Chapter 6

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Completing Half of a Hole – Part one

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Sakura felt her heart tighten with pain as time seemed to freeze around her. "Syaoran!" three voices screamed in unison.

Two shadows ran past a shocked Sakura at lightning speed- Eriol and Meiling. Cursing under his breath, Eriol shouted to Sakura and Meiling. "Syaoran can't swim!"

"What?!" Sakura's eyes widened. He... can't swim? But… he has just fallen into the river! Pains overwhelmed her, pain of the news and her wounds caused her to stumble. She fell heavily unto the earth, unconscious.  

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Sakura opened her eyes slowly, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the cave. Sakura looked around, and saw Tomoyo, Eriol and Meiling. There was a second of confusion, as her head pounded, trying to regain her memory. Pictures of events passed through her head, and the memories hit her, hard.

Syaoran.

Sakura looked around wildly, hoping against hope that Syaoran would be here, growling at her, saying how stupid she had been, or anything! But he wasn't there. "No... no, I am dreaming. Syaoran will be fine, he is here, and safe." She whispered, panic-stricken. She looked up, searching through faces, hoping for a support of some kind and for someone to prove to her that Syaoran is well.

"Sakura..." Tomoyo started, but her words faltered. "We... cannot find Syaoran. He is lost, we searched the whole forest, but... we found nothing. Not a single trace. We... think that... Syaoran might be... gone."

Sakura covered her ears with her paws. "No! No! I don't want to hear it. Syaoran is fine, he is safe, somewhere, I'm sure. He promised me, he said that he'd be my side forever! He promised!" Sakura shouted, shaking her head wildly.

"Sakura!" Meiling scratched Sakura's paws away from her ear. "Do you think we want to believe it?! You saw it with your own eyes too, you saw him fell off the waterfall and into the river!"

Sakura looked at Eriol, who had kept silent through out this conversation. "Do... you believe it too, Eriol?" She asked in a tiny whisper.

"I... don't know, Sakura. Syaoran can't swim, and when he fell into the river, there was another wolf on him, an enemy wolf... I don't know." Eriol said uncertainly. "The Han retreated after Syaoran fell into the river, though. So I think that they must have known that our leader had fallen into the river, and have retreated to plan another fight."

A wave of tiredness washed over Sakura. "Let me be alone for a while... please."

"Are you going to be okay, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked worriedly.

"Yes. I'm just tired; I'll be fine after a little rest."

"Ok, we'll make sure that no-one comes near here."

As soon as the gang went out of the cave, Sakura could withstand it no longer. Memories and pictures of the time Syaoran and her had spent together streamed through her mind, followed by thoughts. She and Syaoran had been close, closer then just brothers and sisters. She had always known that Syaoran would do anything for the sake of her.

The pain of her wounds had long ceased, what then, is the pain that she is feeling now?

Sakura looked up at the moon. Full moon. When they where small, Syaoran and her always liked to watch full moon together. Syaoran. He had promised her, when they were small, that he'll be by her side, always. Last time, he had left, and had broken his promise, but this time, she will not allow that to happen again. Not when she had finally found him.

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His eyelids felt as if weighted tonnes.

Syaoran struggled to open his eyes, and blinked to adjust to the dimness of the cave. Where is he? He fell off the waterfall with an enemy wolf on his back, attacking him. Using the force of the water, he got himself rid of the wolf, and started swimming to shore. But the enemy wolf couldn't swim and tried to hold onto him to prevent drowning and wounding him in the process. He remembered pulling himself out of the water, along with the enemy wolf... then, what happened?

"Report to the Leader, he is awake." A whisper was heard somewhere.

Well, that answers a lot. He had been caught by the Han Clan. Great. Syaoran cursed under his breath. Why had he been so careless?

So tired.... Outside, Syaoran heard the shifting of some wolves and they were all murmuring something....

A presence entered, like a shadow, uninvited. Syaoran shifted his head to see the new comer. His eyes made contact with a pair of emerald eyes... the exact same colour as Sakura's. Syaoran blinked rapidly. "Sakura?" Syaoran's voice came out in a weak whisper.

