Chapter Seven

Teardrop of Twilight

Card Captor Sakura

~starjade~

Lost

Sakura stared at the necklace for a long time , her eyes blinking hard. A picture of her...there was no denying it.

She blinked a couple of times and realised her jaw was wide open. She shut her mouth quickly and peeked at her kidnapper from the corner of her eye. He was looking down and she felt dread rush through her veins.

He was a highly trained professional....

He had a mission and that was to kidnap her...

And he had a picture of her in a locket...

Holding the locket tightly in her hands until her knuckles turned white , she stared at Syaoran trying to peer into his soul. She thought she had saw something.. different inside this criminal...

" Your just a kidnapper , aren't you?" Sakura whispered , her eyes wide and sad.

Syaoran stared at her shocked as Sakura silently handed the picture back. Syaoran took it and draped it around his neck once more.

He felt hurt flow through his veins and he groaned silently. Hurt? Why would he be hurt by what this GIRL said? He was just a kidnapper...

Sakura fell down against her bed and closed her eyes tightly.

That locket...with the picture of her...

She could not get this out of her mind. He just needed a picture of her to find out who she was , of course....yet the locket....the locket was such a romantic piece....meant for a beloved , a wife , a lover....

No matter how much she hated it , she could feel that silver lining of pleasure over the fear and she closed her eyes tightly.

He was just a kidnapper...

~~~~~~~****~~~~~

" Li?" Mandel asked , his eyes wide. " I've heard that name before..."

Fujitaka glanced up, confused. " You have? But where? The only Li I know is that Chinese family in Hong Kong..."

Mandel nodded. " Exactly."

Fujitaka's eyes grew wide. " What do you mean? That family was attacked a long time ago , there are no survivors!"

Mandel smiled slowly. " Well , one of them survived. It was actually the butler , Wei that survived the tragic accident. He isn't blood related to the family, so I guess he was spared. And there is a rumour that another survived..."

Touya asked eagerly , " Who?"

Mandel said , " It was the youngest....a boy , I think. He was to become the next leader of the Li Clan. They never found his body..."

Touya yelled, exasperated, " That could mean his body burned! There's a perfectly good explanation for why they couldn't find his body!"

Mandel shrugged. " The fire wasn't meant to burn , it was meant to stop the lungs with the smoke....in fact , the fire did not reach the inside of the house , rather , it burned the outsides and the smoke from the fire was what killed the family."

Fujitaka and Touya stared at him with wide eyes , hope seeping into their hearts.

Fujitaka asked , his voice low , " You think it was him?"

Mandel shrugged. " Perhaps. Perhaps not. We're going to have to go deeper into this."

Fujitaka set his shoulders. " Whatever I can do for my daughter...I will do it. Tell us what we should do , Mandel!"

~~~~~~****~~~~

The camp was tense , and an uncomfortable exterior wrapped the campsite in a cloak of darkness. A heavy air hung over the camp and both habitants kept a careful distance between them.

Sakura could not stand it. She did not help Syaoran as he cleaned up the camp , nor did she look at him when he asked her short answer questions. She did not speak to him , she did not acknowledge his presence , she just stared out at the lake with sadness in her eyes.

Syaoran kept doggedly working on the camp , ever aware that they would not last with the meagre supplies they had. He also carried a heavy heart , which he could not explain. Every time she ignored him...he felt a jolt in his heart and he wanted to pound it out of him.

What was he feeling? He could not explain it.

When he had imagined this kidnapping , over and over in his mind , he imagined Sakura to be a sniffling brat and he was to be in control. They would camp in the woods for one day and then he would bring her to Delix.

This was their third day in the woods.

And Sakura was not a sniffling brat.

And he was not in control.

Why had everything gone wrong? It probably was because he was not experienced in kidnapping and he knew that Delix would be very mad at him , if he knew what was happening.

He glanced at Sakura out of the corner of his eye. She was crouched near a tree that outlined their camp. Her head was down and her auburn bangs hid her face. Her shoulders were sagged and he felt horrible.

Syaoran didn't like these regretful feelings he was having. He was the heir to the Underworld! He was strong , cold , serious , unforgiving , icy and stoic-

Syaoran shook his head. Not now. He couldn't think about these things now. Quickly , he got out a pot and took out one of their last portions of soup. He just had to busy himself to stop thinking...altogether.

Sakura stared at her knees , thinking. He was just a kidnapper , someone who was ordered to kidnap her for ransom , or whatever they wanted. She was just going to be brought to some leader and who knows what horrible things they might do to her?

That made her shudder. No , she couldn't do this! She had to get away! If she stayed, she'd never see Touya , or her father , or Tomoyo...

That made up her mind. Carefully , she looked up towards Syaoran. He was bent over a pot , totally engrossed in what he was doing. Carefully , Sakura tore off the bottom part of her dress , so it was knee length. Now her dress wouldn't make as much noise...

She tied back her hair and took off her shoes , putting it in her hand. She got up slowly and crept towards the pathway they had come. Carefully , she crept away , farther and farther from the campsite , until she could hear the grunting of the horse. She looked at it , contemplating.

No , she couldn't take the horse....she'd have to escape by foot.

Something tore at her heart as she looked back at the camp site...she felt some sort of feeling tugging her to go back. It was such a strange feeling , she dismissed it easily.

