about this couple, then I probably am... WHO CARES I LOVE IT!!!
Elizabeth: ^^ Coolies. I'm sure once a month IS good, actually. Better than those talented writers who updated once in half a year... -___-... no fun.
Kaji Hikage: Yesh! I updated!!! Tiz dark??? Did not realize this story was dark... *grins*
Starlight Princess: Eriol... umm... etooo..... ^^ Hi! LUV YOU! *runs off*
RuByMoOn: Updated! *peace sign!*
Moon Smurf: *sticks tongue out* LUVS YOU, TOO!!! BWAHAHAHAHAAA!! *runs off again*
Jared: *smiles* Story plot is kinda complicated, isn't it? It takes so long for just a FEW answers to be given... But that's the amusing part!! Thanks for reviewing again!! T_T You are, like, my traditional reviewer... SO COOL!!
CherryBlossom576: Eriol... umm... yeah! Updated!!!
Chapter Twelve: The Saviors
Day 19 - Shadow World - Realm of the Minds
Frowning, she closed her eyes, and shifted forms back to Tomoyo. Already, she sensed him raising up his defenses, trying to block her out away from his feelings. Do you remember this girl? she mused to him silently. She is a pretty one, is she not? So filled with laughter all the time. Just like your girlfriend. She then tilted her head to one side, as if she was in deep thought. But then again, she isn't your girlfriend, is she?
Hearing no answer, Dtarna scowled, and regained her actual form once more. Getting up, she narrowed her eyes, turning around, as if thinking that he might just right be behind her. You are starting to anger me now. One such as you cannot hold out against me, and you know it! Why hide from the unavoidable?!
Silence.
Dtarna saw that he was not going to give in, and furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. Fine, she decides aloud. Holding a hand out, Dtarna quickly forms a dark, crackling ball of floating energy. She closed her eyes, her own energy seeping out, touching walls, doors, mental places in search of the one she was looking for.
Suddenly, she stopped, as if someone had clicked onto a 'pause' button. Her eyes were wide, a shocked look upon her face. One hand was held out, the weapon of energy still sparkling darkly of magic. The other was reaching out, as if she wanted to gently touch something right in front of her. Her own energy had stopped as well. All this appeared in this eternity of a second.
The next, her energy zoomed in to return to her as she pulled her hand back to covered herself with her arms and recoiled when the ball of magic burst. She covered her face as the energy expanded and attacked at all directions, going out of control. Dtarna could hear the power of destruction it gave, though her eyes were tightly closed shut. Unexpectedly, she found herself flying back, pain crying throughout her entire current entity. Touching the misty ground, she scraped along, giving a jerk of a sound with each moment that passed until she gradually came to a stop.
Dtarna stayed on the floor, gasping for breath. Clenching her hand into a fist, she slowly struggled to stand up, but ended up just sitting on the foggy ground. She held her right hand to her left arm, still feeling the unforgiving pain going through her. Even though this was not of a physical domain, a trickle of blood was making it way down the side of her mouth, slowly going down to her chin. Narrowing her eyes, she stared around, and found that she was already leaving this realm.
Someone... she realized, when she slowly reached out once more, and found him to be gone. Someone... interfered with my works. Dtarna narrowed her eyes, then closed them, willing her substantial self to wake now. But before she left, she vowed a sentence to herself. That person shall pay with blood.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 25 - Shadow World
"I've had ENOUGH!" Sakura shrieked as she threw the pillow onto the hard ground. When it just made a small 'puff!' sound, Sakura felt that it just didn't help her take her anger out. Right after she had returned from the painstaking ride to the desert, Sakura glumly walked back to her quarters. But just as she entered, Haeli had cast a barrier by the entrance, and left it as thus.
Sakura threw herself at the entrance, only to hit something that felt pretty much like an invisible wall. She groaned, and then narrowed her eyes, remembering what Haeli had told her. "If you wish to destroy Lord Vequal, then I must do as a devoted servant would, and stop you. I am sorry, lady, but I cannot permit you to harm to the lord. Forgive me."
