Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura.
Chapter 8
Syaoran had a pounding headache. Light streamed in from a window. A hospital window. Hospital..... Syaoran felt his stomach turn, did they know? He was practically having a panic attack by the time the nurse arrived. He read his chart, breakfast tray in hand. She looked up at him and smiled sadly.
"Li Syaoran?"
He nodded trying to swallow the lump that rose in his throat.
"I brought you some breakfast, some visitors are in the waiting room. Only on your permission can we let them in. I figure I'll give you a few seconds with your family before the police come to question you."
He nodded again, sick with apprehension. She smiled at him again in a queer, pitying way and then he knew that she knew. He just hoped the others didn't.
She set the tray on his bedside table and left. A few minutes later he was in the embrace on Sakura and Madison. Strangley, it made him think of Meiling.
He wanted to puke, cry and scream. He had no tears left. He just sat their until they withdrew. They both had tears in their eyes and Sakura was injured. Syaoran felt a pang of guilt. And to be touched.....it was the most horrible feeling in the world. He knew Madison and Sakura would never hurt him, he just.......
Finally he noticed the others. Kero had plopped onto his bed, it looked as if he wanted to speak but something was holding him back. Spinel was hovering in the air near his bed with Nakuru standing behind him. Emotions were conflicting across her face- anger, then sadness, then anger........and so on.
Yukito was looking lost and worried, Touya had a mad glint in his eyes and his jaw was clenched. Eriol had a sour expression and looked close to tears. Nadeshiko had been hovering next to him since he woke up, he'd just ignored her. She stayed the same, unmoving, just looking upon him sadly.
Madison had grabbed his hand and Sakura used her hands to cover her mouth and contain the sobs. She looked into Syaoran's eyes and he couldn't help but turn away. Finally Eriol spoke up.
"I-is it true?"
Syaoran avoided his gaze.
"Is what true?"
Syaoran sounded weak, even to himself. If they knew.......he didn't care, they couldn't prove it. He'd just deny everything.
Eriol closed the gap between Syaoran's bed and himself. He sighed and tightened his grip on the rail.
"The nurses told us....." Eriol trailed off, then cleared his throat. "They told us that....."
Syaoran grimaced, maybe they were talking about his family.
"Hai, Eriol. My family.....I killed them." Syaoran accidentally let that last part slip out. He heard Nadeshiko tsk but otherwise everything froze. Eriol tried to reason with him.
"You know how they died then? You must know, but it's not your fault, you were over here and they were over there." Eriol finished, troubled. He was desperate. "Who did this to you?" It came out as a choked whisper and renewed Sakura's sobs.
Finally Touya snapped as they all knew he would.
"I'll kill them! Who did this to you?! Tell me where they are!"
Syaoran didn't. He tore his gaze from the group and watched the window. 'No tears for a murderer', Syaoran thought bitterly. He killed them.....
He stole their protection, he gave Jin-Lang just what he wanted............
"Syaoran, you can tell us what happened." Sakura cut through Syaoran's thoughts. "....we need to know, so do the police. That way they can get whoever did this to you. You may not feel like talking right now but it's for the better."
Sakura looked back at the group hesitating, still teary-eyed.
"Please......"
Syaoran seemed deaf to her pleas and he squealed in fear when Eriol put a hand on his shoulder.
"Syaoran..."Eriol started, "I know this is hard for you. You've been through something terrible. On top of all that, your family and everyone at the Li mansion has all been murdered. We need to know who did this to you. I feel the death of your family is somehow linked to this. I know it's not easy, just please try and help us."
Eriol wasn't making any progress. He seemed to be thinking on something. Finally he turned to the rest.
"Is there anything you could do for him Eriol? With magic and all I mean..."
"There is something Tomoyo. I didn't really want to do this........Clow himself rarely exercised this talent but if we want to help the boy it may be necessary." He started pointedly at each of them. "We can try to read his mind. It'll be difficult with his power increase, but we can try."
"How?" Asked Touya, determined while the others still looked a little doubtful.
