Chapter 12- The Meeting at Midnight
"It's my fault. It's. It's all my fault." Syaoran groaned in his sleep. "They're gone." "Syaoran, wake up!" "Huh? Ooh. My head." He sat up and opened his eyes. The young boy saw that he was back in his room, sitting on his bed. "Mia? Wait, where's Sakura? And Tomoyo? What happened to them?" Mia sat in silence, unable to bear looking him in the eyes.
".They're gone, aren't they?" Mia nodded, still facing away from him. ".It's my fault." Mia shook her head, "No, it's not. It couldn't-" "No, it IS my fault! I saw it with my own eyes! He dragged them off by their tails. the tails I gave them." Mia shook her head violently. "Don't say that! If you didn't give them cat abilities, you'd be dead, under some truck tire." "That would have been fine with me if Sakura were safe." "No! Don't talk like that! Sakura wouldn't be able to go on without you. Plus, it is possible that they aren't gone, but merely in a different time period."
Syaoran turned his head away. "But even if they're alive, they might as well be gone." "What do you mean?" "I mean that we have no idea what time period they're in, and even if we did, how can we return to the past? Sakura has the Time Card, and Koji won't return to the present." It finally hit Mia. "You. You're right. We can't return to the past. but. don't give up hope! Sakura's there. Tomoyo, too. They might be able to stop whatever Koji's doing."
Syaoran stood up. "Syaoran, where are you going?" "Out. I just need time to think." He passed by Kero, who was sleeping on the kitchen table, on the way out. He grabbed a coat and stepped outside.
He didn't know where to go. It didn't matter, either. His mind needed to be cleared. He just walked down the street with nowhere to go.
After walking a few blocks, the clever boy had an idea. Syaoran returned to his house and crept in silently. He made sure not to alert Mia or wake Kero. He walked to the table on which Kero slept and quickly stuffed something in his bag. He raced for the door and was gone almost as soon as he came.
The lights in the audio-visual room of the school turned on. Syaoran reached into his bag and pulled out Tomoyo's video camera. "How does Tomoyo work this thing? Let's see. press rewind. I think I use this cable to hook this up to this. I turn the TV on to the correct station."
He went about adjusting the camera and TV, hooking them together. "I hope this works." Syaoran turned the TV to the right channel and pressed play on the camera. On the screen, images of Sakura's previous battles were shown. Syaoran gazed on and blushed. He watched it again and again. The love- struck boy could only think of how much her skills had improved in such a short time since they had met. He saw her determined face, facing down the challenges someone was sending against her. She seemed very confident.
He stared down at his watch? "Huh? 5 o'clock? Have I really been here that long?" His stomach roared. "Maybe I'll go someplace to eat."
He took his seat at the buffet when someone called out to him. "Li-kun!" "Huh? Takashi? What are you doing here?" Yamazaki sat down at his table. "Have you seen Kinomoto or Daidouji today?" Syaoran's heart sank into his stomach. "Umm. n-no. I haven't." Yamazaki scratched his chin. "That's strange. I've been looking for them all day. Chiharu wants me to give Kinomoto a message. But I haven't been able to find her all day. I looked everywhere, called her home, and there was no sign of her. I wanted to ask Daidouji where she was, but she was gone as well. It's as if they both just disappeared." Syaoran had to think of an excuse. "Err. I think maybe this was the day they were taking. uhh. a trip out to the country." Yamazaki smiled. "No, I don't think so, I think they just vanished. There's actually a story behind that. You see, a few hundred years ago, in India, there was a man named Vanishto, who was-" "I'm sorry, but I have to run. Sayonara." Syaoran bolted for the door.
Once he was back on the street, Syaoran was able to take a breather. But it he could not rest for long. Scenes of Sakura and Tomoyo being dragged through the portal plagued his mind still. The guilt was getting to him. He hated himself for not doing anything to save them. He decided to take a few more walks around the area to help clear his mind, but to no avail. The more he walked, the greater his guilt became. "Why didn't I say anything? Why didn't I attack? It's all my fault."
"Feeling pretty guilty, aren't you, Li?" A voice cried out ahead of him.
"Who's there?" Syaoran asked, moving into a martial arts' stance. "Just an ally." In front of Syaoran, lying on a small brick fence appeared a black panther-like creature. "Your friends, Kinomoto and Daidouji. They are not lost."
He took a few steps backwards. "Wait, you're that panther that always appears when we're in trouble." "Grrr. That's very observant of you, but that's not the point. The point is, we know you want to save your friends, and we know how you can do that." Syaoran dropped his stance. "Wait, who are 'we' and what can you do?" "Just meet us at the entrance to the Shinto Park at midnight. Bring no one. Tell no one of what you saw tonight." Syaoran growled. "Why should I trust you?" The mysterious feline grinned. "You don't have a choice if you want to rescue your friends, do you? I'll see you at midnight."