Biting her lip, Sakura paced around the room. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh. I must've scared her away," she realized dejectedly. "It's not as if I wanted to... Oh, what am I going to do?! Syaoran... Where is he? In Lyrra, I know that. But Eriol... Oh! I can't worry about two people at the same time! Or Yue, and Tomoyo, Cerberus. All of them. Knowing them, they must have been trying to find a way to get here. I wonder how they did..."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at the unseen barrier. Giving another shout, she kicked at it, and punched it. Looking around, Sakura found a chair. She ran to pick it up, and threw it at the barrier, only to hear a loud crashing noise. Sakura grumbled in defeat as she angrily sat down on the bed, crossing her arms over her chest. She turned to face the barrier, and pursed her lips. Haeli could not have such a strong magic power... She couldn't have sealed me in so easily, right?
Frowning, Sakura closed her eyes, though she was not tired. She was still persistent, and knew that she had must find a way to get out of these caves. She would worry about the path to the exit later. Currently, the problem was getting out of the room. Sakura rolled her eyes, and then continued to gaze at the blockade.
Suddenly, something flickered in front of her eyes. Confused, Sakura walked up to the barrier, and bent down. There was a weird sparkle which she had saw before, just about a foot above the ground, all the way on the left portion of the barrier. She stared at the spot, only to see nothing there. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, and turned to inspect the other parts of the barrier. But just as she had turned away, Sakura could have sworn it flickered again, just out of the corner of her eye.
Moving back to her previous position, Sakura stared straight at it, getting as close as she could. She bit her lip once more, and moved her fingers lightly over the barrier. Coming up with a theory, Sakura moved her eyes away from the spot, to see it flicker once more. Ahh... So when a person looks directly at this spot, it doesn't sparkle or glitter or flicker or does whatever it does with light. But... what does that mean, really?
Sakura crouched there, and wondered about it for as long as she could remember. Not having a clue about twenty minutes later, Sakura kicked the spot, frustrated. She was about to kick it again, when Sakura stumbled as her foot landed on nothing, and she fell forward. Blinking, Sakura regained her posture and stared around.
She was out of her confined room.
Sakura turned to look back, then to the front. Grinning, she gave a triumphant, though quiet, cheer and quickly chose a tunnel to go through. What luck!
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 21 - Shadow World
Syaoran gasped as he jerked up, his eyes widening. He swerved his head about, wondering where he was. Wincing, Syaoran rubbed his back. The beds around this world weren't exactly comfortable, being as hard as a rock. He then heard the flapping of a cloth, and saw a woman enter through an entrance. She had a bleak look on her face, one face that Syaoran could not help but to recognize.
"YOU!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her as he got up from the bed as hastily as he could, feeling a sense of revulsion. "What in the world am I doing here?!" It was the first person that he saw when he first got to the Shadow World, the one who visit him in his prison, and brought him to the sites to work as a slave. Syaoran's anger clouded his mind, for he could not even see the guilt on her face when she looked at him. Instead, he glared at her furiously and stubbornly.
"Please," she pleaded, trying to walk up to him. "Listen to me before you-"
Syaoran evaded her, backing up, though he could probably battle against her and win. "Oh, yes," Syaoran said in a light voice, though falseness was dripping with each word that came out of his mouth. "Of course I would want to listen to you. Why, after the way you treated me when I first woke up, and how you were probably the one who brought me here. WHY WOULD I- AHHHH!!!" Syaoran clutched his head in pain when a jolt ran through his mind.
"Please be careful!" she cried worriedly, running up to the aggrieved boy. "You have slept for two days or so, but the affects of the Solitary and Master Dtarna has not worn off yet. You must sit down. Come... Come back to the bed," and she gently led him with as much care as she could undertake.
Taking in a staggering breath, Syaoran stared at her, her fiery red hair tied behind her back. She had wrapped him in a blanket, watching him closely. Now, trying his best to clear his mind, he could vaguely see the worry in her eyes. "Why are you doing this?" Syaoran whispered.