"I'll need all the guardians in there true form, I need Sakura to help too. I'm only half the magician I was." He smiled lightly at his own joke. Then frowned again. "This will be hard, but I think we can do it."
Meanwhile Syaoran lay dormant on the bed, his mind whirling with shame and guilt, percieving nothing.
Fifteen minutes later found the group ready to go, they were all around Syaoran's hospital bed. They looked nervous, they were crowded with all the guardians in their true forms.
Sakura took a deep breath, Syaoran was still curled up in a ball on the bed.
"All right, let's do this."
Her statement was followed by a few nods. Eriol began an incantation.
Flashes erupted and ripped through the witnesses in the room. A quick flash of light, before a rough image focused. It was Syaoran looking up at a figure while pinned to the ground.
They heard a voice shout 'Jin-Lang!' Before the next few images streamed together. The picture they had seen at his apartment of his mother and father. Jin-Lang flashed through again, laughing, it was stomach twisting. His voice invaded the scene whispering Little wolf. Another showed darkness and blood, then more blood, and more.....before the screaming began. After the first desperate scream Eriol severed the connection. He looked awkwardly around the room before realizing he was tearing up. He made an attempt to speak.
"His father...." He began but was cut off by Touya.
"That bastard! I'll kill him."
Tomoyo sighed softly, "his own father....."
Syaoran winced in pain and squinted, the light hurt his eyes. He'd just woken up..... He rolled onto his other side and found himself staring at Yue.
"Uh......"
Syaoran was stunned. He whimpered and shrunk back. Yue looked angry.
"We know of your father."
Syaoran stomach did a twist and he felt nauseous. He tried to speak but burst into tears. He found himself wrapped up in Yue's arms. Yue's chest vibrated and soon foot steps rushed into the room. Yue must have called them in. He felt himself being passed to someone else before he was once again set on the bed. He forced his eyes open. Everyone was there. He felt so humiliated, they must be disgusted with him. Not only that he was a murderer. It was Eriol who approached him first.
"Can you tell us about your family? You said you killed them....I think that them dying is related to your power increase."
Eriol said, carefully avoiding the subject of Syaoran's father. He didn't want to bring him more pain, not that this wouldn't...........he smiled unhappily.
Syaoran didn't want to talk. To tell them anything, he just wanted to lay here and die. HE kept his eyes glued to the sheets.........it was all his fault. He didn't even want to look any of them in the eye. He gathered his courage and forced himself to speak even though his thought was tired and coarse.
"I...I killed them. I let them die."
Syaoran sensed confusion and pushed on, explaining.
"I stole their auras, their protection. That's why I have so much power, i-it's theirs. I never meant to take it. But when he....." Syaoran broke down again.
Nadeshiko watched and started sobbing with him. If only she could make them all listen........at least Syaoran had opened up, if only a little. He was always a depressed kid, just now......Nadeshiko was scared he'd do something rash. She sighed, 'Syaoran....'
Nadeshiko was snapped back to reality when Yue spoke.
"How did you steal their auras? It's impossible."
She watched Syaoran struggle for a while before answering.
"I-it was a prophecy. I-I'm not sure how."
"Prophecy?" Eriol looked troubled.
"Can you tell us about it, my descendant?"
Everyone was still, waiting for an answer.
"I-I can't remember. I just....I'm just too tired."
Eriol nodded at Sakura and she unfroze time. After all the nurse had only given them a few minutes, though it wasn't to them. They all watched the nurse walk in, she frowned.
"You can't all stay in here while he's questioned. Maybe one or two, just not all of you."
"Nakuru and I will stay." Eriol said, then looked sheepishly at the others, obliviously dissatisfied. "Well, maybe I can wait outside.....look after him." He finished.
"I'm staying." Touya said with fire in his eyes daring anyone to try and take his place.
"I'm a little tired, I'll just wait in the waiting room with Eriol."
"Well, if Sakura isn't staying, I would like to stay with Li-kun." Tomoyo looked a little sad and flustered, "if no one minds that is."
Some others in the group were about to protest when the nurse cut in, tapping her foot.
