CHAPTER EIGHT: CROSSROADS
A/N: Thank you all sooooooooooooo much for the wonderfully kind and generous comments!!! And especially to Lau for some ideas on the fic! You guys/gals can't believe how much your reviews are motivating me!! Really thank u!
The plot thickens. More dream scenes. I know I know, you must simply hate me for separating Yue from Sakura AGAIN, so I won't. They will be together from now on ok!!! Well, at least they will STILL be together in this chapter…………..
For those of you who like Yukito and would like to see him back in the fic, don't worry, he's back!!!
OKOKOK, let the show begin!!!
Suddenly, Sakura's head whirled and a black hole emerged, wrenching her out of Yue's hold. "Yue!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed, as she was sucked into the darkness. Yue dashed forward and tried to follow, but he was repelled. The word that he seemed to have difficulty saying aloud moments ago flowed freely from his lips now. "SAKURA!!!!!!!!"
In the nick of time, Yue managed to gather his wits to use the 'Time' card and freeze the dark hole from sucking Sakura in. Sakura jumped out of the darkness into his arms, sobbing in fright. "I thought I'd lose you again!!!" Yue was a little puzzled at the word, 'again', but he let it pass, more concerned about Sakura's safety. He crushed her to him, as if he never wants to let go. A slight tremor went through his body as his mind registered just how close he'd nearly come to losing her. His heart had stopped when Sakura disappeared into the darkness for a moment, and now it started beating again. Still, the time card can't hold off the dark hole forever. Soon, the Clow magic lost its effect, and the hole doubled in size and efforts to suck them into it. Despite struggling against the magnetic pull of the void, they were helpless against its power. Yue was holding on tightly to Sakura as they were swallowed into the darkness, and he felt his body jolt with pain as he went through a barrier that had repelled him earlier. He fainted.
Sakura didn't feel pain, but her head was heavy, like she's underwater. She shook the feeling off, and looked around her new surroundings. Surprised to find that instead of the complete darkness she dreaded, it was dotted with many glowing doors. She looked down and saw herself to float in what seems nothingness. Lights twinkled below her feet, much like miniatures of the glowing doors she saw all around her. Her eye caught a white flash of fabric.
"Yukito-san???" She exclaimed with shock. Yue had retreated to the back of Yukito's mind when he fainted, and his false form had taken over.
Yukito shook his head, his short silver-grey hair tousled. His pants-clad legs struggled to stand up as he took in this amazing place he's in with astonishment. "Sakura-chan? Where am I?"
Sakura couldn't possibly tell him the truth, since he doesn't know the existence of Yue yet. "Ah……….ah ha! This is a dream." She smiled weakly, hoping that he would believe her lame reply.
"Of course! How else can I end up in such a place right?" He nodded in acceptance and his smooth slender hands adjusted the glasses on his face absent-mindedly. Sakura sweatdropped. Yukito-san is so trusting. But I wonder where we are really? And I hope Yue will come back soon, cuz I don't know how long Yukito-san will keep on believing that this is a dream.
Out of the blue, a familiar voice reached out to Sakura. "Sakura-chan! Can you hear me? It's Eriol."
"Eriol! Where are you? What happened? Do you know where I am now?" Sakura called out to the darkness, not seeing Eriol anywhere.
"I'm still in the present. When you used the 'Return' card, there was a twist in the time dimension, and that's why you didn't manage to go back to where you intended to. I used my magic to try and retrieve you back. I believe you are now in between time, in a place called Time Limbo. Do you see many doors?"
"Yes! What do I do now?" Sakura continued conversing with an unseen Eriol, while a puzzled Yukito just listened on with interrupting.
"You have to choose one of the doors to go through. But if you go through the wrong door, you may end up in a unknown dimension, and never come back to the present again. I'll be sending my aura out now, look out for the door that emits my aura!"
"Wait! There's a problem…………Yukito-san is with me here."
"WHAT??!!! You mean he got through the time hole too! God, we must return him to his time or our future may be totally warped!" Eriol usual calm demeanor was gone now. Such was the seriousness of the situation.
"But I don't know which door goes back to his time! And……eh, another problem."
"Don't tell me you've got Kero-chan, Tomoyo-san and the whole gang there with you." Eriol asked in a dead-serious voice, but obviously joking. (A/N: Eriol just can't be serious for long……oh well.)
Sakura giggled. "Of course NOT!! But I am now in my fifth-grade body, so I don't know if I should return to my present. I mean, if I do, then I'll be missing in the past right?"