In a flash of light, the beast was gone.
Should he have listened to the beast? Syaoran didn't know, but what choice did he have? He had to save Sakura and Tomoyo, lest his conscience destroy his mind forever.
He hurried home. When he entered his house, he found Kero avidly playing "Virtual Brawler Treken 4." Kero began to scream out loud. "Ha! Take this! The KERO-CHAN SUPER SPECIAL COMBO!" "How can you be playing games at a time like this?" Kero paused and turned around. "Huh? The gaki? Hey, I'm just as worried as you. This just helps me calm my nerves."
"Where have you been all day?" Mia asked, coming from the kitchen. "I thought you said you were just taking a walk. No walk lasts all day." Syaoran shook his head. "I'm sorry. I had a lot on my mind. It took all day to finally calm down. I think I'll be okay now." Mia went from angry to sad. "I'm sorry I got angry at you. We've all been stressed. Whatever time period Sakura and Tomoyo are in is still a mystery. I'm sure they can take care of themselves. But I don't want to leave them alone."
Syaoran recalled what Spinnel had told him. "I'm sure they'll be fine. We should all just get some sleep." She nodded in agreement. "I suppose you're right. Maybe I'll have a plan in the morning. Good night, Syaoran."
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Syaoran's alarm woke him at 11pm. He quickly shut it off before it woke Mia. He grabbed his bag of supplies and made his way outside before anyone could be awoken.
About 5 minutes later, he was outside the Shinto Park gates. Spinnel sat on top of the gates. "Well, you're early. That's good."
"I'm here. Now, how can I help my friends? I'll do anything to help them."
A dark silhouette of a small boy appeared on top of the gate and a golden staff glowed in the moonlight. "Well, we can send you back to the time Koji is in. Let's just say that while we may never be friends, as of right now, we have a common enemy." Syaoran's eyes lit up. "You can really send me into the past? And you know what time period Koji is in?" "Yes. But there's a catch: It's one-way. If you don't succeed and you can't rescue your friends, then you'll be stuck in the past. It's a very powerful spell I need to cast. I can't do it again for anyone other than ourselves. I also can't use it to move anyone from the past."
Syaoran needed to think. "That's a problem but." He began to blush. "I don't think I can stay in the present if there's no Sakura. I'll do it!"
Eriol's staff glimmered in the light. "Very well. Good luck. You'll need it." Eriol waved his staff, creating a time portal behind Syaoran. Syaoran gulped, and leapt into it, vanishing.
Love and Peace!
"It's my fault. It's. It's all my fault." Syaoran groaned in his sleep. "They're gone." "Syaoran, wake up!" "Huh? Ooh. My head." He sat up and opened his eyes. The young boy saw that he was back in his room, sitting on his bed. "Mia? Wait, where's Sakura? And Tomoyo? What happened to them?" Mia sat in silence, unable to bear looking him in the eyes.
".They're gone, aren't they?" Mia nodded, still facing away from him. ".It's my fault." Mia shook her head, "No, it's not. It couldn't-" "No, it IS my fault! I saw it with my own eyes! He dragged them off by their tails. the tails I gave them." Mia shook her head violently. "Don't say that! If you didn't give them cat abilities, you'd be dead, under some truck tire." "That would have been fine with me if Sakura were safe." "No! Don't talk like that! Sakura wouldn't be able to go on without you. Plus, it is possible that they aren't gone, but merely in a different time period."
Syaoran turned his head away. "But even if they're alive, they might as well be gone." "What do you mean?" "I mean that we have no idea what time period they're in, and even if we did, how can we return to the past? Sakura has the Time Card, and Koji won't return to the present." It finally hit Mia. "You. You're right. We can't return to the past. but. don't give up hope! Sakura's there. Tomoyo, too. They might be able to stop whatever Koji's doing."
Syaoran stood up. "Syaoran, where are you going?" "Out. I just need time to think." He passed by Kero, who was sleeping on the kitchen table, on the way out. He grabbed a coat and stepped outside.
He didn't know where to go. It didn't matter, either. His mind needed to be cleared. He just walked down the street with nowhere to go.
After walking a few blocks, the clever boy had an idea. Syaoran returned to his house and crept in silently. He made sure not to alert Mia or wake Kero. He walked to the table on which Kero slept and quickly stuffed something in his bag. He raced for the door and was gone almost as soon as he came.
The lights in the audio-visual room of the school turned on. Syaoran reached into his bag and pulled out Tomoyo's video camera. "How does Tomoyo work this thing? Let's see. press rewind. I think I use this cable to hook this up to this. I turn the TV on to the correct station."
He went about adjusting the camera and TV, hooking them together. "I hope this works." Syaoran turned the TV to the right channel and pressed play on the camera. On the screen, images of Sakura's previous battles were shown. Syaoran gazed on and blushed. He watched it again and again. The love- struck boy could only think of how much her skills had improved in such a short time since they had met. He saw her determined face, facing down the challenges someone was sending against her. She seemed very confident.
