Identity's Past
by AlterEthereal
Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years. Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?
Alter-chan: hey there guys! thanx to all those who reviewed! i appreciate it loads!
Zuri: haha... you mean someone actually read it?
Alter-chan: *puffs out chest proudly* why, yes, as a matter of fact.
Anaru: *hands some money to So, who is smirking devilishly* damn...
So: *raspberries at Anaru*
Alter-chan: so um... has anybody seen Leif or Althea?
Zuri: Althea's probably either trying to kill him or kiss him... she's unpredictable. *everyone thinks for a second* WHOA WAIT!!! WHAT AM I SAYING?!?! *runs off to find/rescue Leif*
everyone else: *laughs hysterically*
Alter-chan: *dries eyes with random hankerchief* ahhh... anyway, DISCLAIMER: i don't own CCS... owning AlterEthereal is quite enough for me.
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Chapter Two: Humanity
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She wasn't sure how long they traveled. Within several hours, however, the corridors became lit with crude light bulbs, and she began to hear vague voices. But try as she might, she couldn't discern what they were saying, even as they made their way less than 20 meters from the village, or what she guessed to be a village.
She was welcomed into her new surroundings readily, although she stuck out tremendously. All the people wore simple, dull-colored outfits and were extremely pale. She wondered to herself how they functioned: What did they eat? How did they make their clothing? How did they live without any source of natural light? After all, without sunlight, few plants could grow.
The confused newcomer would soon find the reason for the apparent lack of communication: they spoke different languages.
Sakura would eventually learn their speech and amaze them with her knowledge of modern technology, as well as her magic. The food that the villagers did eat mainly consisted of hunted meat and a few vegetables grown on patches of soil near a large lake in the cave. She wasn't exactly delighted with the presented menu, so she opted for the sweet fruits provided by The Wood card. After just 2 ½ years in the village, she had become fluent in their language, accustomed to their ways, and had introduced the village to things they had never imagined.
Sakura would live in the caves for four and a half years.
The event that marked her departure came when she met a tall, old man in brightly colored robes and a white beard hanging down to his ankles while wandering the caves in search of hunt for the village. Just as hospitality was offered to her, she offered hospitality to him, but soon discovered that they had something in common other than the shade of their clothing.
"You… you speak my language!" She exclaimed, turning around suddenly. She had been escorting the stranger through the corridors silently, just as she had been subject to four years earlier, when he began speaking in an oddly familiar tongue. They conversed for quite some time until the man asked her where she was originally from. She replied reluctantly, but upon her confession, he assured her that he knew of a way to take her home.
At first, she was surprised; then it morphed into disbelief. After much persuasion and explanation, however, she was at least partially convinced of his claims. She shared her potential departure with no one, afraid that because of all she had accomplished in the village that she wouldn't be permitted to leave. The last thing she wanted was to be held prisoner. She also didn't want to leave with no warning. She resolved to break the news to the one person she was absolutely sure wouldn't prosecute her.
His sapphire eyes glinted for a moment, then all brightness seemed to vanish in them. Sakura had discovered that before her arrival, he rarely socialized. He had always been rather distant, seemingly either angry or depressed all the time. She alone knew of his origins, which also lay elsewhere. He was found as an infant near the body of his mother, who had died of starvation. Without his mother, he, too, would've died if his cries weren't heard by the village. The gradual discovery of his past had made him coarse--she had somehow managed to melt the ice in his soul, yet now, she feared it would harden again.
He wasn't angry; instead, he calmly smiled, though there was something different about his smile, something that Sakura hadn't seen in three years. He asked with an icy tone if he could help, to which she readily suggested his company. The boy was shocked for a few moments, then, with a warmer voice, declined her request. There was one major difference between their situations: She had the opportunity to return home; to him, the village was home. And yet, it was comforting to know that he was staying of his own accord. She didn't want to leave him behind, and that was satisfying enough. She inspired in him the hope that one day they'd meet again.
The plan was executed simply, first with the sapphire-eyed boy spreading the rumor of Sakura's departure. When questioned, the girl would nervously dismiss the topic and comment on something else. The robed man waited in a nearby corridor… until the day finally came and she said her farewells, mostly to the boy with the sapphire eyes whom she discreetly feared she had grown to love.
Sakura had become more homesick with every day that passed between her first encounter with the bearded man and her embarkment. The anticipation that built up inside her was almost unbearable. Just the thought of seeing her friends and family again made her bounce off the walls in excitement. When the lights went out, she pictured vividly what everyone would look like and the first things she'd do when she finally stepped inside city limits. The first thing she thought of was to find The Hope card. Somewhere near there was to find Madison's clothing store and buy everything she possibly could. And above those and more, at the very top, was to chart a plane to Hong Kong.