She looked out at a pathway that she thought was right. Then she started to sprint. Now that he couldn't hear her , she could make all the noise she wanted.

~~~~~~~*****~~~~~

Syaoran stared at the bubbling soup , dejectedly. No , it didn't work. He was still thinking , still thinking about those emerald eyes , her laugh , her cheerful smile...

God , this wasn't right!

How could he , the cold hearted criminal , feel such....feelings for this girl?

Syaoran shook his head and stared at the pot. It was ready. Carefully , he took it off the fire and placed it on a rock. He turned to Sakura , to call her for lunch , but his heart dropped.

Sakura wasn't there....

Syaoran stared at the spot where she had been.

Where was she??

Syaoran got up , and walked slowly around the camp site. She wasn't anywhere , she wasn't hiding among the trees, or changing , or near the bedrolls...

His heart thumped with fear and worry. What if something happened to her??

" Kinomoto? Kinomoto? Sakura? SAKURA WHERE ARE YOU??" He yelled , scared now. He raced to the place she had been and stared at the empty spot. No footprints...wait...

As he peered at the ground , he could see a faint tracing of a foot , a bare foot , leading out of the campsite...

Sakura had escaped.

~~~~~~~*****~~~~

Sakura ran through the bushes , sprinting as fast as she could. She knew that he had probably found that she was gone , and was probably looking for her now. Damn it , why didn't she take the horse?

The twigs scraped at her face , the leaves slapped her arms and the mud sunk her feet down till she was nearly fighting to get out of it.

But where was she going?

Sakura was just running blindly through the vast forest , not knowing one inch of direction. She was just going with her instinct...which as everyone knew , wasn't much. She had actually felt some trust for a kidnapper? What kind of instinct was that?

She stopped , panting. The forest was dense , the trees towered above her. The sunlight reached her only with trickles of light. Sweat coated her forehead and her brow , and she quickly wiped it off with the back of her hand.

Could anything get any worse?

She started running again , scared now. What if she was lost forever? What if she could never find her way back home? She would die of starvation and the cold in this cruel and tormenting forest...

Finally , Sakura broke through the forest , into another clearing. It was a beautiful spot, a river gushing through the meadow like clearing , sunlight pouring like baskets of butter and a bridge that crossed the river.

Sakura panted , staring at the bridge. She never remembered this when Syaoran was riding her away from the house....

Sakura collapsed on the green grass. Now , she felt longing for Syaoran. She wished she was back at the campsite , strangely , safe and sound.

~~~~~~****~~~~~

Syaoran stared at the footprints, his amber eyes wide and shocked. She had escaped? But why? What could have made her go?

Your a kidnapper , you idiot. What other reason is there?

Syaoran smacked his head , groaning. Oh , he was a good kidnapper , alright. He had let his one captive get away!

He had to find her!

As he ran through the trees , he felt a strange sensation in his heart. He was worried about her. He didn't know what might happen to her. She was just a teenage girl , after all , and a pampered one , which made it worse.

It was his responsibility to take care of her and look what happened?

As Syaoran reached the place where the horse was tied to a tree , Syaoran halted. Take care of her? He was going to send her to a crazy underworld leader , who no doubt , will do horrible things to her.

Take care of her....hmpf! He was sending her to hell!

Syaoran ran a hand through his chestnut hair and made up his mind. He'll go find her and then he'll sort through these confusing thoughts.

He swung himself up on the horse and dug his heel into the horse's side. The horse neighed and started to canter out into the pathway.

He would find her....no matter what!

~~~~~~~~****~~~~~

The carriage rumbled on the roadside , it's wheels rolling over and over as the horses rode out of the city. Two riders sat contemplating in the carriage.

Fujitaka sat in the plush seats , dressed up in his finest. A sleek black top hat rested on his head and a walking stick held tightly in his hand , he looked rich and in control. Which was exactly the opposite.

Fujitaka felt as if he could not control anything , anymore. His own daughter , kidnapped! Right under his nose! He had never been this ashamed before. He missed her sparkling emerald eyes , her cheerful voice and that smile that reminded him of Nadeshiko everyday...

Touya sat beside him , his jaw clenched in anger. He could not believe it. Someone had kidnapped his sister. He never had enough time to spend with her anymore because of his job , but now , how he wished he could've spent more time with her!

But he still would have the chance to do that in the future...

The Kidnapper will pay!

The carriage rumbled through the busy streets as Fujitaka turned to Touya.

" What do you think this butler will say?" Fujitaka asked , stroking his chin.

Touya shrugged. " Whatever. I don't really care. I just want to hunt that kidnapper down , and make sure that he dies for what he did to my sister!"

Fujitaka gripped Touya's shoulder. " Don't get like this! That would be too dangerous! We have to plan , we have to know everything about this person , before we go and try to get Sakura back. We have to find out who ordered this kidnapper to kidnap Sakura , find out where she is , everything!"

Touya sighed, his shoulders sagging. " I know....but I'm so angry!"

Fujitaka leaned back. " I am too....What would Nadeshiko say? She's probably so angry with me now , for letting Sakura out of my sight..."

Touya shook his head. " I think Mother would understand , father. Don't worry."

Fujitaka looked out the windows as they got closer and closer to their destination.

" I hope so..."

a/n: I love you all for reviewing! REVIEW MORE, AIGHT??? I need reviews to help me live! LIVE TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPPY! lol! Hope you liked this chapter , send in your comments, suggestions, whatever! What do you think will happen next?

Keep on readin , my peeps.

And remember....

I love you.

* thought I'd say review , eh?*

* hahahahahaha*

BYE BYE!

~starjade~