A/N: First, thanks to all those wonderful reviewers.
To Lau: Thanks for your encouragement, and chapter 13 was very angsty because I was in a lousy mood when I wrote that. I'm looking forward to your e-mail, and hope you enjoy this latest chapter too!
To Mistress Sakura: Arigatou! ^_^ I guess that's the part of Sakura being held down by those two evil men that had you on the edge of your seat, huh? I was inspired by to write that scene by a sad piece of news, that an innocent young girl in my neighborhood was raped while jogging in the morning near a reservoir. How sad…….
To Kella: I'm glad you love my story, thanks so much, but sometimes I have doubts about it myself. Which I think most writers probably have at some time or another. That's why we need reviews!
Yes! Yuki's living with Sakura, and there'll probably be more romantic stuff coming. Yue is very sad and insecure about things, that's his character, but like what Sakura always says, "Everything will be alright, definitely!". I'm probably going to be a bit slower in updating now, because I'm having a block. A HUGE mental block. But no worries, the updates will still be within a few days, at most a week's time.
To Alisa: A new reader! Thank you for your kind comments! My story probably going to be rather long, it's like halfway through only, but I'll try not to bore you all by dragging it. Yes, I think S+S fans are many because Sakura and Syaoran are about the same age, which seems to make them seem more compatible. But age doesn't matter in true love! Ne? That's why most of my fics are mainly S+Y/Y pairings or other weird pairings. I need praise, I hunger for them, I live for them! Please! *smiles with puppy-dog eyes* But what I want most is your honest opinions about the fic, so that I can improve and write even better ones!
All right! On with the ficcie!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: SAKURA'S FUTURE
------In Sakura's Time: The Future--------
Eriol woke up with a disoriented feeling, and rubbed his eyes. He had dreams of the past again, the past that Sakura was changing. Still in a half-daze, Eriol touched his lips, remembering the vivid scene where Sakura and he had kissed. He smiled, recalling how she had responded back. But when he remembered Sakura telling him that she loves Yukito and Yue more than him, he sighed, his smiling face changing into one of regret. Eriol regretted kissing Sakura, because he knew that their relationship will never grow to be more than friends, and this will make things difficult for Sakura, Yue and Yukito when the truth about their kiss is revealed. The fourteen year old Eriol knows this, but the eleven year old Eriol had ignored it and acted on his longing.
With a start, Eriol suddenly realized that instead of being in Sakura's room, looking after her body, he was sitting in his favorite red chair, the one in England. "What am I doing here?" Eriol asked out loud.
"You were having a nap, Master." Spinel Sun, sitting on the sofa next to him, answered, giving Eriol a strange look.
"A nap?" Eriol was bewildered. Again, the sense that something was disoriented, something was not right. "Where's Keroberos?"
Spinel Sun was surprised at the question. "I don't know."
"But you were supposed to take care of him, right?" Eriol remembered that after Sakura's guardians had transferred their powers to save her, he had entrusted a weak Kero-chan to Spinel's care.
"I have no idea what you are talking about, Master. Keroberos should be with his mistress, Sakura, right?"
Eriol ignored Spinel as a cold chill went down his spine. He stood and excused himself from Spinel. Using his magic, he transported himself to Sakura's room. It was empty, no Sakura, no guardians. There was nobody in the house either. The furniture in Sakura's room had a thin layer of dust on them, and it seems like there has been no occupant in the room for some time. Eriol focused in locating Kero-chan or Yue, but to no avail. His eyes snapped open in alarm. What the hell was going on?
He decided to contact Sakura's friends, sensing that the future was altered, and wanting to find out what happened. First stop, Tomoyo.
"Konichiwa, Daidouji-san please?"
"Hai, Tomoyo Daidouji speaking."
"It's me, Eriol."
"Eriol-kun? You are back in Japan?" Tomoyo's voice sounded surprised.
"Yes, Tomoyo-chan, I need to talk to you, is this a good time?"
"Sure! But what brought you back here?"
"It's about Sakura." Eriol's could almost hear the heavy silence on Tomoyo's end.
"Tomoyo-chan? Are you alright?" Eriol's concerned about Tomoyo's silence. Usually when the topic of Sakura comes up, Tomoyo would be the first to respond.
"I'm fine." Tomoyo's voice was unsettling cool and impassive, losing the initial friendliness it had just moments ago.
"I'm just wondering if you knew where Sakura is." Eriol asked carefully, feeling that he's treading on thin ice.
There was a sob as Tomoyo unleashed her fury at him. "You were gone! Gone for two years, and it's too late to be concerned about Sakura now!"
