Author's Note- I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! I missed ya'll so much! LOL.
Whelps here's the next chapter! Only about 4 or 5 chapters left. I guess
that's a lot. Or is that too little? LOL. Anyways let's get this party
started!!
October Chill
Chapter 6: You remember?
By: Cobalt-eyedAngel
"Why are the people who come here dressed so oddly?" Syaoran asked.
Sakura, who was just closing the door behind the day's last sightseers, jumped.
"I'm sorry," He said seeing her startle. He went to put a hand on her shoulder, then yanked it away as cold seeped between them. "I'm sorry," he said again. Getting that panicked look in his eyes. Again.
"It's alright," she assured him, though she imagined this was what advanced frostbite felt like, and she had to work to keep the pain off her face. Doubly so now. Her head had been throbbing all afternoon from the stress of cooking, and answering the same question over and over, and remembering to smile. "Syaoran. It's all right." She had to fight her own inclination to offer a comforting hand. "Syaoran, I want to try something." She opened the tavern door. "Can you leave this building?"
"I don't know." He went out onto the stoop. Then, looking back at her, he stepped onto the gravel.
Almost giddy with relief, Sakura followed; and they started down the walkway, which circled the commons, away from the dark woods whose shadows grew longer daily with the approach of winter.
Syaoran shook his head in amazement. "It's so changed. These buildings weren't here before."
That was encouraging. "I thought you couldn't remember the Tiluke Spa Tavern?"
"I" – he realized what he was saying – "can't." He got that far away look he sometimes did, as though he was listening to internal voices, or was on the verge of remembering something. "No," He said slowly. "I DO. Xiefia..."
"Who?"
Finally he met her eyes again. "One of my sisters, Xiefia, and I. We came to Tiluke Spa Tavern to deliver a horse my mother had sold to a man named Yumihiko Tsukumara. Why couldn't I remember that before?"
"I don't know," Sakura said. "Did you deliver the horse?"
He thought about it. "Yes."
"And then what?"
Again the hesitation. But this time Syaoran shook his head.
"Did you meet Tsukumara at the tavern?"
Just when she was about to give up, he said, "No. At his house."
'Robbery??' she wondered. Had Tsukumara killed him for the horse? She asked, "Did he-"
"We left the house," Syaoran interrupted her, but he wsa speaking slowly again, as though having trouble reconstructing what happened.
"And came..." she prompted, "to the tavern?"
He bit his lip and shook his head. "I don't remember."
"It seems as though whatever happened must have-"
"I don't remember." He had stopped and now closed his eyes as though in pain.
"What is it? Syaoran?"
He had taken a step back. His hand closed convulsively at the opening of his shirt, over where his heart would be. If ghosts had hearts.
"Syaoran?" She was getting scared now. "It's all right," she said. "It's not important. You don't have to remember."
"I can't go any farther," he whispered.
She saw that they were almost at the covered bridge, which led out of the exhibition area of the museum, away from the old buildings, toward the modern. "All right," she told him. "We'll go back."
"I can't" – he took another step back – "go any..." – and another.
"Syaoran-"
He dissolved.
"-don't go," she finished in a whisper. She realized that her headache must have gone, because now it was suddenly back.
Tomoyo, coming up the path from the log house, said, "Zoo day, huh? See you tomorrow."
Sakura watched as Tomoyo walked past the bridge and cut across the green toward the gift shop. She hadn't seen him.
She hadn't seen him.
Silently Sakura followed, and it wasn't until halfway through dinner that she remembered she hadn't banked the fire in the tavern, or cleaned up at all.
*
*
Author's Note- Are ya'll getting it now? Are you all understanding what is happening? I would tell, but I don't want to give it away. No, this is not a Sakura gets revenge for Syaoran, and she kills his killer. Or anything like that. All will become soon clear! R&R! Thanks.
~Cobalt-eyedAngel
October Chill
Chapter 6: You remember?
By: Cobalt-eyedAngel
"Why are the people who come here dressed so oddly?" Syaoran asked.
Sakura, who was just closing the door behind the day's last sightseers, jumped.
"I'm sorry," He said seeing her startle. He went to put a hand on her shoulder, then yanked it away as cold seeped between them. "I'm sorry," he said again. Getting that panicked look in his eyes. Again.
"It's alright," she assured him, though she imagined this was what advanced frostbite felt like, and she had to work to keep the pain off her face. Doubly so now. Her head had been throbbing all afternoon from the stress of cooking, and answering the same question over and over, and remembering to smile. "Syaoran. It's all right." She had to fight her own inclination to offer a comforting hand. "Syaoran, I want to try something." She opened the tavern door. "Can you leave this building?"
"I don't know." He went out onto the stoop. Then, looking back at her, he stepped onto the gravel.
Almost giddy with relief, Sakura followed; and they started down the walkway, which circled the commons, away from the dark woods whose shadows grew longer daily with the approach of winter.
Syaoran shook his head in amazement. "It's so changed. These buildings weren't here before."
That was encouraging. "I thought you couldn't remember the Tiluke Spa Tavern?"
"I" – he realized what he was saying – "can't." He got that far away look he sometimes did, as though he was listening to internal voices, or was on the verge of remembering something. "No," He said slowly. "I DO. Xiefia..."
"Who?"
Finally he met her eyes again. "One of my sisters, Xiefia, and I. We came to Tiluke Spa Tavern to deliver a horse my mother had sold to a man named Yumihiko Tsukumara. Why couldn't I remember that before?"
"I don't know," Sakura said. "Did you deliver the horse?"
He thought about it. "Yes."
"And then what?"
Again the hesitation. But this time Syaoran shook his head.
"Did you meet Tsukumara at the tavern?"
Just when she was about to give up, he said, "No. At his house."
'Robbery??' she wondered. Had Tsukumara killed him for the horse? She asked, "Did he-"
"We left the house," Syaoran interrupted her, but he wsa speaking slowly again, as though having trouble reconstructing what happened.
"And came..." she prompted, "to the tavern?"
He bit his lip and shook his head. "I don't remember."
"It seems as though whatever happened must have-"
"I don't remember." He had stopped and now closed his eyes as though in pain.
"What is it? Syaoran?"
He had taken a step back. His hand closed convulsively at the opening of his shirt, over where his heart would be. If ghosts had hearts.
"Syaoran?" She was getting scared now. "It's all right," she said. "It's not important. You don't have to remember."
"I can't go any farther," he whispered.
She saw that they were almost at the covered bridge, which led out of the exhibition area of the museum, away from the old buildings, toward the modern. "All right," she told him. "We'll go back."
"I can't" – he took another step back – "go any..." – and another.
"Syaoran-"
He dissolved.
"-don't go," she finished in a whisper. She realized that her headache must have gone, because now it was suddenly back.
Tomoyo, coming up the path from the log house, said, "Zoo day, huh? See you tomorrow."
Sakura watched as Tomoyo walked past the bridge and cut across the green toward the gift shop. She hadn't seen him.
She hadn't seen him.
Silently Sakura followed, and it wasn't until halfway through dinner that she remembered she hadn't banked the fire in the tavern, or cleaned up at all.
*
*
Author's Note- Are ya'll getting it now? Are you all understanding what is happening? I would tell, but I don't want to give it away. No, this is not a Sakura gets revenge for Syaoran, and she kills his killer. Or anything like that. All will become soon clear! R&R! Thanks.
~Cobalt-eyedAngel