Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura
Summary: It is the story about a girl called Sakura who falls in love with a boy who saves her life (Syaoran). Unknown to her, Syaoran has a secret! By daylight he is the cold, handsome boy Syaoran, but by nightfall, immersed in the enchantment of moonlight he becomes the mysterious white wolf of the forest. Will Sakura learn of Syaoran's secret before all hope is lost?
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DM:
neofilly:
No kidding- you're Australian too?? I don't meet many Aussies here so this is a very pleasant surprise! =) Dude, you HAVE to get the first and second CCS movies; they're awesome! They're usually in exclusive stores that carry Japanese stock but if you're not in a major city and are really struggling to find a copy, go online and look up 'Pioneer', they're the good people responsible for the release of the original Japanese movie versions with English subtitles and/or English dubbing. Good luck!
Kari Hiiragizawa:
Well… I wasn't planning on making this an E+T, why… should I? I didn't really see the need for it in this story as it's not especially relevant, but maybe at the end? I'm not sure yet, I may or may not decide to throw that in.
Julia and Tania:
Erm hey, the "radioactive" was more to stress the 'glow-eyness' of the color of the elixir, rather than implying that the stuff actually IS radioactive- dudes, we'd have like, a mutant Syaoran on our hands!...Oh, wait…we kinda already do…heheh
You're probably right about my inappropriate use of full- stops. Thanks for pointing it out, I wasn't even aware of that habit!
Little Wolf LOVER:
Actually, I can tell you it now: the 'thing' Syaoran lost when he traded for immortality was his humanity. So essentially, from that day on he started turning into a wolf at night. Should I have explained that better in the chapter? Sorry 'bout that. ^_^
Syaoran- Lover:
Arigato Gosaimasu!!! You are too kind! And thank you for such an awesome long review! In response to your questions, yes- the 'green light' was essentially Syaoran's humanity that he had to unwittingly trade for immortality. Kero's a bit of an oddball in the series isn't he? lol! I actually really like him- his gluttony and his bluntness is what makes him such a comical character but like you, I always used to get quite irked about the way he treats Syaoran! ^_^
Sadly, (at least for me) 'Wolf of the Snow' is drawing to an end- with the ending I've got planned, I'll probably be able to wrap it up in about three more chapters? I really am glad you're enjoying this story =)
Everyone:
The opinions as to who everyone thought the Jewel of the Heart guardian was were surprisingly varied! I had a range of suggestions including Sakura, Void, Hope, Love, Syaoran's mother, Meiling, Yue and even Time! (so it's good that I can manage to keep at least most people guessing in this story ^_^)
And the answer?... Coming right at ya!
See ya soon chickies! ^_~
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Chapter 12
….
Six complete moon cycles had come to pass since the day that one demon, two human girls, one diminutive guardian beast and a young man had embarked on the journey from the town of Jas'mynn in search of the two remaining Jewels of Lehn. One of them had been recovered.
But by the late afternoon on the eve of the seventh moon, the last remaining Jewel had not yet been found and a kind of melancholic silence had descended upon the group. They sat on the leaf littered ground of the campsite they had established in the wide, deep shadow of Mt. Jhuls; weary from weeks of traveling in the fruitless attempt to locate the Jewel of the Heart..
For what must have been the third time that day, Syaoran took the little black book from his cloak pocket and flicked restlessly through each page, hoping to find the tiniest snippet of information; a clue he had somehow missed about the whereabouts of the Jewel. As before, Syaoran came to the last page and slammed the book shut. He ran a shaking hand through his disheveled hair.
After a moment, Syaoran broke the silence. When he spoke, his voice was soft and uneven, as though he were trying to control his emotions.
"It looks as though this is it," he murmured, "We've come as far as we possibly can on this journey and it has led us here- to the end of the road."
There was a sickening sense of finality about these words that caused the others to shift uncomfortably. It felt like he was saying goodbye.
"I want you to all know…" he continued, "That I'm alright. I've had a long human life that, like all lives, has had its share of problems…but I have no regrets," This he added with a glance at Sakura. She attempted a brave smile and he felt his heart breaking.
"I'm beyond the point of feeling self pity, or bitterness or anger toward the world. And while we never managed to find the last Jewel in time, I look upon this journey as a success…" He gazed serenely around at the others and smiled, "Because I've had a chance to share it with the greatest friends I've ever had. And I thank you for everything you've done for me."
