Chapter Fourteen

Teardrop of Twilight

Card Captor Sakura

*starjade*

Taken

Sakura walked up to the guard, her heart breaking. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she thought of her kiss with her kidnapper. What had happened? Mostly, why had he let her go?

She turned back to where Syaoran had walked off, hoping to catch one last glimpse of him, but he had disappeared into the night. She felt her heart thump with sorrow. She knew if she had seen even a glimpse of Syaoran, she would run back to him, because, because-

Well, she didn't know the answer to that yet.

She quickly took fast steps to the guard, brushing away the tears that had fallen down her cheeks. Now it's time to forget...She thought to herself. Now, you're going home, to Father and to Touya..

Finally, she reached the guards who stared at her confusedly.

" We're not letting anyone out at night, it's quite dangerous out here!" One of the guards said as she reached them.

Sakura shook her head breathlessly. " You don't know who I am. I'm Kinomoto, Sakura."

One of the guards looked confused then he gasped. " Kinomoto? Are you Fujitaka Kinomoto's missing daughter??"

Sakura nodded, eagerly. " Yes, I am! I've...escaped my captor, and I need some help. Will you help me??"

One of the guards talked an in undertone to his friend than nodded. " We'll contact your father. You know how crazy he's been going ever since you went missing?? He's sent out warnings all over the country and neighboring countries as well. He'll sure be happy that he got his daughter back again."

Sakura felt her heart melt with relief as she thought of her father. She was finally coming back home! One of them took her to the wooden house at the side and gave her some hot chocolate and biscuits as they sent a letter out to Fujitaka.

Finally...she was going home.

Yet why...why was her heart sinking? Why did she feel as if she was missing something, someone-

Those burning amber eyes again. God, could she ever forget him? She leaned back on the straw chair that she was sitting on and stared out into the dark forest.

Images raced through her head, going so fast she could hardly make them out. Syaoran saving her, laughing , his amber eyes staring at her as he cooked, turning away quickly with a red tint on his cheeks. The dance, as he held her so delicately as if she would break if he held her tighter...and that kiss that blew her away, the look in his eyes , so forlorn.

Sakura shook her head quickly. It was good that she was leaving. Her father must be tearing up inside ever since she had left...

********

Fujitaka paced back and forth. Where did Touya go? Why did he leave so suddenly?

Fujitaka had come back to the mansion after saying his farewells to Wei, and instead of seeing Touya waiting for him, he met an empty house. He never realized how big the mansion was really, he always had Sakura running around cheerfully, calling out his name, showing him things that she had made or asking questions about life that he couldn't quite answer..


Fujitaka sat down hard and put his head in his hands. His daughter was kidnapped, all because of him. Fujitaka was so foolish....

Suddenly, a man came charging into the room, a letter in hand. Fujitaka jolted out of his thoughts and blinked rapidly as the man came running at him, a hopeful look on his youthful face.

" Mr. Kinomoto? We have great news! Come, come quickly!!" The man said excitedly.

Fujitaka gaped at the man's enthusiasm. " What are you talking about?"

The man shoved a hand towards Fujitaka and cried, " Come on! I'll explain it to you later!"

Fujitaka ran with the man to the front door where the police were standing. The police grinned at Fujitaka and Fujitaka's heart beat raced.

" Did...Did you find..." Fujitaka choked out, afraid of rejection.

The policeman nodded and silently handed him a piece of paper. Fujitaka stared at the paper with wide eyes. On the paper, in his daughters loopy handwriting was, Father, I want to come home now. The man who kidnapped me has let me go and I have come to no harm with him. I miss Touya and you so much...please come get me. Love, Sakura.

Fujitaka stared with unbelieving eyes. Sakura...his daughter...was found!!

Fujitaka let out a cry of happiness and hugged the policeman and yelled, " Lets go find my daughter!!"

*******

Delix glared at the wall, his eyes burning with hatred as a man in front of him spoke rapidly and fearfully.

" Th-The man, Kinomoto Touya...he...he captured one of our own and forced the secrets of the whereabouts of Li and the girl. He...He's sent police troops after them and after....after the Underworld. Now our allies are too scared to contact us...some of them are even thinking of breaking their ties with the Underworld-"

Delix leapt up. " WHAT??"

The man stumbled back and fell to the ground in fright, trembling. " W-W-We n-need to do something, m-master..."

Delix growled, " Our allies are trying to threaten us!! And that insolent Kinomoto boy trying to bring down the almighty Underworld?? How dare he? He doesn't know what he's messing with...And the boy who started it all, our own heir to the Underworld, Syaoran Li..."