"Tomoyo-chan! Please calm down, I think we should meet to talk, please?" Eriol wanted to know what Tomoyo was so furious about, and her words about being too late caused Eriol to shiver involuntarily.
"Meet me at the Penguin Park." Tomoyo's gave a curt reply and hung up.
Eriol was at the Penguin Park waiting for Tomoyo, and wondering how the future has changed since Sakura went back to the past. Tomoyo arrived soon and Eriol was stunned at her appearance. She used to have shiny, beautiful hair, but now it hung listless and dead from her head. Her eyes, were worst, a dull purple that is void of all emotions. She had grown taller, but her body was frail looking. Eriol quickly covered his surprise with a friendly smile. Tomoyo just nodded and sat beside him, on one of the swings.
"Tomoyo-chan, can you tell me about Sakura now?" Eriol asked, getting right to the heart of the matter.
"Eriol-kun, I'm sorry I threw my temper at you just now. It's just that, the thought of Sakura, makes me feel so upset all over again." Tomoyo took a deep breath, and launched into her story.
"About two years ago, right after the time you returned to England, Sakura went missing, along with Kero-chan and Yue-san."
"WHAT!" Eriol was so shocked that his news that his usual calm demeanor was gone.
"Yes, it was strange, because all of a sudden, without any warning, they just disappeared. My mum and I spent over a year to look for Sakura, but it was futile. Nobody knew what happened, and…………….and she's gone." Tomoyo's breath hitched as she tried to control her tears.
"I didn't want to give up hope, and I'm still having people to look for her. But Touya-san, he said…………..he said that he couldn't sense their auras anymore, not in this world." Tomoyo's tears finally flowed, and Eriol rushed to comfort her.
Eriol pondered over the facts that Tomoyo had presented to him in silence. He was extremely worried about Sakura, and yet helpless to do anything. Out of the blue, one fragment of his dreams of the past came into his mind. About Sakura's strange dream, a man who claimed to be from her past, and her love. Could this have anything to do with the future being so different as it was? Eriol was determined to find out. The next person to contact would be……….Touya.
"Tomoyo-chan, I'm sorry, I love Sakura too, you know. But don't lose hope yet, Sakura's missing, but I'll try my best to find her." Tomoyo looked up to Eriol with hope in her eyes.
"Do you know where Touya-san is?"
"Yes, he's been working at the university, helping his dad with some research."
"Thanks Tomoyo-chan." Eriol stood to leave, when Tomoyo called out.
"Eriol-kun? Will you really find Sakura?" She asked, fixing an intense look at him.
"Yes, I will use everything, including my life if needed, to find her and bring her back safely." And in that instant, Eriol's usual mask dropped, allowing Tomoyo to see his resolve and seriousness in his promise. Tomoyo nodded, "Thank you." She's now filled with hope, something that she had not felt since Sakura went missing. Something in Eriol's eyes had told her that he loves Sakura as much as she did, and would risk all he has to get Sakura back.
Eriol hurried to the University to look for Touya. When Eriol saw Touya, he nearly couldn't recognize him. His aura, though strong, and what used to be a warm, compassionate feeling, it was now laced with bitterness and despair. Eriol could see from Touya's aura that Sakura had succeeded in the past, in keeping Touya from sacrificing his powers to sustain Yue and Yukito. But what happened to her later on?
If Eriol had thought that Tomoyo's looking terrible, but it was nothing compared to Touya's appearance. He had dark rings under his eyes, hollow eyes that seemed to see nothing, like someone without a soul. His once athletic body was now gaunt, and he was dragging his feet and sloughing as he walked. Sensing another strong aura, Touya stiffened, and looked at Eriol.
"Touya." Eriol approached him slowly, giving Touya time to adjust his mind to seeing him. Eriol had seen a brief flash of hope in his eyes when he sensed his aura, perhaps thinking it was Sakura's or Yue's.
"You." Touya nodded with disappointment.
"What happened to Sakura, and I want the true story." Eriol stated.
"She's gone." Touya grimaced, as if it caused him pain to admit that.
"I know she's gone, but I want to know how." Eriol gestured for Touya to sit down with him beneath the tree, which ironically, is a Cherry blossom tree.
"Why do you care?" Snarling, he asked Eriol with bitterness.
"Because I love her." Eriol replied simply and truthfully. Touya looked deep into Eriol's eyes, and finally nodded. He sat and stared up at the falling petals of the Sakura tree. It was one of his favorite spot whenever he takes a break, because it makes him feels that Sakura is still here with him.