She smiled at him, as if she were expecting, as well as hoping, for him to ask this question. "It is because..." she started, and turned to fully look at him. "It is because..."
"Because?" Syaoran asked when she started to drag that word a bit.
"Because you have caught my husband's eye."
"Your... husband..." Syaoran whispered, a confused look on his face. Who did he know here?! Other than Tgaeh, his brother, and a few soldiers, and so forth, there weren't really anybody else that he knew. And none of them for sure did not have a wife of any sort. "Are you sure, lady?!"
She nodded. "I am quite sure. In fact, he is coming in right now." The woman then got up, and left Syaoran's side to someone who was entering through the door. Syaoran looked up. He certainly did not want to miss this.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 25 - Shadow World
Sakura ran through the tunnels, never relenting as she just instinctively turned whichever way she felt like going whenever she reached a fork. She grinned wildly, her eyes shining in this sense of freedom. When I have kids, I am NEVER locking them up in their rooms! she vowed to herself. And now... where to go. I need to find a way to get out of here-
Unexpectedly, someone stepped in front of Sakura as she was going to swerve to the right. Haeli. "Lady. It is time for you to return to your quarters immediately," she said in a stoic voice. Sakura frowned, still trying to get over her surprise and shock at seeing this unforeseen obstacle. She had just hoped to keep running until she saw an opening of some sort. Maybe a window or some kind of stable where the horses stayed. At least those places lead to the outside world.
"I can't," Sakura whispered. "I need to leave this place, Haeli..."
"You cannot get past me. To allow you to get past me is to break my vow of duty to the lord. And after your... certain outburst, I truly cannot let you wander the tunnels in such a state. Get back to your quarters immediately."
She shook her head once more, gripping her sleeves tightly for control. "You don't understand! I really have to get out of here, Haeli. Each day I don't do anything is a day wasted. I've accepted the fact that my friend is dead, okay. Now, I just want to move on and find the one that I was searching for before. Please, Haeli. Don't make me stay here any longer..."
"I can no longer go against my lord. You have shown that you are a threat by the words you said before. I would be a fool to trust you--!!" Suddenly, she gasped as large piece of cloth was thrown in her face.
Quickly, Sakura jumped up into the air, and flipped past Haeli. She then took a left turn, and continued to run, not caring where she was going as long as she lost the woman behind her. That will not hold her back for long. Considering how that Lord Vequal let her come along to when Eriol and I were... attacked. Yep. That won't hold her back for long at all. And already, Sakura could hear the running footsteps behind her.
Abruptly, she took a left. Then a right. Then another right. Sakura shut her eyes, and desperately tried to gain speed in her race against Haeli. But suddenly, a hard grip grasped onto her arm, and jerked her around. Damn it... she cursed hopelessly to herself as she faced the servant.
"Lady... you are quite an annoyance."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 21 - Shadow World
"MUSHI?!" Syaoran exclaimed. "What in the world--!! Wait. This is your wife???"
The soldier's lips were pursed, showing a very small and tight smile. He nodded his head shortly as he walked into the room and stood in front of them. "The master considers me to be quite a trustworthy bahrrn, and my wife has served her for years. There is no reason she would suspect us of such a felony, now, is there."
Syaoran just continued to stare at him. Then, his mouth opened to ask a question or two. "How long have you two been married? How old are you exactly?! And you, too, Mrs. Mushi?"
"Mrs. Bug?" she questioned, staring at him with an eyebrow raised. She then turned to look at her husband, a small smile playing on her lips. "What does he mean, Natir?"
"He was not exactly happy that day when he saw me, Eurena. So he dubbed me 'Bug'."
"Why didn't you ever tell me that you had a wife?!" Syaoran asked, obviously not letting the previous topic go yet.
Natir rolled his eyes, and sat down on the ground with his legs crossed. "You had never asked me before, young Syaoran. There is much that you had never asked me. Eurena has been my wife for over four years now. I am twenty-eight years old, and she is but twenty-five. I hope that is all you need to know of our marriage."