Delix spat on the floor and whispered, " He will be punished severely. Send out the men, capture the girl before the Kinomoto bastard gets to her, and bring Syaoran to me!!"

*********

Sakura sat quietly in the room, drinking the hot chocolate slowly so she wouldn't burn her tongue. Her father was coming, they had said, to come take her back home. Her heart was filled with relief and anticipation, but a huge chunk of it also felt a bit as if she had lost something dear.

As if she was leaving something that meant more to her than anything...forever.

She really didn't want to analyze those feelings yet...she just wanted to go back home.

Suddenly a thump at the doorway startled her out of her thoughts.

" Who is it?" Sakura asked, tentatively.

" Open the door," said a voice. " Your father is here."

Sakura gasped. Her father was here already!! She got up and straightened her skirts quickly and nearly jumped to the doorway, swinging it open, her eyes bright with happiness.

Then her eyes widened.

It wasn't her father waiting at the door.

It was-

" AHHH-" Her scream was cut off as a hand went over her mouth. A cloth was tied over her mouth and a bag over her head. She felt her hands being tied and she kicked as ferociously as she could but all her foot met was air. She screamed and struggled, but the gag choked her and she knew she was helpless.

" Finally! Delix will be pleased..." Said a gruff voice and Sakura aimed her foot for the voice. HEr foot met a body and she heard a distinct yelp and she tried to bolt, but something hit her head hard and she collapsed into darkness.

**********

" Don't you dare come near me!!"

The ladies all backed away, their eyes wide as Syaoran gulped down another swig of ale. His body was aching and his mind hurt with all the thoughts that raced through it and the last thing he needed was simpering girls all over him, He slumped over the table and banged it with a fist.

He had just kissed Sakura.

And he had let her go.

He had let her go.

God, how stupid was he? He had just let the girl who was the key to his future go on her own. He could've knocked her out and delivered her right then and there to Delix and got his fame and fortune in seconds. His whole life would have been set...but no. No, his heart had squished disgustingly into mush at the sight of her tears and he let her go.

" Dammit!!" He swore, and banged the table again. He leaned back and rubbed his forehead. His heart ached strangely and in the back of his mind, he knew he had done the right thing...but god!! How could he have turned so soft??

" Would you like some more ale?" A sweet voice said.

Syaoran glared into a pair of blue eyes. Brown curls framed a sweet looking face and a bust that seemed to want to break free of the corset the girl was wearing. She leaned down and whispered, " Or would you like something else. For such a handsome fellow such as yourself, the first is free of charge."

Syaoran growled and pushed the girl away. " Would you leave me alone, whore??"

The girl pouted. " What, you love another? Are you committed to someone??"

Syaoran shouted, " Yes, I love another girl. Would you leave me alone now??"

The girl blinked at him. " Well, what's this girl's name that got such a handsome man in her clutches??"

Syaoran growled, " If I tell you, will you leave me alone??"

The girl giggled and nodded and Syaoran said through gritted teeth, " Sakura Kinomoto."

Then he froze.

What??

What did he just say?

Syaoran looked at the girl with wide eyes, and turned away quickly. God, no! This could not be happening! Love didn't exist, and he did not just fall in love with a stupid girl who was dumb enough to get into such a mess and not-

God, no.

The girl however had slid into the chair beside him and her fingers crept over his hands. " Well, it seems like she's not good enough for you. Why don't you come along with me..." She trailed a finger up his arm and down his chest and smiled, slyly. " I'll promise you a good time.."

Syaoran leapt away from the girl. " What the hell? Keep your hands away from me, woman!"

The woman pouted once more and flipped her hair. " Oh come on, you know you want to! Last chance..."

Syaoran growled, " I said no. Now get the hell out of my sight!"

The woman stood up and sighed, checking her nails. " You know, you should've accepted my offer..."

Syaoran's jaw dropped. Women these days! " What do you mean?"

The woman suddenly glared at him, blue eyes darkening. " Your in deep trouble, Xiao-Lang Li...Deep trouble."

Syaoran's eyes widened as the men who were sitting around them leaped up, and grabbed Syaoran's arms. No, god no! They were all...they were all part of...

The woman walked up to him and grinned, twirling a blond curl around her finger. The silence between them stretched before the woman let out another giggle, this time filled with triumph.

" You thought I was just some bimbo whore, huh? But I'm not...I'm kind of like you. I work for Delix...but in many ways I'm not like you. I'm not a traitor!" She hissed the last word and Syaoran felt a wave of dread envelope him.

Delix knew....Delix knew everything!

He should've known...Delix has spies everywhere! And Syaoran had just blurted out to her that he...that he..