"Two years ago, Sakura started having nightmares frequently, the kind that seemed to reach its claws into reality and injure her physically and emotionally. Yue, Keroberos and I took turns watching over her, but it was useless. We couldn't go into her dream to stop whoever was hurting her. And she refused to tell us who it was. At first, she did relate fragments of her dreams to us, but one night after she went out on her own and came home, she stopped. The change in her after that night was terrifying. She was withdrawn and quiet. It was as if she's fading away right before our eyes, and we could do nothing. I tried to shake her out of it, but it was hard when she turned those unfathomable eyes onto me, as if she didn't care. Keroberos pleaded with her, and Yukito persuaded her, but still, she wouldn't say anything to us. Yue, I don't know what methods he used, but they didn't work. Till now, I have no idea what happened to her that night. But soon after that night, she disappeared. Almost as if in thin air. Along with her disappearance, were Yue/Yukito and Keroberos."
"Could you tell me more about the fragments of her dreams, those she told you?" Eriol asked.
"We just know that the man plaguing her dreams is called Kuro, and he has long red hair and yellowish eyes. He claimed to be from Sakura past life, and they were lovers in that life. Before he had died in their past lives, he made a promise to find her, no matter how long it takes. Before the night Sakura changed totally, she had started having flashes of her past life, back in the Middle Ages, some few hundred years ago. She remembered herself being surrounded by many worshippers, and also some horrible scenes of strange women being burned on stakes. That's all she told us. If only I knew what happened that night!" Touya banged his fists on the ground in frustration.
"We can find out what happened that night by using the Return card." Eriol said, after a long pause.
"The Return?" Touya looked at him curiously.
"Yes, and I think I have some explaining to do to you." Eriol told Touya everything, how Sakura had tried to divide Yue and Yukito into two persons, and the mess-up, and she returned to the past to save Yue, only to end up being a fifth-grader. And how she had chose to stay in the past when Eriol managed to trace her.
"Why did she want to stay in the past?" Touya interrupted.
Eriol glanced at him, and said. "It's not important." He didn't want Touya to know and feel guilty that Sakura had wanted to change the past, the past where Touya had sacrificed his powers to Yue and Yukito.
Touya's eyes narrowed with suspicions. He was always perceptive, and he suspected it had something to do with him. "It's because of me, isn't it?"
Before Eriol could hide the surprise in his eyes, Touya caught it. "Don't lie to me. Tell me the truth. After Sakura's gone, there's not much that could shock me."
So with a sigh, Eriol told him. Touya's eyes went from surprise to guilt. "I knew it, if it wasn't for me……."
"Stop it! You are not the cause for her disappearance, the person in her nightmares is! And we have to make a trip down memory lane to find out who this mysterious person is." Eriol said grimly.
Touya struggled with his guilt before a light of determination came into his eyes. "You are right. Let's get on with it."
"Ok. Close your eyes and focus." Eriol chanted something and a staff grew in his hands. A magic circle appeared beneath their feet, as he threw a card into the air. "Release and dispel, Return!"
Touya felt his body being lifted and drawn into a hole, and then landing on the pavement. He opened his eyes and saw Eriol standing beside him. "You ok?"
"Yeah, is this the place and time where Sakura was on that night?" Touya glanced around and noticed it was dark, and they were in the Penguin Park.
"Yes. So, the Penguin Park again?" Eriol asked himself.
Touya suddenly froze as a familiar figure came into view. "Sakura." He whispered, not believing he could see her again after all this time. He started moving towards her, but Eriol stopped him.
"We are here to find out what happened to her, not to alert whatever changed her. So be quiet and hide your aura. If we are found out, history would change again, and this time, we won't know which point of time Sakura is changed."
Touya nodded and did as Eriol suggested.
They tensed as another aura came into the park, a powerful and dark aura.
====TBC=====
A/N: Want to know what happened to Sakura that fateful night?? I won't be revealing what happened to Sakura that night to change her future until the next few chapters. I'm just so evil right? *MwaHahahahaha*
The next few chapters will be set in the past where she's stuck in her fifth-grade body. Also on Sakura's nightmares, the truth about her past life before she was reincarnated as Sakura Kinomoto, and the mysterious Kuro. Some stuff on Yue's dilemma, Sakura changing the cards, and creating new ones. And Yukito protecting Sakura.
One more very important thing………please Review! Comments, ideas, questions and cash are welcomed. I'm joking about the cash, but if you want to send me some, I wouldn't mind (^_^,)