"You look very young, you know that? And, I actually never thought of the marriage prospects here in the Shadow World," he admitted. "Okay. Well, your wife told me how I had 'caught' your eye. Is that true? How?"
"You are a unique man, if you had not known of that yourself. And, well..." For once, the soldier looked quite uncomfortable with what he was speaking of. Even when he spoke of his marriage, there was not any nervous reaction.
"Natir believes that the slaves should be freed of their chains," Eurena helped put in. "He may have a high position, but he sympathizes with those beneath his class level. Natir is a kind and generous man, and I am quite grateful that I married him." She leaned down, and then took his hand into hers. "Quite grateful indeed, considering the other bahrrns, you know."
Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Okay. That's nice. I suppose that I can leave now, right-"
"No," Eurena replied quickly. "Actually, you can't. You see it, is time for us to explain to you about what has been happening all this while. You deserve to know, Natir believes, so I shall help. After all, I was a part of this for quite a while already, whether it be against my will or not."
"You... yes. You were the one who woke me up so happily on the first day I got here," Syaoran said wryly.
"I wanted to accept what the master desires, so I had to be cruel. I apologize now, and hope that one day you will be able to forgive me. I... I've done you a great wrong, I have."
"Yeah, well, you two got me out of the Solitary. So I think you've repaid everything you did."
"She will find out soon enough," Natir told him. "She always knew too much, the master. That's what made her so powerful in the first place. She forced Eurena to put you in the fields, the sites. I suppose that she had always wish that you would break down bad enough that you will give in to her, and take her offer of being able to live by her side."
Syaoran snorted. "I guess that I was a bigger surprise than that, right? But tell me," he said, his expression turning serious, "about what happened to me back on Earth, back with Sakura... That night... I don't remember anything at all."
"You're not supposed to," Eurena whispered. "She took the form of another to weaken your guard. That other form was someone you considered close to you. I had been on Earth for quite a while, watching you. Spying and reporting back to the master, for she had chosen you. Why, I truly did not know. Then, I heard that she tried to seek out your Name-"
"Name?!" Syaoran's eyes widened at those words. "Oh, God... Now I remember. The Name. The so-called Name and stuff..." He looked up at the two of them. "So... are you bound together by this Name or what?"
"We are not," Natir told him. "We are wedded, and we are content. That is all we need."
"But the master," Eurena continued. "She... She really wanted to discover your Name. It was an obsession. She had me watch you for years. But she soon got tired and impatient, and forced me to bring you here. I took an image of the girl with almost raven-like hair. Then, I spelled you, and crossed the rift back here, to the Shadow World."
"But... So... what about Sakura?" he asked. "I just have such a bad feeling about this, you know."
Eurena shut her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "It is as I said before: I beg you of your forgiveness. I knew of... your meeting with her that night, with your love. So I got there before. She does not remember the image of the female well, but she remembered what we did. She saw us kiss, make out, I suppose, and ran off. The master made me--forced me--to have her rid her feelings of you. I doubt that it worked, but I had to bring you here anyway... I'm sorry... So sorry..."
Sitting there, Syaoran's eyes widened as he stared at her. She had turned her face away in shame, not wanting to see what he would say to her. "So Sakura... I left Earth with her in that kind of pain..." He then took out his necklace and stared at it for a while before he opened it. "I... I can't believe this... She's probably not even looking for-"
"She is, though," Eurena told him, causing him more shock. "The master has sent forces to try to stop her from getting here, but I do not know how that is faring. She is here to search for you. For what reasons, and how she is, I do not know. But... she is here, you can be sure of that, and she has gotten closer with each day. For some reason, though, this past week or so, I have not been told on what has happened to her."
"Sakura..." Syaoran whispered, closing his eyes. Sakura... I'm so sorry... So very sorry... And he felt his first tear streak down his cheek, ignoring the two people around him.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 25 - Shadow World
Sakura winced as Haeli's grip tightened even more. "How dare you try to escape again! What an idiotic girl you are, lady. Come back, before the lord discovers that you have escaped."