"This is worse than having the whole gang with you. I suspect the time warp tore your mind from your fourteen-year old body, and cast it into your fifth-grade's body. Now we've got to find your older body, which could be lying around ANYWHERE for all I know. IF you don't find it soon, it may be useless. A body without a soul soon rots. Or a ghost might take over your body"
"HOEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" Sakura screamed at the image of herself rotting, and then went white as sheet at another image of a ghost possessing her.
"Calm down!!! I'm just pulling your leg! Your body is with me, here in our present time. Don't worry." Eriol chuckled evilly.
"Hey that's not funny Eriol-kun!!" After Sakura finished fuming, she said seriously. "I wonder what happened to my fifth-grade mind…………."
"You silly girl, it's sleeping inside you, don't worry, it'll wake when you leave its body. All that had happened when you took over will come back to her in dreams." Eriol reassured Sakura soothingly.
"Whew, for a moment there I thought you were gonna to say something like- A mind without a body soon rots." Sakura sniggered.
"Ok, now I've got to find the right door for Yukito to go through, wait." Eriol was silent as he focused his energy. There was a ripple in the air and bright flash of light when Yue woke and transformed back to himself.
"Yue!" Sakura rushed forward and hugged him. He smiled slightly and returned her hug, putting one arm protectively around her shoulders. Then he asked, "Who is Eriol?"
Sakura fidgeted uncomfortably, not sure how to answer him.
"Hello Yue-san, my name is Eriol and I'm a friend of Sakura's. I'll help you return to your present time, while Sakura returns to hers."
Yue's eyes narrowed as he sensed an aura that feels awfully like Clow's. "Why do you have Clow's aura? That can't be! He's dead!" He demanded.
Eriol laughed quietly. He had forgotten how perceptive and sensitive Yue is. "I can't answer your question truthfully, for it will change the future. But I assure you, soon you will get your reply." Yue mouth tightened, not satisfied with this answer.
How is this possible? Clow's gone! I saw that with my own eyes, with Keroberos! Why does this person named Eriol have Clow's aura? I don't understand……….but I'll find out.
Eriol, worried that Yue will spoil his past plans in helping Sakura change the Clow cards into Sakura cards, spoke directly into Sakura's mind.
"Sakura-chan, I'm afraid Yue is already starting to suspect my real identity. So as not to affect the future, I need to seal part of his memory, the memory that he met me. Is it alright with you?"
"Hai, Eriol-kun. And I don't think I'll be going back to my present time yet." Sakura eyes burned with determination.
"Why?" Eriol asked curiously.
Sakura cast an uneasy glance at Yue, who had an impassive look on his face. She didn't know how to answer Eriol without revealing the future, about how Touya sacrificed his powers to save Yue and Yukito.
"Eriol-kun, just trust me. There's something I need to do when I was in fifth-grade that I didn't fulfill, and my heart has been filled with regret ever since."
There was a moment of silence, then, "I understand, Sakura-chan. Do what you have to. But try not to change the other events of the past. Perhaps, this time warp was destined to be…….." Eriol scratched his chin thoughtfully. He suspected the reason Sakura wanted to stay in the past has something to do with Touya and Yue, and since she has the chance to erase her regrets, which is truly rare, she should grab it. "I will keep your body safe till you're back. Take care, Sakura-chan. Now, Yue-san and you should focus your thoughts on getting back to the time you are a fifth-grader again. Then you should be able to see the door through that time glowing more than the others."
"Arigatou, Eriol-kun. You take care too." With that parting sentence, Sakura and Yue focused on getting through the right door. There was a burst of green light from one of the doors, and they walked through it together. Eriol used his magic to seal part of Yue's memory before they left the Time Limbo. They found themselves in the forest; just outside the cave they had came out of a while ago. Sakura heaved a sigh of relief. Yue was quiet, feeling that he has left something behind but not sure what.
Sakura was glad that Yue seemed to have forgotten about Eriol, and she happily suggested they return back to their respective homes. Yue nodded in agreement, and Sakura was about to step forward when she was lifted up in Yue's arms, who flew up to the sky. "It's faster this way." He said in a monotone. Sakura smiled, cuddled closer to Yue, and settled in for the flight home.
"Sakura!!! Are you hurt?" Kero-chan was surprised to see Sakura in Yue's arms as they flew through the window into her room.
"No, I'm fine." Sakura unwind her arms from Yue's neck and sat down on her bed. Yue glanced at her and bid a quick farewell, taking off the same way he came into the room.
"But why did Yue fly you home then? Hey! There's a bandage on your forehead! You ARE hurt!" Kero-chan fussed over Sakura and circled her, checking for other injuries.
