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?
Heya, fans and flamers! Sadly, our story is coming to an end, soon. I'm not quite sure when... maybe three or so more chapters from now. Maybe less. In any case, I highly doubt I would've even gotten past chapter 5 without the help of the reviewers. So you know what comes next: the review thanx: Tramie, orlha, and sapphire999! You guys are awesome... *sob* Anyway, enjoy! ^_^
Also, beware, this chapter is a bit sad... and a bit gory... nothing descriptive, though. Just a gash or two, but still, if the mention of blood makes you sick (Anaru watched a safety video for his electricity class once and passed out when someone got stabbed in the eye), then you may want to skip the fight scene. -_-;
Alter-chan: so here we are again.
So: yes, it seems so.
Anaru: ...
Yugi: *from silver-dagger-113's fic "Marik's Boring Day"* YO HO! ^___^
Althea: where's Leif?
Alter-chan: rocking back and forth on his heels over there *points*
Althea: -_-; *wanders off in Leif's direction*
everyone: so...
*Zuri suddenly bursts in out of thin air, takes something, then runs away.*
Alter-chan: *getting up to run after her* what the...? hey! Zuri, get back here with those ownership rights! they aren't ours!!
So: well, i guess that does it for disclaimer...
Anaru: ...
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Chapter 18: Without
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Once Sakura and Syaoran got themselves and the now-rescued child to the other side of the cavern, they began back toward the village.
"Is there no way to get there faster?" the messy-haired boy complained, carrying the sleeping boy on his back.
Sakura thought a moment, realizing that he meant for her to use the Star Cards. "We could use the Dash!"
She suddenly halted, grasping the pendant that hung around her neck. "Key of the Star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff and shine thy light! Release!" She pulled out a card and spun it before her. "Dash!"*
Grabbing Syaoran's arm, she sped off toward the village.
It didn't take them long to get there with the help of the Dash Card, but they were still too late. What they found there made their jaws drop in surprise and horror.
Blocking their way was a boy with shoulder-length black hair and eyes that were once a clear sapphire blue but now a clouded gray.
"Felix!" Sakura stopped in her tracks. "What are you doing? What's happened to the village?"
The boy didn't answer her questions--just slowly began to walk toward her. "Sakura... I've been waiting for you, Sakura."
"What's going on?" Syaoran appeared at her side and set the child on the ground against the wall.
"I don't know... he won't answer... something's wrong..."
"And I'll bet I know what. I'm going to find Wu Tai. You take care of Felix and the kid, alright?"
"Gotcha."
And with that, Syaoran took off past Felix, who was preoccupied with the auburn-haired girl. Sakura unconsciously took a step backward.
"What do you want from me?"
"So many questions, Sakura. Nothing's ever enough for you, is it?"
"Stay back!" She took another step back.
"It wasn't enough for you to be alive and be here. You just had to go back and find your friends and family, didn't you?"
"Stop it!" Another step.
"Why couldn't you have just been content to stay here by my side?"
Suddenly, Sakura couldn't move. It wasn't that she was under any spell, or maybe she was, but the boy's sheer words made her freeze in place. "Felix, I-"
"I love you, Sakura."
A few yells and battle cries were heard coming from further inside the cave.
Felix grabbed her wrists forcefully, but there was a gentleness in his action that made Sakura unsure of what to do. Before she could decide, however, his lips caught hers in a passionate kiss. Her head spun.
Wha-... what's he doing? This couldn't be right...
Somehow, she found herself molding into the kiss. His free hand traveled up to the back of her neck and pressed her against him. She gasped for air, but he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss and explore her mouth. This isn't right...
"Felix..." she tried to protest. She felt him grit his teeth against her lips, as if he were struggling against himself inside his head.
He kissed her again, harder. "You love me..." he mumbled into her mouth.
Sakura felt herself slowly giving in and knew that she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. If only she could reach her Star Cards... "I- I..."
"You love me..."
"I l-love..."
"You love me..."
Suddenly, a realization struck her. Wait, Felix doesn't know this language! "No!"
Empowered by her newfound knowledge, Sakura found the strength she needed to break free from the unwelcome embrace and shove the boy fiercely away. "You aren't Felix! And you certainly aren't Syaoran! He's the only one I'll say those three words to!" Her hand flew to her now-accessible waist strap and extracted another pink card. "Freeze! Stop him in his tracks!"
The words barely free from her tongue, The Freeze surrounded her unsuspecting victim, trapping him in her crystalline ice. Sakura grabbed the child that she and Syaoran had rescued and made a mad dash for the village, only to find exactly what she'd hoped not to.
~*~
Syaoran ran past Sakura and into the cave. What he saw was not to his liking.