The tension that had filled the air suddenly broke and Syaoran's friends surrounded him in a sudden wave of emotion. Tomoyo could only give Syaoran a tight, wordless hug, sniffling uncontrollably and choking back tears as she did so. Meiling took his hand firmly in her own and expressed with a silent smile all that she could dare to express in front of the others; gratitude on her part for the past; for the somewhat rocky romantic relationship that ended and was reborn…into a lifelong friendship.
"Why are you giving up?" Kero hissed angrily through clenched teeth. When Syaoran reached for the guardian beast he shrugged himself free. "The moon hasn't risen yet- There's still time to find the last Jewel!!"
Syaoran smiled kindly and tilted his head to one side. "We've been looking for the last Jewel every where we can think of but my time is up. I'm going to accept that. Won't you?"
"You're just giving up," Kero muttered again, as if that proved everything.
Before he could give the tiny beast another chance to escape, Syaoran pulled Kero out of the air with his hand and held him to his cheek.
"You're a slob- not to mention bad tempered and possessing the worst table etiquette I have ever seen!" Syaoran chuckled and Kero stopped struggling in his grip. "But you're my guardian beast and you always will be. What can I say little buddy? I love you."
His anger immediately dissipated, Kero put his two front paws on Syaoran's cheek and gave him a kind of awkward hug, choking back a defeated sob as he did so.
Finally, Syaoran released Kero and as he turned around, a small, warm hand found its way into his own. Sakura gazed up at Syaoran with an unreadable expression in her bright turquoise green eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but she placed a finger softly on his lips to silence him. After a moment, she smiled sweetly and lifted herself up on tiptoe beside his ear.
"Come walk with me," she whispered.
…
Syaoran walked in silence, wondering where Sakura was taking them as she led him by the hand through the towering conifers and up a little way into the foothills of Mt. Jhuls. From this vantage point he could see the whole valley below them; a carpet of evergreen trees that stretched out towards the horizon and the first lights of a distant city; probably Wilhouma, blinking to life beyond that. It was like a patchwork of buildings, trees and skyscrapers whose very seams were the pinprick lights of the city against the dimming sky.
Sakura finally came to a stop at the narrow entrance of what appeared to be a crevice in the rock face of the mountain. Here she turned around and faced Syaoran with a kind of gleeful twinkle in her eye.
"I found this place by accident when I went to look for rocks and firewood for our camp," she said with a broad smile. "I think it's still light enough."
"Light enough?" Syaoran asked; his expression puzzled.
"To swim," Sakura replied happily before taking his hand once more and leading him through the narrow crevice.
It was a kind of cave they had entered, and it was only after several moments of walking through the semi darkness of the tunnel that Syaoran eventually saw what Sakura was talking about. There, where the tunnel opened up into a wide cathedral- like cavity was a shallow hot spring where thick wafts of steam drifted up from the pearly, aqua colored water to a natural sky light; a wide hole in the roof of the cave where the fading afternoon light poured through from the outside. It created a kind of spot lit circle in the centre of the pool.
Sakura let go of his hand and suddenly pulled her boots and socks off. Syaoran began to do the same, thinking that they would be swimming with just their clothes on. Imagine the young man's shock then, when to his utter disbelief, Sakura pulled her tunic up over her head and started to unbutton her shirt. She wordlessly proceeded to removing the light cotton singlet and the underpants she wore underneath, apparently unperturbed by Syaoran's presence.
Syaoran had the courtesy to blush and to turn away; embarrassed by the sight of a perfectly naked Sakura. And damn- what a sight! Those long slender legs and creamy thighs, her smooth flat abdomen and bellybutton, those perfectly round…
Gah! What was he thinking?! Syaoran mentally berated himself before unbuttoning his shirt and pulling his trousers off as well. Still glowing red to the tips of his ears, Syaoran reached for the waistband of his shorts; the one remaining article of clothing that came between himself and stark nudity. He stood awkwardly for a moment, contemplating as to whether or not he show himself- this much- of himself to Sakura.
The girl had already wandered into the centre of the pool where she was at least partially immersed in the feebly modest cover of water. She called out to him cheerfully.
"Syaoran, what are you waiting for? Come on in, the water's so warm!"
Finally deciding to keep the shorts, Syaoran turned around and padded into the water towards Sakura.
It was indeed wonderfully warm and Syaoran noticed its curiously thick density as he waded through it, much like a soapy bath. The water also had a kind of smell, though not unpleasant it was thick with the aroma of salty minerals, only faintly sulfuric, as it intermingled with the rising steam.