"I'm all right Kero-chan! Just slipped and fell in the forest when it rained just now. Luckily Yue came and………." She reddened when she recalled the kiss they had in the cave.
Seeing the flush on her face, Kero-chan concluded that she's sick. "You must have caught a cold in the rain! Wait, I'll get some medicine for you, ne?" He hurried out to the medical cabinet.
Sakura changed out of her muddy and wet clothes, and lie on her bed. She fell asleep without knowing it.
=======In Sakura's Dream=========
Cold…..…I feel so cold. Sakura's arms wrapped around herself automatically. Where am I? She was in a tent of some sort. There were twinkling stars all round her. Stars? On a closer look, they appeared to be man-made. It looks a lot like the one that Yukito and herself had been in, in the school fair. The one in which she had confessed her love for Yukito-san, and he had told her that she loves him like a family-member. Why am I dreaming of the past? Sakura wondered, as she took a step backward and bumped into something warm.
Yukito-san! He smiled down at her. What are you doing here? He bends down to kiss her, and Sakura was shocked. Hoeeeeeeeee!!!! What is Yukito-san kissing me!!! She hurriedly broke away from the kiss, and steadied her thundering heat beats.
I thought he rejected me! I mean, he's supposed to reject me! I definitely remember him telling me that I don't love him in a romantic way. I also recall telling him I don't mind that his best friend is Onni-chan, because I love Onni-chan too. And now! Why is this happening? I don't understand!
Yukito's eyes were sad as Sakura took another step away from him. "Sakura-chan, don't you love me?" He asked softly, giving her a heart-breaking smile.
What? I……………I……….I don't know! I love Yue! But…….I can't deny my feelings for Yukito-san as well…………but how can I love two people at the same time! But are they really two people?
There was a flash of white light before two feathery wings appeared and wrapped Yukito-san in them. When the white wings folded back, Yue was looking at her with an intensely passionate expression in his eyes. He asked in a more solemn tone then ever, "Yes, don't you love Yukito? Who do you love, really?"
Yue! Who do I love? I……..I………
A rush of pain in her head caused Sakura to kneel, as she clenched a fistful of honey-brown hair in frustration. Images of Yukito-san and Yue kissing her clashed together, causing confusion in her mind. And the dream she had of Yue, Yukito and Kero-chan when she was down with fever came back to her. She recalled Kero-chan's words, "Sakura, you must choose. If you can't decide, you could lose Yue or Yukito."
Is this it? That I must choose between loving Yue and Yukito-san? But I love them both! If I don't make a decision, I will lose either one of them? How? Why?
As if reflecting the turmoil in her heart, the ground below her swirled and she looked up to find herself alone. "YUE!!!!!!! YUKITO-SAN!!!!" She cried out in distress.
=======End of Sakura's Dream=========
"SA-KU-RA!" Kero-chan shook her awake, he had dashed into the room when her screams alerted him.
"Huh? Where am I?" Sakura's mind was still trapped in the remnants of her dream, and her head was throbbing.
"You are in your room! Did you have a nightmare?" Kero-chan asked in concern.
"Oh! I……I had a weird dream. Daijoubu!" She tried to assure him with a cheerful smile. Kero-chan gave her a strange look, but decided not to pursue further.
She got out of bed quickly and glanced at the clock. 4.30pm. Still some time before Touya gets home. Seeing that the weather was pretty good after the rain had stopped, she decided to take a walk to clear her head. "I'm taking a walk, Kero-chan."
"But you are not feeling well right? Your head is still in bandages!" Kero-chan protested.
Sakura went to her mirror and took down the white strap. She studied her wound. It was just a small cut, and she put a pink-colored band-aid over it after applying some lotion. "There! Nothing serious, not to worry!" She looked at the bloodstained strap in her hand, and put it in her drawer, not knowing why she didn't just throw it away.
Maybe I just want it as a token to remember our first kiss. She thought wistfully, before giving her hair a few brushes and heading out of the house.
The sun was setting, and the skies were colored with warm orangey rays. It was beautiful, and Sakura stared into the distance as she stopped walking to admire the scene.
How beautiful. Though the sunset is nice to enjoy, I prefer the moon-lit sky on a cloudless night. The moon is mesmerizing, and it has always held enchantment for me since I'm a little girl. Yue. Is it any wonder that I love you? But what of the strange dream? Do I truly have to choose between you and Yukito-san?
Now that my mind is not clouded with confusion, I can think clearly. And I think, I think I love…………
ERIOL?
====TBC====
A/N: Hahahahaha, I'm just so cruel to leave you hanging there right!! Tell me what you think! REVIEW Pls!!!
