Hunting Emerald's Secret
Chapter 10: Controlled
--- Author's Comment: ---
Thank you so much for your reviews!!! I hope that you had a great valentine's day. I had a tiny writers block, which fortunately ended in two days. And I just found out that I have migraine... T.T Sorry it took so long...
THANKS TO: crystal, s.c.a.r.l.e.t, Emma, ss forever, meinien, BrokenWings, kirjava-chan, Linky-chan, Xiao Mei, Ryuuen Star, pinklover, ChibiSakuraSyaoran, Kan-chan, Blind Fath, Sakurablossom101, aku-chan, crystal-kitty2003, Jazzy , michelle, chibisakura , carol, Illusion , Jewelkitten , ccsfanatic, Kawaii-CherryWolf , ice_queen664, Lady-Tomoyo, Lance Dragonheart , Kristal, karan, KristiexxNguyen, Tish, chibisakura, Kawaii-anime-lover , Chihiro, Anna, kawaiitenshisakura, ssforever, Din, azn-angel , Firey chan , x kyoot x, lilyflower, ChErRy BlOsSoM, Virgo Writer , mysticalia, fireangel, Cherry-Lally , HeavenlyAnimeAngel, Mei Yen, 0,
There is not much more to say, so let's continue with the story. ^^
--- Kazue's Residence ---
" Something's wrong with this picture, " Sakura said as they searched the whole room for Kazue.
" No 'duchess' " Syaoran mumbled through gritted teeth. ' But, why? We saw Kazue leave behind the stage; there is no other possibility... ' He began thinking.
" There must be some kind explanation... "
" They've kidnapped her, " he concluded.
" But why would the security stay guarding a room that has no Kazue? " She made him think again. ' Good point, ' he agreed in his mind.
" Unless... it must have been a diversion! "
Syaoran smirked at her. It was obvious that the guards didn't know what their intentions were. Although they were still 'robbing' the vesper.
" All we have to do now is find her... "
--- Ballroom ---
Back in the ballroom people still scampered away for their lives. The barely that got out of the mansion died outside. The place was no longer clean; it was polluted with blood. Meilin rolled behind a table as a bullet tried to hit her. She reloaded her gun and started shooting back, soon Tomoyo joined her.
" How many are there left? " Meilin asked.
" About fifty I guess. Although more are coming... " she answered.
" Good. I want to have fun " Meilin said making Tomoyo smile. Then Eriol and Daisuke joined them.
" We are out of bullets, how about you? " Eriol asked.
" Two more left. Oh wait, none. Already used them " Meilin smirked.
" Now what are we going to do? " Daisuke said in a serious tone. " We can't fight them by hand, they've still got their guns..."
"We will just have to snatch them out of their grasps " Meilin replied already getting up, dodging some bullets that passed her by, and knocking down two men.
They started running after a while though, feeling tired. They headed for the kitchen and closed the door, ignoring the cooks and chefs that lay on the ground.
" They are too much. We can't hold on any longer... " Tomoyo said in a nervous tone, sitting in front of Eriol.
" Yeah, we might get killed in this one guys..." Daisuke agreed and stared in confusion as Meilin wrinkled her nose.
" Is it me, or is something weird around here? Don't you smell it? "
The others opened their smelling sense and started sniffing, nodding at her. Something was definitely odd about this kitchen...
--- Back to Sakura and Syaoran ---
Searching for Kazue, they went from room to room, only to come across emptiness. The time ticked by as they fought the desperation building inside of them. Where could Kazue be? In this huge mansion it would probably take them years to find her. They finished searching the first floor and decided to go to the second. What if they never found her? Would their hunt end? Sakura shuddered at the thought and decided to think where Kazue could be located. If the guard's intentions were on creating a diversion, then they would have kept Kazue on the least place that they would imagine. 'She can't go out since there is danger outside, so she has to stay inside. Well duh! Why didn't I think of it before?!'
" Syaoran, she is still in the ballroom! " she yelled.
" What?! " Syaoran froze in his steps.