"All right, you and you" she pointed at Tomoyo then Touya, "can stay, the rest of you out." She jerked her thumb in the direction of the door and they started filing out. Nadeshiko remained in the room. Soon the police officers came in. Syaoran looked a little ill and depressed.
"Hello, buster, how're you doing?" A police man greeted Syaoran with a small pitying smile. Syaoran kept quiet. The two police men sat down. The second one spoke.
"I'm Ushimoto, this is my partner Taka. We need to ask you some information about your......attack."
Syaoran propped himself against the back of his bed and tried to hold in his tears.
"We first need to ask, well....did you know the attacker? If you do could you tell us their names.."
"Hi-his name is Jin-Lang Li."
The man looked a little doubtful.
"Only one?"
Syaoran nodded.
"I see....what was your relation to him?"
Syaoran looked down, he felt so ashamed.....
" He was my father."
The police officers remained unfazed but sad. Especially the one who'd called him buster, his name was Taka.
"Do you know where we could find him?"
"No."
"When was the last time you saw him before he attacked you?"
"I never met him before....I just recognized him out of a picture, he left when I was born."
Ushimoto looked to his partner.
"We were informed that your family was murdered, so you'll be staying with a family friend, the Kinomoto's, is that correct?"
Syaoran just nodded to then, he wanted to go to sleep. He felt sick. He wanted his mommy, he wanted to see his sisters and Meiling. He half listened as they continued.
"We'll be setting you up with a counselor, the people who came this morning are restricted so that they can't let anyone know your condition, for safety's sake. If they want anyone else to know it'll be on your permission. We have a law protecting child victims. In a week or so when you're feeling better you'll be able to move back to the Kinomoto's, you'll still need to see your counselor, but you'll be able to settle into your new home. You'll be questioned further if we need any information. We'll notify you on court dates once he's found."
The officers waved him goodbye. Syaoran wanted to sleep, maybe he'd wake up and this would be a bad dream, he hoped so. He looked over at Touya, Tomoyo and Nadeshiko. He broke down and started crying again, surprised he had any tears left.
"I want my mommy." He remembered calling before he fell back into his dreamland.
Meanwhile back in the waiting room.
"We need to find out more about this prophecy, especially if he's a part of it. It may be why he was attacked.....Nakuru, you take Spinel and go home, dig up all the prophecies concerning the Li's, We'll be by to help you later." Nakuru nodded at Eriol, then her and Suppi left. Eriol looked at the remaining occupants of the room. Yukito, Sakura, and Kero.
"Eriol, how could something like this happen?" Sakura asked, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
"I don't know Sakura. It's hard to imagine. All the Li's......." Eriol felt sick, all of Reed's descendants......dead. All but Syaoran and Jin-Lang.
"We need to protect him."
"Eriol?" Sakura looked confused at Eriol's words. He smiled sadly at her.
"I have a feeling Jin-Lang's going to come back. My little descendant is an emotional wreck.....I think maybe-no I know he blames himself. For his family. For himself, Jin-Lang. We need to help him, I'm still not exactly sure what happened but we need to find out."
Tomoyo and Touya came out from the room with the nurse. They all looked at each other. Eriol broke the silence.
"Syaoran needs out help. We're going to start by finding out what exactly happened. We're going to look for the prophecy."
No one disagreed.
Syaoran began to dream in his near comatose state. He dreamt of his mother, his sister, his cousins, his teachers.........then everything was consumed by darkness. It teared at him and smothered him, surrounded him.
The nurse watched as tears streamed down Syaoran's sleeping face. She almost cried herself.
"I hope you have someone to take care of you, otherwise, this'll be a rough ride." She layered him with an extra blanket and put a glass of water near his bedside in case he woke up. She left, hearing the steady beep of the heart monitor.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
She vaguely wondered if it was his choice to keep his heart beating. She'd dealt a lot with victims. Although she never knew them before she could see how it destroyed them..............she hoped this boy would be different. She hoped he would find what he was looking for.
'Poor little boy...' She thought as she strode away on her nightly rounds to check up on patients.
AN: Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Forgive me for writing it so late, betcha thouhgt I'd never get around to it........