Syaoran reached Sakura in the bright centre of the pool and her arms came immediately around his neck. Once again, he became only too aware of her complete nudity, especially when she was pressing her soft body against his chest, with her hair wet and the water rolling off her bare shoulders, and the way she was looking at him with those bright beautiful eyes just made him want to…
Syaoran wanted to slap himself. How could he keep thinking about Sakura that way?! She wasn't just some piece of meat to devour- she was his one true love! And he would never ever take advantage of her or hurt her.
"Syaoran," she breathed, smiling benignly. He could already feel those morals sliding away from him, his senses clouding as his body began to react to the allure of her voice, her touch…
She leant forward and captured his lips, the single gold charm bracelet that she always wore dangled soundlessly at her wrist as her embrace tightened around him. He kissed her back, gently at first as the wave of their emotions carried them continuously from one kiss to the next.
'Don't get carried away,' he told himself firmly, as he claimed her lips once more. She responded by slipping her tongue into his mouth.
'I repeat…don't get carried away!'
Sakura took a fistful of his disheveled hair into her fists and moaned softly into the kiss as it grew all the more hurried and passionate. Syaoran really wished she wouldn't make that sound…he was going to lose control any moment now…
He bit lovingly into her neck and turned his head away, breathing heavily as he held Sakura against him. And then to his surprise, he felt Sakura's shoulders shaking and he pulled her gently away from him.
Great pearly tears fell from Sakura's eyes as she silently cried. Syaoran, concerned he'd hurt her just now when he'd bitten her, put a hand against her cheek and tilted her face gently upward.
"Sakura…what's wrong?" he asked worriedly
"I'm sorry," she sobbed, drawing a hand over her eyes, "It's just, this is the last time that…that…"
"We'll be together like this," Syaoran completed softly, his eyes knowing and saddened. He lifted her hand carefully away from her eyes and rested his forehead against hers. "Then spend it with a smile on your face, Sakura. The smile I fell in love with."
Sakura's eyes widened momentarily, before she wiped the tears from her eyes and gave her warmest, broadest smile. Syaoran embraced her tightly once more and for a time they stood at the centre of the spring, silently holding one another.
"Make love to me," she breathed, turning to rest her cheek against his bare chest.
Syaoran's heart skipped a beat. Make that three.
With his voice caught in his throat he peered down at Sakura with wide amber eyes. "P- pardon?" he squeaked.
"It's just that…" Sakura's eyes were downcast, as though she was too embarrassed to look at Syaoran in the eye, "I'll never love anyone ever again…and to experience that with the person I love…" she finally looked into Syaoran's eyes; so intent and innocent her gaze. "I love you, Syaoran."
For a time, Syaoran didn't say anything and he merely stared at Sakura with a blank expression on his face. In the absence of his reaction, Sakura started to feel foolish for even making such a suggestion, for offering herself to him when he clearly didn't want that. Little did she know that the exact opposite thoughts were filling Syaoran's mind and he was in fact taking the moment to process this…this rather unexpected turn of events. Sakura's voice broke into his thoughts just then and he saw her looking down dejectedly at the water.
"It's alright, Syaoran… if you don't want me like that, I understand. I'll just get my clothes and we'll head b-"
Sakura gave a surprised cry as Syaoran caught her lips with his own. His hands slid slowly from their place on her neck to the top of his shorts. He drew back from the kiss to watch her intently before he pulled them carefully down.
…
Daylight faded as the sun's glowing splendor seemingly evaporated on the horizon. The small shaft of orange light that had poured through the sky light of the cave a mere half hour ago had vanished, bathing the crevice in partial darkness as two lovers lay intertwined in each other's embrace on the floor beyond the pool.
Syaoran rolled over onto his back so that Sakura could curl into his chest. He heard her deep, contented sigh and smiled to himself. He had never experienced anything quite so wonderful, quite so…fulfilling as the feeling of loving and being loved.
After a moment, Sakura got up slowly and reached for her clothes. Once she'd finished dressing she knelt down beside Syaoran.
"Aren't you going to get dressed, then?" She asked, amusement twinkling in her eyes.
Syaoran groaned and pulled her playfully into his arms. "I don't want this moment to end. Do you?"
Sakura brushed a dark brown bang of hair away from his eyes and smiled sadly.
"Never," she whispered.
