Authors Notes:
This chapter is a bit longer than the other ones, simply because I had so much inside of me while writing, I had to get the most I could in words. For the big S+S fans out there, do not worry after you read this chapter. This fic is S+S all the way. Whatever happens between Syaoran and Tomoyo, is no more than an incredibly strong friendship, based on the support they are giving each other through the dark times when Sakura is gone.
I know I haven't gotten very far on with the story in this chapter, but I really wanted to give you a full description of what's going on. I think characterization is a fundamental part of every fanfic, in fact (along with a good plot, a smooth development and a correct grammatical structure) the foundation of the whole story.
I promise more action in following chapters, and to Eriol fans, do not worry, he will appear and take a good part on this story.
Any doubt you have, just read and review, and give me your opinion. Flames are more than welcome.
Dedicatory: This is for syaoran_lover, who made me blush with her praise, and for sarah-chan, who reviewed 5 times and touched my heart with her comments. You guys are the best!! I can't believe you actually started my fan club...
I also wanted to thank everyone else who reviewed, I have not forgotten about you. It's just that if you read syaoran_lover and sarah-chan's reviews you'd see why I remember them so well. ;)
Anyway, I hope I'll be able to post more of this soon. Keep up those reviews!!
"I'll say goodbye for the two of us: When the truth breaks the silence"
Part four: "We'll find a way"
"Syaoran! Help me, please!"
A desperate Li Syaoran ran through the forest, listening intently, trying to figure out where the voice came from. Sword in hand, he dashed at an incredible speed, looking behind every tree, inside every cave, a terrible feeling growing in his heart by the second.
"No, please! Don't! Stop that! SYAORAN!"
Oh my god, they're hurting her thought Syaoran, rage running through him, causing him to miss a step and fall down. Dammit! he thought, furious at himself for losing 3 valuable seconds. Calm down, you idiot, and listen. You are not going to find her like this He breathed deeply and concentrated with all his might on finding his Cherry Blossom. But it was no use. In whichever direction he ran, he seemed to get farther from his love.
"Please...hurts...Syaoran..." the terrified voice that screamed before, was now a low, anguished sob, but it seemed to be nearer. Suddenly, Syaoran tripped over again, and was cursing when he saw a very well hidden hole in the ground. Covered with grass and leaves, he realized it was the reason he had just fallen over. He quickly brushed the leaves aside, revealing an entrance to a tunnel. Without further thought, he jumped in, preparing himself in case he was attacked.
The tunnel was long and dark, and led out to what looked like an old, medieval castle. Suddenly he shuddered. It was freezing cold down there, and the air seemed to be filled with pain and sorrow. Concentrating hard, he could trace a pink aura at the end. His worries increased, as he sensed her aura to be very weak. He quickened his step, wanting to get there faster.
He entered the castle, which was even worse than the tunnel. The anguish inside was so strong, it was almost tangible.
He kicked down doors, ran stairs taking 3 steps at a time, in his mind a picture of his Cherry Blossom. Finally, he got to a door, and feeling her aura, knew she was on the other side. He opened the door, his fears about how he would find his love mounting at an incredible height. Her aura felt fainted, vague, and he couldn't hear her anymore.
And when he finally saw her, his worst fears were confirmed.
She was sitting on the floor, completely immobile. She was extremely thin, weak-looking. Syaoran could make out the shape of her bones. She was dressed all in black, in what he supposed was a dress once, only in was so ripped and ragged it seemed like simple pieces of cloth hung over his Ying Fa. It left her shoulders, part of her back and belly uncovered. Her face was deadly white. She had to be freezing.
But she didn't tremble the slightest bit. In fact, she was so steady and still she seemed to be captured in a picture. Syaoran hesitated as he got a bit closer, afraid all would shatter in a million pieces. He situated himself in front of her, amazed at this.... He was about to say "still life" but one look at his beloved Sakura's eyes made him think otherwise.
If he had been scared at her diminished appearance, what her eyes reflected terrified him to death. As everything else, her eyes were steady, and fixed upon something she could only see. He tried to make out some feeling in them, but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. He had hoped for anything, even hate towards him, but there was not a single emotion in her emerald eyes. They looked dead. Syaoran couldn't assure himself this was not entirely true.
Suddenly he couldn't take it anymore. He pulled her in his arms flinching at how cold her skin felt.
"Sakura..." he cried, his voice scratchy, tears in his eyes "Sakura, please forgive me. Talk to me, say something please" Even if he desperately tried to keep in control he realized he was losing it.
"Syaoran" He heard something, a voice barely above a whisper
"Syaoran where are you? Why? How could you let this happen?" lamented Sakura, the look in her eyes still the same.
"Sakura! Please, look at me! What's wrong with you, let me help! Where does it hurt? Please Sakura!" he cried, every one of her words was a stab in his heart. But then he realized Sakura wouldn't listen. She was not trapped in a physical place, but in her own mind. Somewhere where he couldn't reach her.
As the darkness around them grew, a tormented cry could be heard, echoing in the night.
"Sakura!!!"
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"Sakura!!!"
Li Syaoran woke up in cold sweat, trembling from head to toes, his heart about to burst. He held his hand to his chest, breathing painfully as he tried to recall what had happened. Another goddam dream he thought. He had gotten used to those.
They had started exactly the night he met Kero again in Tomoyo's house. Kero had said something about a chance in finding Sakura, using an ancient spell. But the stuffed animal had suddenly forgotten what the spell was, so he flew away looking for his lost memories. Meanwhile, Syaoran and Tomoyo had been left there, with nothing to do, which caused them to feel stupid and useless.