Quickly, she tried to wrench Haeli's grip off of her arm, struggling. "I... I..." she managed to say as she resisted. She shut her eyes tightly as she pulled some more. "Let me go! Let me go!"
"I cannot! Have you thought about what would happen to you if somebody else found you instead of me? Take, for instance, one of Lord Vequal's soldiers or close comrades discovers you instead. You are a virgin, are you not?" Sakura blushed at that question. "You would not stay one for long if one of those men found you. If one of the women find you, then you will be discovered even more quickly, for they have loud voices. Now hurry and return to your chamber! Never mind. I will drag you-"
"Oh, stop it Haeli," a new voice entered, chuckling in amusement.
Sakura stared at Haeli's face as it drained of color to an unusual shade of pale. As quick as she could, Haeli released Sakura's grasp and turned around to kneel down on one knee, her head bent. "L-Lord Vequal!" she acknowledged.
Looking up, Sakura gulped as she backed up a bit. It was the same man as before, the one who had caused Eriol to... be gone. To be away from her right at this instant. And he would never come back. As Sakura realized that thought in her mind, she did not notice how Haeli had gotten up, and was talking to a smiling Lord Vequal.
"Please, Lord Vequal. Just let me take her back to her chambers. I will make the barrier every stronger--thrice stronger than before! I will make sure she cannot even touch it! So we will be off on our wa-"
"Oh, no need for that, Haeli. Just leave us as I discuss this entire situation with the girl," he told her. "You can tend to matters of your own, now." When she would not move, Vequal rolled his eyes. "Go, Haeli, and leave us be!"
"Y-Yes, my lord!" she replied hastily, and walked off. Haeli stopped once for about a second and turned to look at Sakura with an apologetic expression on her face. Then, she turned back around, and ran away from the two left behind, as if she were afraid to stay any longer.
Sakura's lips quivered as she looked at the man. Swiftly, she swerved around and started to run off. But then, she felt a hard push on her right shoulder as she scraped the wall slightly. She grimaced as she cried out, clutching her left shoulder in pain. Sakura looked up once more, this time to find him standing right in front of her.
Backing up, Sakura found herself already touching the wall. "W... What are you going to do?" she whispered.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "You're pretty thick in the head if you cannot figure it out," he laughed.
"B-b-but! But what about Dtarna?!" she cried. "I thought you loved her or something!" At least, that's what I heard from everybody else... right? He-he-he can't do this to me!
"Aye, love her. But not enough that I can wait forever for a woman to be in my arms. You will have to do, I suppose."
Not knowing how to rid herself of him, Sakura brought her hand up in a fist, ready to strike. But seconds before it made contact, Vequal blocked, squeezing her hand until she released her fist. Sakura cringed, gasping as she tried to make him let go. "You actually believe that I will let you hit me again?! Do not even believe for a second that you will get another chance at that, wench," he sneered while his second hand moved to cup her chin.
"Let go of me!" she cried, squirming at his touch. Sakura found herself on the verge of crying when she couldn't loosen his grasp on her at all. When his hand moved down to stroke her neck, she moved back as far as she could. Then left or right, just as far away from his hand as possible. "LET GO!!!" she screamed, then found his hand straight on her mouth.
"If you scream again," he whispered fiercely, "I'm going to make this last as long as I can!"
Finally, the tears came through, and Sakura shut her eyes as he started to roam his hand over her avoiding body. Though she couldn't shout, she could still try to avoid his touch.
Suddenly, his hand stopped progressing and the hand over her mouth was moving away. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Vequal's eyes were wide as his pupils rolled to show pure white. Sakura grimaced at the look and he unexpectedly fell to the ground. He... he's fainted...
Sakura then looked up ahead once more, and found that her view was starting to become blurry. She staggered as she tried to gain control of her legs, unsuccessful as she was. Her hand held her head, feeling exhaustion roll over her. The last thing Sakura caught before she fainted was another person walking up to her.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Oh, geez... I WONDER WHO THAT COULD BE~~!! ^^ Tiz fun! Please review again~~~!!! Tell me what you think happened to Eriol. ^_- Cheers!