Just then her eyes darkened, as though in realization of some horrible truth. Syaoran watched her bewilderedly, wondering what could have caused this sudden change in her mood. At that moment, he turned his head toward the ceiling and saw it too.
The pale white head of the moon appeared at the edge of the sky light of the cave; like a curious child peering tentatively into a goldfish bowl. Inch by inch, it moved across the opening, spilling its opaque, glistening beams onto the surface of the spring where it spread outwards from the centre toward the edge of pool.
"N- No…" Sakura whimpered, "Not yet…"
"Sakura listen to me, there's not much time…I love you."
"Please don't leave…" Sakura whispered, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks and she clenched her eyes shut, "Don't go yet…"
Syaoran wrapped his arms around her and held her silently, waiting for the moon light to reach them.
Syaoran shuddered in her arms. And when she felt him cry out with pain she held him all the more tightly, her eyes still closed as the evidence of his humanity slowly disappeared.
She felt his body shrinking beneath her, his arms dropping to the ground and the familiar softness of his skin become brittle right before the fur grew. She felt his breathing become ragged, canine- like, and his jaw lengthen beneath her chin. The White Wolf was almost here.
"Syaoran…" she whispered.
Was this really the last time she'd ever see Syaoran as human ever again? The last time he could ever kiss her or touch her in ways that no other could? She couldn't stand it…her heart …it ached so much…
As though suddenly triggered by her very thoughts she felt her left wrist burning hot as though a blazing branding iron had just touched it.
Her eyes shot open and she cried out in pain and surprise as she lifted her searing arm in front of her. She drew a sharp breath when she looked at her wrist.
The golden charm bracelet that her mother had given her- it was glowing; hot, bright and pink…
Sakura struggled with the clasp of the bracelet, trying to rid herself of the burning object on her wrist whilst Syaoran continued to thrash around on the floor, oblivious to his surroundings as he continued to transform. When at last she'd managed to undo the catch, she flung the bracelet to the floor where it continued to glow eerily before her.
"Wh- what's happening?" she murmured, frightened.
She watched in horror as the single charm of the heart with wings on the bracelet, flickered a hot bright red. The dazzling light then engulfed the entire bracelet and began to change shape; growing rounder and brighter as the seconds passed.
As quickly as it had come, the blinding light surrounding the object faded and Sakura's eyes widened with disbelief. The bracelet had changed, had materialized…
…into The Jewel of the Heart…
"No…" Sakura whispered, shaking her head as she picked up the magenta colored stone. It was surprisingly warm in her hand.
"This is impossible… how could I have the last Jewel… without even knowing it?!"
She glanced hopefully toward Syaoran Wolf. With his transformation complete, he had finally stopped thrashing and was sitting up, gazing at Sakura with the usual amber eyed serenity.
Sakura frowned. Was it too late? Perhaps there was still time to do something about this…
"Syaoran," she called. The White Wolf's pointed ears perked up at the sound of his name and he stood up, tilting his head inquisitively. "Come on, we're going back to the others."
Sakura picked up Syaoran's clothes and boots and started at a sprint back down toward the camp. Syaoran Wolf followed swiftly beside her, his body sleek and graceful as he ran.
…
Moments later, Sakura and the White Wolf emerged into the clearing beyond the thicket. The others were building the fire and making preparations for evening meal when they arrived. When their eyes fell on the Wolf, their expressions immediately saddened.
"Oh Sakura…" said Tomoyo softly. She stepped forward to give her best friend a comforting hug but was surprised to see that she was neither grieving nor angry. Rather, she was looking extremely excited…and a little out of breath.
"The Jewel of the Heart- I found it!!" Sakura exclaimed, brandishing the pink, round stone for everyone to see.
"The J-…. It is the Jewel!!" Kero yelled excitedly, "Where on earth did you find it?!!"
Sakura quickly explained how the bracelet her mother had given her had started to glow, and when she'd ripped it off her wrist it had morphed into the Jewel on the cave floor.
"Then you must be one of the seven guardians!" Tomoyo sighed, starry eyed with admiration as she grabbed Sakura's hands.
"But how could I be the guardian of an all powerful Jewel and not even be aware of it? And this bracelet- my mother gave it to me…" Sakura murmured, ignoring Tomoyo's squeals of delight.
Kero scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, you know," he mused, "the kid didn't know he was one of the guardians either, so the Jewel must have just been with you the whole time- waiting for activation."
"Activation?" Sakura asked, frowning.