He stared down at his watch? "Huh? 5 o'clock? Have I really been here that long?" His stomach roared. "Maybe I'll go someplace to eat."
He took his seat at the buffet when someone called out to him. "Li-kun!" "Huh? Takashi? What are you doing here?" Yamazaki sat down at his table. "Have you seen Kinomoto or Daidouji today?" Syaoran's heart sank into his stomach. "Umm. n-no. I haven't." Yamazaki scratched his chin. "That's strange. I've been looking for them all day. Chiharu wants me to give Kinomoto a message. But I haven't been able to find her all day. I looked everywhere, called her home, and there was no sign of her. I wanted to ask Daidouji where she was, but she was gone as well. It's as if they both just disappeared." Syaoran had to think of an excuse. "Err. I think maybe this was the day they were taking. uhh. a trip out to the country." Yamazaki smiled. "No, I don't think so, I think they just vanished. There's actually a story behind that. You see, a few hundred years ago, in India, there was a man named Vanishto, who was-" "I'm sorry, but I have to run. Sayonara." Syaoran bolted for the door.
Once he was back on the street, Syaoran was able to take a breather. But it he could not rest for long. Scenes of Sakura and Tomoyo being dragged through the portal plagued his mind still. The guilt was getting to him. He hated himself for not doing anything to save them. He decided to take a few more walks around the area to help clear his mind, but to no avail. The more he walked, the greater his guilt became. "Why didn't I say anything? Why didn't I attack? It's all my fault."
"Feeling pretty guilty, aren't you, Li?" A voice cried out ahead of him.
"Who's there?" Syaoran asked, moving into a martial arts' stance. "Just an ally." In front of Syaoran, lying on a small brick fence appeared a black panther-like creature. "Your friends, Kinomoto and Daidouji. They are not lost."
He took a few steps backwards. "Wait, you're that panther that always appears when we're in trouble." "Grrr. That's very observant of you, but that's not the point. The point is, we know you want to save your friends, and we know how you can do that." Syaoran dropped his stance. "Wait, who are 'we' and what can you do?" "Just meet us at the entrance to the Shinto Park at midnight. Bring no one. Tell no one of what you saw tonight." Syaoran growled. "Why should I trust you?" The mysterious feline grinned. "You don't have a choice if you want to rescue your friends, do you? I'll see you at midnight."
In a flash of light, the beast was gone.
Should he have listened to the beast? Syaoran didn't know, but what choice did he have? He had to save Sakura and Tomoyo, lest his conscience destroy his mind forever.
He hurried home. When he entered his house, he found Kero avidly playing "Virtual Brawler Treken 4." Kero began to scream out loud. "Ha! Take this! The KERO-CHAN SUPER SPECIAL COMBO!" "How can you be playing games at a time like this?" Kero paused and turned around. "Huh? The gaki? Hey, I'm just as worried as you. This just helps me calm my nerves."
"Where have you been all day?" Mia asked, coming from the kitchen. "I thought you said you were just taking a walk. No walk lasts all day." Syaoran shook his head. "I'm sorry. I had a lot on my mind. It took all day to finally calm down. I think I'll be okay now." Mia went from angry to sad. "I'm sorry I got angry at you. We've all been stressed. Whatever time period Sakura and Tomoyo are in is still a mystery. I'm sure they can take care of themselves. But I don't want to leave them alone."
Syaoran recalled what Spinnel had told him. "I'm sure they'll be fine. We should all just get some sleep." She nodded in agreement. "I suppose you're right. Maybe I'll have a plan in the morning. Good night, Syaoran."
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Syaoran's alarm woke him at 11pm. He quickly shut it off before it woke Mia. He grabbed his bag of supplies and made his way outside before anyone could be awoken.
About 5 minutes later, he was outside the Shinto Park gates. Spinnel sat on top of the gates. "Well, you're early. That's good."
"I'm here. Now, how can I help my friends? I'll do anything to help them."
A dark silhouette of a small boy appeared on top of the gate and a golden staff glowed in the moonlight. "Well, we can send you back to the time Koji is in. Let's just say that while we may never be friends, as of right now, we have a common enemy." Syaoran's eyes lit up. "You can really send me into the past? And you know what time period Koji is in?" "Yes. But there's a catch: It's one-way. If you don't succeed and you can't rescue your friends, then you'll be stuck in the past. It's a very powerful spell I need to cast. I can't do it again for anyone other than ourselves. I also can't use it to move anyone from the past."
Syaoran needed to think. "That's a problem but." He began to blush. "I don't think I can stay in the present if there's no Sakura. I'll do it!"
Eriol's staff glimmered in the light. "Very well. Good luck. You'll need it." Eriol waved his staff, creating a time portal behind Syaoran. Syaoran gulped, and leapt into it, vanishing.
Love and Peace!