So they would get together every day, alternating houses or simply going for a walk, heading nowhere in special. Sometimes they would talk. Sometimes they would simply hold hands, each one taking and giving support to one another. But they were thankful for having each other, and their friendship became stronger, preventing them to fall apart.
Syaoran was especially thankful for having Tomoyo. He would have given up if it weren't for her. One look at Tomoyo's pained, heart-broken look in her eyes was enough to pull himself together. He had always considered her a very good-hearted, sensitive person. He admired her for her clever mind, and kind heart. But he had never thought of her as a strong person. He had thought he needed to be strong for both of them. But Tomoyo had proven to be everything but delicate. She has been the strong one really thought Syaoran with a ghost of a smile on his face If I haven't completely lost it, it's because of her
Just then the phone rang.
"Li" he simply muttered.
"Syaoran?" said a very upset voice on the other side of the phone.
"Tomoyo? What's wrong? Are you all right?" said Syaoran, with the vague feeling he had had a conversation like this sometime before.
"I'm...-" Tomoyo's voice was trembling uncontrollably, and she started crying. "Please Syaoran, come. I need you" she choked between sobs.
"I'll be right there"
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A very frightened Tomoyo hung up the phone. Shaking roughly she went into the hall and sat on a chair, knowing that Syaoran wouldn't take long to get there. To anyone who looked, she was the personification of misery itself. She had gotten extremely thin, there were dark circles under her eyes, and her usual kind, pleasant, good-natured way, had been replaced by a quiet, sad, tormented look in her eyes.
She brought her legs up and hugged her knees seeking comfort within herself, until Syaoran got there. Syaoran....
She couldn't believe how much their relationship had changed. They had always got along, he being a quiet, reserved person, and she being the easy-going girl she was. But ever since Sakura...She struggled even to think about it. Ever since that had happened, they had become incredibly close, dependent to one another. He had opened his heart to her, told her his fears in the most sincere way. She had been touched by this trust he was putting on her, and had paid back in the same way. She had listened to him curse himself and everyone in the world, she had held his hand quietly while he gazed into the sky looking for answers, she had held him when he cried...
And it had helped her a lot. She had a reason now. A very good reason to remain in this world of pain and darkness, of sorrow and anguish. She shuddered remembering how many times she had contemplated her own death, trying to find reasons to live, but not finding a single one. Tears streaming down her face, she thanked god for having such a wonderful friend now.
Exhausted, she rested her head on her knees.
And that's exactly how Syaoran found her.
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"Tomoyo!!!" Syaoran shouted, having hurriedly opened the door with the key Tomoyo had given him some time ago. He quickly ran to her side and kneeled in front of her "What's wrong Tomoyo?" he asked gently.
Tomoyo looked up to the Chinese warrior and her eyes filled with tears. "Syaoran..." she said quietly, allowing him to pick her up and carry her to a sofa. Syaoran deposited her very carefully there. She looked so fragile to him. "Tomoyo, when was the last time you had something to eat?" he asked in a severe tone. Tomoyo lowered her head Please, I don't want to go through this again, oh please, don't ask... Syaoran sighed. He had already been through this with her. He was worried sick because she wasn't eating, but no matter what he said she still didn't eat. She sank even deeper into the sofa. Oh, Tomoyo... he thought sadly. He got up and went to the kitchen to get her something to eat. He came back with a piece of bread and cheese and some tea. He sliced the bread into tiny pieces and handed it over to Tomoyo. Tomoyo thanked him silently and slowly started chewing on her toast. Familiar with the sick feeling in her stomach, she swallowed without complaint and decided to tell Syaoran the reason of her phone call.
"Syaoran..." she began.
"Tell me" he replied simply.
Tomoyo took a deep breath. How was she to explain? How could she put in words the anxiety these dreams had put her through?
"I've been having these...these dreams" she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Syaoran made a move as if he were about to say something, but decided not to. He merely nodded.
"Well, at first I thought they were just nightmares. Horrible nightmares about Sakura suffering and me never getting in time to help her, but no more than that. But it's been over 2 weeks and it hasn't stopped. Actually, I started having them exactly the night after-"
"The night after we got together with Kero" finished Syaoran for her. Tomoyo watched curiously as his face dawned with comprehension, evidently seeing some kind of pattern she was missing.
"How did you know? Syaoran" she asked, "What are you not telling me?"
"I've had dreams myself" he replied, a bitter smile in his face.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, more confused than before.
"Well, doesn't it seem strange, that when Kero seems to have the right spell he suddenly loses part of his memory and can't remember it? And just when we are more determined, we start having frightening, discouraging nightmares? And haven't you felt a ver accentuated shadowy weight over your heart lately?" he said the frown on his face increasing.
Tomoyo's mouth fell open. That was exactly how she had been feeling, and now that he mentioned it, all those details did seem to fit together in a bigger picture. But what?
"What are you trying to say? What is it that is causing all this?"
"Probably the same thing that got hold of Sakura in the first place" he said simply, his eyes full of guilt and anger.
Tomoyo gasped. This was even worse. Not only they had taken Sakura away from them, but they were also using harsh methods against them, making it almost impossible for her to be found. Who the hell "they" were, only God knew. Her eyes filled with tears once again and she couldn't think clearly anymore. Holding tight onto Syaoran, she cried the loneliness, pain and sadness she felt inside.
Meanwhile, Syaoran was feeling worse knowing the forces they were fighting were stronger than planned, but nevertheless detected a touch of triumph in his bitter conclusions: at least they were a step ahead of them. They had figured out the evil plan against him, and he was sure to find a way to take advantage of it. He would do anything for his Cherry Blossom.
Whatever it took.