"Some of the Jewels; particularly the special ones like Heart and Psyche are often activated during times of great emotional charge; like when you're experiencing powerful feelings of love, anger, or pain," Kero explained. He threw Sakura a puzzled look.
"You must have been sending out big surges of powerful emotional energy to activate the Jewel of the Heart like that…What were you and Li doing up in the cave just now?"
A fleeting image of her intimate bonding with Syaoran in the steamy waters of the hot spring played briefly across her mind and she reddened instantly. She hadn't told any of the others about that particular part of the afternoon…
"N- Nothing much. We took a swim and had a nap."
She'd said all of this a little too quickly and Tomoyo was staring at her rather suspiciously. Needless to say, she was also as red in the face as a ripe tomato.
"B- but, are we too late?" Sakura asked, quickly changing the subject. She glanced at the White Wolf and back at the others.
"It's not too late," Meiling answered quietly, "But you're going to have to move quickly if you want to get the Gate open in time. By sun rise tomorrow morning, Syaoran- kun will really remain a wolf forever- even during the day."
Sakura nodded enthusiastically and Meiling smiled faintly. "Then we haven't a moment to lose."
Within several moments, the entire group had linked arms (with one of Sakura's arms wrapped tightly around Syaoran Wolf's neck) and was waiting for the exact moment that Meiling teleported everyone to the summit of Mt. Jhuls; the so called God's crown of the mountain, so high that it was said to "touch the heavens." It was there Kero deduced; that the great Gates of Lehn resided.
"Prepare yourselves," Meiling murmured.
It was the only warning that the other's received before a force the magnitude of a small tornado near knocked them off their feet. The biting air rushed violently around the huddled group as their surroundings coalesced into thick stripes of blurred, burning color. Their cries and shouts were drowned in the roar of incoherent sounds; warbled and deafening as the world appeared to spin around them.
But the ordeal was over in seconds. The world stopped spinning and their new surroundings swung steadily into focus. Everyone gave a relieved sigh and having somehow fallen into an inelegant heap on the ground, slowly picked themselves up and brushed themselves off.
"N-Never again," Kero muttered as he clutched his mouth with nausea. His face had suddenly acquired a strange green pallor.
"Where are we?" Sakura asked, as she reached into her backpack and handed the retching guardian beast a brown paper bag.
Few but the keenest (or suicidal) of explorers and archaeologists had ever set foot upon the peak of Mt. Jhuls and it was hardly to anyone's surprise. The Summit was a kind of icy graveyard, bare but for the snow covered rocks and the thick gathering mist. Not the tiniest blade of grass grew in this place and there were no birds to sing and break the strange, deathly silence. Sakura was about to ask how they were all able to breathe at such an altitude when it was clear that nothing else could survive here, but Tomoyo called out to her.
"Sakura, look at this," she whispered.
Tomoyo was standing at the edge of where the ground sloped steeply down to the bottom of the mountain. When Sakura came to stand beside her, she pointed to a kind of jagged cluster of grey rocks that were situated on a wide rocky platform a little down the slope. It looked to be a kind of ruin; a wide shallow ring cut crudely out of decaying blocks of granite with a set of two broken stone steps leading up to the centre of it. Kero (who had just about finished throwing up) fluttered woozily over to where the two girls were standing and looked down the edge as well.
"That's it!" He rasped, expressing as much excitement as his queasy stomach would allow, "That's the Gate of Lehn!"
Sakura and Tomoyo narrowed their eyes simultaneously as if to peer more closely at the ruins.
"B- But…that thing?" Sakura muttered, totally perplexed.
"Yeah. What'd you expect?" Kero asked, raising an eyebrow.
"More like, I dunno… maybe a gigantic set of oak doors with dragons and cherubs and stuff carved into the front of them…or an enormous set of golden gates with smoke billowing from it and a big scary monster guarding the entrance, I dunno! Just…not this!"
Kero's left eyebrow twitched and for a moment he issued a number of muttering's under his breath amongst which could be heard, "the youth of today…bah!" and "cherubs!!" as well as "too many fantasy novels!" Eventually, Kero regained composure and grimaced.
"It may not look like much, but it is the great Gate of Lehn and the one and only portal to the magical universe and its billions of interlinking dimensions!"
Feeling somewhat ashamed for unwittingly insulting the guardian beast, Sakura nodded and turned to Meiling.
"Please stay here and look after Tomoyo," she told her.
Meiling gave a single nod of acknowledgment and Sakura began to make her way steadily down the slope. Kero followed suit and fluttered alongside her while Syaoran Wolf padded after them.