A horde of villagers stood a little way away from him, each with eyes just like Sakura's friend, clouded and gray. Their auras had been manipulated as well--they had all been stained black. Not only the men, either--women and children had become subject to this change. He wordlessly shouted his despair. All these people were being controlled by Wu Tai; he was using them as a shield to protect himself. But what pained him most was the sight of a small, four-year-old girl with blonde hair and ragged clothes standing up in the front of the crowd, clutching a broken spear head in her tiny fist.
These are... innocent people! Damn you, Wu Tai! You know I won't hurt them! Even I have a heart after all! he thought angrily, then added, And thanks to Sakura, I can feel it...
Suddenly, one of the villagers came forward: a smallish man with dark hair who seemed to be holding an awkward weapon that resembled a mining pick. He let out a battle cry and lunged for Syaoran, who quickly dodged the assault, keeping in mind not to hurt any of the people--even if they had been turned against him. The man tried again, and this time Syaoran used his sword to block the attack, holding it in a defensive position. It was fairly effortless, but knew he still had to be careful. He let the man attack him again, this time swinging around his side as he charged so he was behind him. He held the tasseled end of his sword above the man's head, then brought it down in a swift motion to come in contact with the man's neck. He certainly didn't use much force; it was almost gentle, just enough to knock the man out and let him fall to the ground in a heap.
Another villager came forward to fight, this time a young woman with blonde hair that Syaoran really hoped wasn't Sorina's mother.
"I have to go through you guys one at a time? Without hurting you? This is going to take forever!"
The woman made the first move, coming at the messy-haired boy with great agility and a small, dagger-like tool. She wasn't as easy to defend against, since she was quick and had a short-range weapon, but Syaoran managed without too much trouble, knocking her off balance once or twice and succeeding in regaining his advantage. That is, until he got a good side glimpse of her and the slight bulge in her stomach.
She's... with child?! How low does this guy get? Making a pregnant woman fight?
With the boy sufficiently caught off-guard, the blonde zombie took her chance to place the dagger wholly into his left shoulder, making him cry out in pain. He struggled to regain focus.
"This has got to end..." Syaoran twined his leg around one of hers and swiped it out from under her, taking the chance to grab her hand and pull it and the dagger away from his blood-soaked shirt. He held her arm above her head, incapacitating her weapon, then swiftly finished her off just as he had the previous villager. Syaoran caught her as she fell, as she surely would've landed on her stomach, then placed her gently on her back near the other unconscious villager.
A sharp pain in his right side made him once again shift his focus, bringing his elbow about full-circle to defend against whatever had so rudely poked him. Once he saw his attacker's dirty, blonde hair and shy, clouded eyes, however, his elbow stopped in its tracks. "S- Sorina?"
The little girl jerked the spearhead out of him, causing him to wince and yelp. Before he could move, though, she had begun to attack again. Within moments, Syaoran was so scratched, beaten, and bloody that it was all he could do to stand and hold his sword, let alone use it to defend himself.
Shit! I can't die! What would happen to Sakura?
"Shield! Protect Syaoran!"
Or rather, what would happen to me without her? he asked himself as a shining force field enveloped him and the teenage girl running to his side. He let the tasseled sword fall to the ground and nearly collapsed, but the girl steadied him with her own weight.
"Syaoran! What happened?! What's with the villagers?!" she cried frantically.
"They're being controlled. While we were gone, h-he took the whole lot of them. Even that guy... uh... Felix, right?"
"Yeah, I got that same feeling, too. His aura is tainted with black, like it's being covered up somehow."
"How did you get past him, anyway? He didn't hurt you, did he?" He didn't like the tinge of pink that worked its way to her cheeks, but dismissed it as her words fell.
"Well, um... I used the freeze card on him. I don't think it'll hold very long, though; one card is no match for Wu Tai, and if he's controlling them, Felix ought to be able to break free. That means we aren't safe here, either."
The two looked around themselves. Sure enough, the possessed villagers were beginning to break through the barrier. Syaoran shivered as he thought of how much they resembled zombies.
"Well then, we're gonna have to fight." he stated, drawing to full height, one hand holding his injured shoulder.
"Yep. He's got his army and we've got ours." The girl's emerald eyes burned with determination as she pulled every card but one from her waistband and summoned them all. "Star Cards, release and dispel! Defend against the villagers!"
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*this is the only time i'm going to give the incantation for this stuff, so enjoy it. ¬¬
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Alter-chan: *dragging Zuri in by the collar with some stuff in her hands* well, here ya go. here's your ownership rights back. *tosses ownership rights to CLAMP ladies*
CLAMP ladies: ^^
Alter-chan: so, i'll see everybody (except maybe the CLAMP girls) next chapter. 'til then, au revoir, adios, sayonara, and please review!
~AlterEthereal