--- The ballroom (inside the stage)---
Kazue cramped the paper she held in her hand into a ball, and threw it in the trashcan. She hated that paper: everything that it revealed... Three guards were observing her: their arms were crossed in their chests, showing no expression. She took a sigh as she sat down in a chair, covering her ears with her hands. She couldn't resist hearing the screams and yells, the gunshots and the thumps on the floor whenever people fell down... she could even smell the sour scent of blood. Here she sat alive and safe while her close friends and family scurried for their lives. But she had to stay; there was only one reason that forced her. Only one, and it made that difference? She took yet another sigh and winced hearing a piercing scream of a young lady in pain. She could feel it as if it were her own.
Unexpectedly the door flew away, slamming a guard against the wall. Kazue lifted her head in surprise as she saw a guy storm inside the little room. The two guards lifted their guns in instinct, but dropped dead on the ground, since Syaoran shot them first. Kazue gasped, covering her mouth. She stared wide-eyed at Syaoran's eyes, which never seemed to leave hers. She saw a girl standing beside him, sweet and innocent. Kazue regained her senses when she saw Sakura.
" Hand us your jewel " Syaoran ordered, pointing his gun at her forehead.
" Have you no manners, boy? " she asked indignantly. " I bet that your father was not a good teacher or person..." Syaoran's anger started building. How could an elderly woman talk like this?
" I already told you, hand us the jewel! " his voice was rising, even though he was trying to ignore her comments.
" What jewel? " Kazue asked, never leaving her chair.
" You know which I'm talking about... " Syaoran replied, not moving his arm, his finger was nearing the trigger.
" No I don't... And if you don't mind, that gun is not really helping. I advise you to put it down... " she said, making Syaoran's eyebrow lift in bewilderment.
" Quit your yapping lady. I'm warning you... "
" My, my, aren't we violent? You should really watch your language mister " She sounded like a mother, scolding her children for bad behavior.
" Syaoran... let me " Sakura said, her voice quiet, not wanting Syaoran to shoot.
" Hear me lady, one false move and you are dead, " he warned. Kazue nodded.
Sakura stepped in front of Syaoran to look at sapphire eyes. Although Kazue was quite stubborn and had courage, her eyes showed fear. Fear of dying? Maybe. Sakura got closer and sat on a chair.
" Look Ms. Yunokawa, I'm sorry to bother you like this... But we really need that jewel of yours. Believe me, it's for a good cause " she spoke so sweetly that Kazue couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. ' How can an insolent boy be with such a sweet girl?'
" And how do I know that you are not lying? " Kazue asked. Sakura thought for a while. She obviously couldn't tell Kazue about the vespers or the legend. It was too risky.
" How can you be sure that we are the bad guys? " Now it was time for Kazue to think.
" Because I previously got warned "
" By whom? "
" I don't know. I got a note "
Sakura turned her view to Syaoran, who shrugged. Who could have possibly known that they were after the vesper?
" Can you show me the paper? " Sakura asked. Kazue nodded and pointed to the trashcan.
Sakura stood up and searched it to find a crumpled piece of paper. She straightened with her hand and saw that the letters were made out of cuts of magazines and newspapers. It read like this:
BeWaRe: JEWeL ThIeves WiLL COME At YOUr MaNsiON the Day of the PARTY. ThEY WILL Want an eSpECIFIC. DON'T GiVe it TO TheM! DO WHAt a ConCERNED PErSON SAYS...
Sakura read it over and over, and then she showed it to Syaoran. 'Whoever wrote this letter has to have a special relation with Kazue: whether it is friends, family, etc...' Who would get concerned for an elderly woman like her? And who would know that they were searching one out of all the jewelry Kazue wore? This was way too creepy. This meant that somebody was watching them. Someone who knew... And they hadn't taken notice of this... She shivered at her thoughts and threw the note away.
" When did you get this? " Syaoran asked.
" A day before " Kazue answered, leaning her head on her hand. " But I didn't know that it would be this awful. I didn't have a clue. I never thought that people would die " she started sobbing.
" I'm sorry " Sakura placed her hand on Kazue's back. She felt sympathy for someone that old to cry.
" So you see, I still can't trust you... "
Sakura sighed deeply. This was nearly impossible. How would they take her jewelry? Syaoran's intentions couldn't be killing her; he wasn't that cold. At least that's what Sakura thought. She hoped that she wasn't wrong.
--- Kitchen ---
" This is too weird, we better head out " Daisuke said, getting a nod from everyone.