On closer inspection of the stone ring, Sakura discovered that there were a number of strange runes carved into the rock; characters that belonged to some ancient language that was probably long since dead. Beside each of the runes (and Sakura counted seven in total) was a kind of round shallow indent in the surface of the rock, supposedly where each of the seven Jewels of Lehn were to be placed.
"Right," said Kero, suddenly adopting a business- like tone, "It's time for you to place the Jewels."
"But which ones go where?" Sakura asked, staring around at the indents on the ring as she took each of the coloured stones from her cloak pocket.
"Well, the engravings on the ring represent each of the Jewel elements. Here, look." Kero pointed to the closest rune. "This one says 'Water.'"
Sakura took the cool, azure blue Jewel of the Water and placed it carefully into its indent.
"And this one here- 'Sky.'"
And Sakura took the golden yellow Jewel of the Sky and put it in its place.
And so it continued until each of the Jewels of Land, Sun, Moon and Psyche were put into their respective indents. When Sakura placed the last Jewel- the deep pink Jewel of the Heart- Sakura drew a sharp breath and nearly tripped over in shock. Each of the seven Jewels began to glow; so brilliant their spectral colours as their combined light merged together to create an unearthly, resplendent white; it was a kind of blinding column of white light that emerged from the centre of the ring. Sakura could not help but stare in awe at the intense beauty of such a sight.
Quite suddenly, there emerged a tall figure from the great column of white light; an incredibly elegant woman dressed in a long red, white and black robe adorned with ornamental butterflies. She had intense, ruby- like eyes and her long crimson hair was swept up into twisted buns at the sides of her head. She also appeared to have a pair of very wide, very real black butterfly wings on her back.
"She's beautiful…" Sakura breathed.
"I am Ruby Moon, Guardian of the Gate. What is your purpose?" the winged woman asked. Her voice was tranquil and soft, but it echoed strangely.
"W- We wish to enter the Y'ahhoedae and see the one who resides there- the Master, Eriol Hiiragizawa," Kero stammered. Even for a guardian beast, he was a little intimidated by the woman…and the unfathomable powers he sensed within her.
"What's 'Y'ahhoedae?'" Sakura whispered, just loud enough for Kero to hear.
"Magical universe," Kero whispered back.
"It is forbidden for all three of you to enter the Great Gates at once. There can be only one," Ruby Moon said softly.
On instinct, Syaoran Wolf raised his regal head and stepped forward toward the column of white light. He gave a start when Ruby Moon held up a hand.
"Not you," she murmured serenely. She turned and pointed a slender figure at Sakura, who merely stared back with bewilderment.
"That girl."
Syaoran Wolf and Kero exchanged confused glances before their expressions became defensive. The magical realm of Y'ahhoedae was said to be a dangerous place and many that had ventured into its midst had never returned. Syaoran Wolf stepped protectively in front of Sakura and growled at Ruby Moon.
"Why Sakura?!" Kero shouted angrily, "It's the boy who needs to see Eriol-"
"My Master expresses the wish to see the girl. Only the girl," Ruby Moon explained softly, "She has something to give."
Syaoran Wolf's growl deepened but Sakura reached out and gently held him back. She knew she hadn't brought anything with her, certainly nothing worthy of a powerful magician…but she knew that deep down in the depths her heart that Ruby Moon was right. She did have something to give; something intangible and not yet known to herself. But she would know it when the time came. She could sense it.
"Syaoran," she whispered, leaning down beside his ear and wrapping her arms around his furry neck, "I've known since the very start of our journey that there was a reason I had to follow you; a purpose. Now I want to do my very best for you."
Syaoran Wolf gave a soft whimper and licked her ear affectionately. She giggled and hugged him tightly. She then released him, stood slowly and looked determinedly at Ruby Moon.
The beautiful winged woman bowed her head in acknowledgement before turning around and disappearing into the dazzling white column of light from whence she came.
Sakura gave one last backward glance at the Syaoran Wolf and Kero before she herself climbed the broken stone steps of the Gates of Lehn. She took a steadying breath and stepped bravely forward.
The white light engulfed her.
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DM:
And thus concludes another chapter of 'Wolf of the Snow'…. *ooooohhhhh* lol!
What is Sakura's mysterious purpose? And will she be able to save Syaoran's humanity before it is lost forever???
Find out next time…^_~
(What?! Another cliffie?! Well, I never…) hahaha
Ja ne!