" So you love the girl you were supposed to kidnap? How pathetic.." The girl drawled, lazily, walking around him.

" She's probably on her way to Delix right now...much good you did for her by letting her go. You could've had fame, fortune...you were to be the next leader, for goodness sake! And you had to give it all up?? For a girl who probably doesn't even love you back!"

The words hit Syaoran like bullets and he looked down, breathing hard. " Look, just....just let me explain..."

The girl suddenly slapped him so hard, he stumbled. The men shoved him back up as the girl spit at him. " You want to explain?? Explain it all to Delix...." She looked him over and grinned at the men. " Meanwhile...let yourselves go, men."

Suddenly, the big beefy men around him started to punch him and kick him. Syaoran retaliated, using his martial arts experience to beat them back, and it seemed to work until one of the men kicked his head and all he could see was darkness.

**********

Fujitaka heard the carriage come to a stop and his jaw dropped. His daughter was taken all the way out here?? The city was a famous one for it's pubs and hotels, but it was quite far from Fujitaka's mansion. Fujitaka felt anger bubble inside him at the fact that the kidnapper had dragged his precious daughter halfway across the country like this..

He got out slowly, his feet crunching against the gravel as he clasped his cloak together tightly against the wind. He looked around curiously, wondering where everyone was.

Suddenly, he heard a groan come from the guard's hut nearby. His heart raced and he quickly ran to the source of the groan.

He reached the doorway quickly and with his heart pounding against his chest, pushed the door gently. It swung open to reveal a guard, with blood pouring out of his chest.

Fujitaka let out a shocked cry and he stumbled back.

The guard was breathing hard, his face covered in sweat. " Mi-Mister, y-y-your daughter..."

Fujitaka's face grew desperate as he went down on his knees next to the guard. " What about my daughter? What happened to you? Is my daughter safe? What happened?"

The guard was waving his hand, trying to speak, yet choking on his words.

" D-Daughter, t-taken. U-Underworld...U-Underworld take d-d-daughter, k-kill guard, g-g-g-gone," The guard rasped out, blood flowing like a river in his wound.

Fujitaka's jaw dropped and his eyes grew fearful. " Oh no, oh dear god, no..."

The guard reached out with a trembling hand and whispered, " F-Find th-them..." Before his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the ground once more. His chest stopped moving up and down and Fujtiaka's eyes widened in horror.

" They killed the guards...they kidnapped my daughter...." Fujitaka said, his voice low. He covered his eyes for a few seconds and held back the tears. What were they doing to his daughter right now? He let out a strangled yell as he leaped to his feet.

" I'm going to find my daughter, no matter how much pain this world will have to go through..." Fujitaka yelled into the night. " Nadeshiko! I haven't failed you yet! I will find my daughter...our daughter..."

With that, he raced back to the carriage, intent on finding his son and helping him, helping Touya any way he could to find his precious daughter.

*******

Sakura groaned, her head hurting as the room around her swirled. She had woken up a few moments ago, feeling cold hard stones underneath her and a shiver went through her.

Where was she?

There were four walls of cold, gray stone and there seemed no way out. High, high above her was a tiny window, probably for some air to come into the suffocating room. Sakura tried to remember, tried to call back the moments that she could remember.

Syaoran...kissing her, letting her go.

The guards, the room, the person at the door.

And then darkness....

Someone...

Someone had kidnapped her!

Her heart leapt into her throat and she let out a strangled yelp. " Wh-Where am I?? Hello?? Anybody??"

She tried to rise, tried to get up, but a swirl of pain thundered down on her head and with a pain filled cry, she collapsed once more onto the hard ground.

" Father? Touya? Syaoran?? Where am I??" She choked out.

Suddenly, the room temperature seemed to lower and goose bumps rose on her skin. A scratching like two stones rubbing together filled the room and suddenly, a stone in front of her disappeared.

Light flooded into the dark stone room and she squinted her eyes, gasping.

" Hello?" She whispered.

A person entered the room and she huddled in the corner, fear trickling down her spine. " Well, hello Sakura Kinomoto. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

a/n: Heeelo! Hi you guys! Did I take long again in updating?? I really should stop working on so many stories at once, but I kinda like having so many stories to work on. Each one of them are different, and whatever my mood is, I work on that story. Today my mood was teardrop of twilight and lookie here, a new CHAPTER!! *gasp*

lol, I LUV ALL YOUR REVIEWS! You guys are so nice! *wipes away a tear* I luv you all! You guys are so dear to me!! lol, while i rant on and on, pleaaaase reveiw. I love reviews. I love you guys more, but reviews are nice. Reeeeally nice....lol!

Luvyalotz,

*starjade*