" Yeah, let's kick some butt " Meilin smirked, getting ready for more action. ' But still... ' she turned her view to the kitchen before leaving.
They started running to the ballroom, where men still shot down the people that remained.
--- Ballroom (Inside the stage) ---
Sakura and Syaoran tried to persuade Kazue into handing out the vesper, which safely hung around her neck, but there was no avail. The elderly woman was impressively stubborn. ' Reminds me of someone, ' Sakura thought eyeing Syaoran. She sighed at their last try, a failure. But something interrupted them. An exploding sound came from outside.
" I'll check it out, " Syaoran said, already heading out. Sakura nodded, as she knew that she had to stay with Kazue. Syaoran closed the door and started walking through dust. Walls had been destroyed. He moved through the torn up building, outside the hole that had been blasted.
--- Outside ---
It was a cool night. There were no crickets, no birds, and no rustle of leaves of trees: there was a complete and haunting silence. Syaoran found himself in what looked like a garden. He closed his eyes. 'Someone's here' He opened up his senses, focusing on the person. He heard chuckles coming from the darkness, getting closer behind him. He turned to its direction.
" What do you want?" Syaoran asked, already knowing that this person meant trouble. He finally saw the outlines. Another chuckle came out as an answer.
" That is for me to know and you to find out..." He felt the person come forward with small steps. It was a deep and husky voice.
" Fine then bastard. Don't talk... "
" Ooh... I'm scared, are you going to threat me? You can't even see me... I may be a ghost as we speak... "
The two stayed in utter silence. Even though Syaoran couldn't see the person, he knew by logic that it was a male. He could probably be a little older and taller than him, wearing some sort of hat, since the shape of the top of his head was different.
" Syaoran, what was it? " he heard Sakura ask, coming toward him.
Syaoran turned her view to her. 'What is she doing here? Fool! ' he cursed in his mind as he saw her approach. She stopped dead in her tracks as she realized that Syaoran was not alone. She gasped at the outlines of the being in front of her. Before Syaoran could do anything, he started feeling a hurting sensation, like something was sucking out the air of his lungs. He soon realized that the guy had hit him in the stomach. Sakura screamed, drawing the attention of the guy, making him launch himself at her, carrying her like a sac, running away. Syaoran fell to the ground on his knees, breathless in sheer bewilderment, with his eyes wide open, coughing out blood.
" Leave me alone! " Sakura screamed for help. The scream echoed through the now empty ballroom. No soul was alive to move. 'Where did everybody go?! Where are the rest of the guys?!' she wondered.
--- Outside ---
The battle that had been going on inside, now moved to outside, since the crowd of people had died away, and I mean literally. Meilin and the rest of their guys hid behind a bush as they saw a five men talking in a circle.
" Ya know what I think about this mission? " One said, appearing to be drunk. The others shook their heads in confusion.
" I think that it's bloody brilliant, " he said making them laugh.
" I've really enjoyed this one, " one who was smoking said. " The master has some fine tastes when it comes to partying "
' Master? ' Meilin asked herself. 'Was someone controlling them? '
" Yeah, although he is kind of harsh sometimes. Though we really get paid " another agreed.
" You know why he asked us to be careful with this one? " the drunken one asked, showing them a picture.
Meilin squinted her eyes and saw that it was a girl that apparently looked like
' Sakura?! '
" I dunno, the master is mysterious. I don't know whether it's a he or she, what age, or what appearance. I only know that it has a high-pitched voice, and has some business... I dunno it's name, it has to do with gold and silver." The one who was smoking said. The others nodded.
" So someone is controlling them? " Tomoyo whispered.
" Yeah, it seems so... But why would someone with a pitched voice want to do anything with Sakura? " Eriol asked also whispering. This was way too weird for them.
" What do we do? Attack them? " Daisuke asked, taking peeks back at them.
" No too risky, " Meilin pointed at their guns. " But I have a better idea, just follow my moves "
The circle of men stopped chatting as they heard the rustle of a bush nearby them.
" Let's go check it out... " The one smoking said, dumping the used cigarette down on the floor.
The curiosity got the best of them as they headed to where the rustling came from. They both stared in silence, their weapons already drawn. Nothing.