"Thinking of your sister?" an unknown voice sneered.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I?" the owner of the voice stood it the shadow, making it impossible for Syaoran to see it, "You can say that I am the bad wolf here, but who I am is someone that you need to find out yourself."

It the dim cave, the two wolves talked, and measured out each other.

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Sakura sneaked out of the cave silently. She had decided that she will go to the Han Clan herself, to check things out, and, she hoped, to find Syaoran. After thinking for a long time, it seemed to her that it is impossible for Syaoran not knowing how to swim because it was his father that had taught both her and Syaoran, at the same time, how to swim.

The sky is dimming. It was yesterday afternoon that Syaoran had fallen into the water, and one day has already passed. Sakura looked up at the stars that are starting to reveal themselves to check wether she is going the right way or not. Suddenly, she tripped on something. She looked down, annoyed. It was a plant that had tripped her... the plant called silver-clover...

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Syaoran looked out from where he was caged in. The words that the strange wolf had told him still echoed in his mind. "Did you care so much for her, only because of guilt?" he had asked. "Or is it because of... something else?"

Something else... was it supposed to mean something?

"I knew she is special, after all, she is your sister... but as far as I know, you and her are not blood related, right?" Syaoran couldn't answer to it. What was his feeling to her, sister... right? The strange wolf continued, "Why then, do you care so much of her?"

Before Syaoran can think any further, he sensed someone entering the cave. "Syaoran..." a tiny whisper echoed through the cave. Sakura's. Wait a second... Sakura? Why is she here?

"Sakura..." Syaoran's voice came out in a harsh croak. "Why are you here? And how did you get here?"

"Syaoran, are you in here?" Sakura's voice was closer this time, and Syaoran can see a clear figure trotting nearer and nearer to him.

Sakura stopped next to Syaoran. The wound that Syaoran had made her frown, and a layer of sadness entered her emerald green eyes. She bend down, and licked Syaoran's wounds with tender care ness.

"Why are you here?" Syaoran asked again, while wincing as Sakura's tongue touches his wounds. "How did you get in here?"

Sakura giggled. "I used Silver-Clover." She said proudly. "I crashed them with stones and put them into the Han clan's water supply."

Syaoran's mouth dropped open. "You... did that?" that was... er... very... unique.

"Yup!" Sakura yelped, then she looked around the cave. "Let's get out of here, Syaoran. I don't like this place."

Syaoran smiled at her. "Let's go, then." After a little pause, he said. "That is, if I can stand up."

This time, it was Sakura's mouth to drop open. "Syaoran!"

"Okay, okay, I get the point... but can you do help me up, please?"

"Fine, fine, fine." Sakura mumbled under her breath.

Sakura bend down next to were Syaoran is lying, and supported Syaoran when he was standing up. After when Syaoran stood up, Sakura followed Syaoran closely, and stood next to Syaoran to support him when he gets tired (which was rather often). So often, that Sakura was starting to suspect that Syaoran was doing it on purpose, but when ever she turned to face him, he always smiled innocently at her, making her heart skipping beats.

The two wolves walked on, out of the cave and into the night forest. The night was silent, and the cool breeze was blowing softly on them. Somewhere in the forest, an owl hooted, and other night animals chorus with it, making a concert of them own.

"Have you ever heard this before?" during one of the rests, Syaoran asked Sakura. Sakura shook her head. Syaoran smiled, but somehow, the smile has sadness in it. "Follow me." With that, Syaoran walked ahead without waiting for Sakura's reply.

Sakura wandered slowly behind Syaoran, who was also walking in a slow speed, as if he was taking a walk and looking at the scenery. As the path lead on, the two stopped at the edge of a lake. The moon was high up in the cloudy sky, playing hide and seek with the world. Syaoran stopped, and turn around to face Sakura, who simply raised an eyebrow and said nothing. Another cloud came by, and covered the moon, causing the world to dimmer with it. In the dark, Syaoran's expression was impossible to see, all was dark... all expect for his fierce amber eyes that shone...

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To be continued...