What she didn't expect were the conditions she met upon the time of her outset.
"Your cards," the old man stated plainly. "You must give them to me."
"What?" She half-exclaimed, a little bit confused. "Why would I give my Star Cards to you?"
"Because you want to get back to our world and I want to use the Cards as my own." His answer was frank and seemed almost compulsory to Sakura, who just stared in shock as her brain registered the demand. Now his voice began to seem familiar to her, but she couldn't recognize the source.
"But… I could never…!" she trailed off.
"Oh, but you will, or you will never get home."
All of Sakura's dreams flashed before her and the realization sank in with a thud that he had planned to make her good and homesick then start naming conditions. The problem was, it was working. She hesitantly reached beneath her cape and undid her waist strap, extracting the pink cards. She sifted through them one by one, as if contemplating each in turn. When she had finished, she bit her lip and slowly felt her hand approach his outstretched palm.
"Very good. And the wand."
Taking a slightly frightened step back, she clutched the pendant around her neck. The man held out his other hand expectantly, as if knowing that she would give in to the sickness. Accurately, she slid her free hand behind her head and gently pulled the necklace off of her head. A part of her remembered Syaoran and how he'd somehow find a way to take the advantage in this situation, and how he'd tell her what an idiot she was for letting herself be manipulated like this. The other part, however, remembered how she would never get to hear his voice again at all if she didn't satisfy the man's demands. Suddenly, a surge of hope flooded her, and she felt everything would turn out fine; that she needed to trust herself and do what needed to be done, even if she'd have to face difficult situations in the future. Her heart became strong and she calmly handed over the key to the Star Cards.
"You had better intend to carry out our deal," she warned with a face of stone.
"I do indeed. I have one final condition for you."
Sakura stood, undaunted. A vast pool of light surrounded them, and the symbols which she knew so well became visible on the ground below. They were ascending, accelerating as they went. She eventually became aware that there was no ceiling to break through, but a sky of endless black, spiraling upward toward what at first seemed like a small red speck. Soon, however, they gained the speed to view the crimson hole, getting ever closer and larger as their velocity increased. It felt like they shunned mach 1, and that now they proceeded at all but the speed of light, which she was sure they'd reach eventually at the current rate of acceleration. Sure enough, the hole soon became a bullet, fired inches away from her face. The prism dazzled each color what must've been a million times before the light faded.
~*~
The moon shone with exceptional brilliance that night. Syaoran couldn't help but stare, settling among the tree roots with only the cicadas piercing the silence. It all seemed so tranquil--so different from the factory in the city. He absolutely refused to go inside it, or even near it, for that matter. If need be, he retaliated against those who attempted to use force to get him inside. He was resolved to never enter the wretched place, or die trying, an opportunity which had presented itself on several occasions.
Now he had escaped from the city into his own anxieties, as he usually did, thoughts often drifting to questions such as "Why did I ever decide to come back here?"
The answer to this question was out of date, but simple: Sakura. After his mother died, the Li children had parted ways. The four girls all dispatched to America, while Syaoran, the only Li son, retired to the city, hoping to attend to that unfinished business. He broke his gaze momentarily to glance toward his chest, where a large heirloom hung, partially concealed by his leather jacket, depicting the head of a beast resembling a lion accompanied by the sun and the moon. Inscribed beneath the beast was the phrase "The Clow." The memories of the time he spent with her were in tact, but largely useless. Or so he thought.
An oddly familiar pulse suddenly rushed through him, causing him to awaken from his daydream and stand stiffly. The pulse echoed through his body like his own heartbeat, intoxicating him as it ran through his blood. It felt warm and embracing, like something from long ago that he trusted as implicitly as his own. He let it envelop him completely.
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Alter-chan: AAAH!!! BEWARE OF THE RABID CLIFFHANGERS!!!!
So: what is she yelling about now?
Anaru: *shrugs* i dunno.
*Sophia and Anaru walk off to stare at Anaru's car*
Zuri: *coming back with Leif swung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes* oh, did i miss everything already?
Leif: x_X
Alter-chan: what happened to him?
Zuri: we were wrong... she was trying to kill him AND kiss him... and you know how pointless it is to fight with her...
Alter-chan: well... um... i don't think these people care about that...
Zuri: oh... well... peace out! *does peace sign, dons a headband and tie-dye pants, proceeds to look like a flower-child, still with an unconscious Leif over her shoulder*
Alter-chan: sorry 'bout that... anyway, please review, k? thanx! ^_^
~AlterEthereal