" Must have been a cat or somethin' "
Suddenly Meilin, Daisuke, Tomoyo and Eriol jumped from it, freaking out the men, and started running back to the mansion.
" They are so friggin' dead, " the drunk one said, trying to shoot at them, only to miss. They started chasing after them.
--- Back with Sakura ---
Sakura tried to get free of the person's strong grasp, but she couldn't. All tries were in vain. She couldn't help the fear overcoming inside of her. This had been partly her fault. If she hadn't come out, Syaoran wouldn't have been hurt and she would have been safe. ' Stupid! I always screw things up!' She started scolding herself, a few tears coming out of her eyes.
They suddenly reached to a stop. The person closed the door and dropped Sakura on the floor. She felt pain through her body as her body slammed against it.
" Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you... " The voice said, but Sakura knew that this wasn't an apology.
--- Inside the mansion ---
The gang started running through the whole mansion as the men chased them. They all followed Meilin, who seemed to have some sort of plan, unknown to the rest. They made their way to the ballroom, already having an advantage of about 5 minutes when Meilin bumped into someone. They both fell to the floor.
" Sorry " Meilin apologized, rubbing her head. Daisuke helped her up.
" No, I should be the one that is sorry " the other replied. They suddenly realized that it was Kazue. They stared in shock and confusion. 'Hadn't Sakura and Syaoran gone after he? ' Meilin thought now getting worried. She helped Kazue up.
" You better come with us... Your life is in danger " Eriol said. Kazue nodded and they continued running.
--- Back with Sakura ---
" Give it to me " the husky voice replied.
" What? " Sakura asked.
" You know what, that damn vesper! "
' He thinks I have it?! Should I let him know...' she wondered as her bones shivered from fear.
" I don't have it, " she finally decided saying.
" LIAR! DON'T MAKE ME HURT YOU!" the voice warned. Sakura could only see a faint black figure. Her eyes were starting to make her visions become blurry.
" I told you-ou I-I d-don't h-h-ave-e it! " she stuttered.
The person approached her and touched her delicate cheek. The hat was covering the person's face.
" You are a beauty, I wouldn't want to get scrapes over that gentle and delicate skin of yours " he started saying, touching her face, making her whimper.
--- Kitchen ---
The guys with Kazue continued running, until they entered again through the kitchen. The strange scent, still filling it. They closed the door and rested for a while, panting.
" How are we going to get out? " Eriol asked.
" Don't worry, will use a trapdoor I know of... " Kazue replied. They nodded. They heard a loud thump on the door.
" They are here! " Daisuke said.
--- Back to Sakura ---
Sakura's tears started to come out. 'What are you going to do to me?!' But before she knew it the guy winced in pain, dropping to the ground. Sakura saw a figure behind him: it was Syaoran.
" DON'T EVER TOUCH HER AGAIN, YOU BASTARD! "
The guy stood up and chuckled, " I never thought I would hear from you again..."
Syaoran couldn't contain himself any longer and launched himself at the figure. He aimed his fist at what he thought was the head, but he only punched the air. He could hear heavy breathing from the side. ' Clever aren't we? ' Syaoran thought as he smirked. The person suddenly attacked, landing a punch on his face. Blood trickled out of his lips. Syaoran wiped it away with his hand and smirked.
" Is that all you can do? "
The person tried another punch at his face, which was easily dodged. Syaoran counterattacked, landing on the stomach. The guy held it for a while crouching down. Syaoran launched himself again, but the guy dodged him and ran to the window, throwing himself out.
" Coward " Syaoran mumbled, and blushed when he got wrapped by Sakura's arm. Many thankyous were whispered. Syaoran held her tight.
--- Kitchen ---
The men finally entered through the door to find the kitchen empty.
" Where the hell did they go? "
" I dunno "
They searched the room again. Nobody was there. One took out a cigarette and a lighter. ' Damn kids ' he thought as he was ready to turn it on.
BOOM!
The kitchen raged as it exploded with all its might. The gas has been left turn on. The chain reaction started following. Room by room...
Still continued...
--- Author's Comment ---
Whoa, I still can't believe that I'm not finished with this adventure! I'll continued typing... See ya! ^^ The next update may be a little late since the science fair is coming and I have to get ready...