Yay, I got a review while I was still messing around with formatting! Thank
you! I'm glad you liked my story so far!
Um, while I'm pretty sure that this chapter will answer those questions anyway but to clarify, they area already Sakura Cards but she still has to Master them. And yes there is an evil they have to face, though they'll have emotional issues too, it wouldn't be CCS if they didn't.
Anyway, here's next chap!
Disclaimer: Of course I don't own CCS. That's cause it's real, I mean Syaoran is standing right behind me! He keeps calling me Sakura though .Anyway
Chapter Two: Old Friends
IT was actually almost ten thirty when the three arrived at the village. The people were already moving about in a bustle of activity and didn't seem to notice the two strangers at first. They looked around the town for a bit before Sakura realized something.
"I know where we are! Come on Li," she said grabbing his hands and pulling him in one direction. "I know where to go!"
The bodyguard was very disgruntled at the hand clasping his own but tried his best to hide it. They ran through the streets for a few minutes before the princess finally stopped in front of a very expensive looking house, obviously owned by one of the gentry or nobility.
"Where are we?" he asked a bit out of breath.
"Well, I used to tour the country with father every other year so I know a lot of villages. But I spent a lot of time in this one because my friend from the court lives here. This is her house."
"Are you sure it's okay to just walk right up and knock? I mean, you are expecting a lot from her aren't you? To help us I mean." He wasn't sure he wanted help from anyone who was a member of the royal court. Most of the girls there had no brains and little manners.
She laughed, making Li even grumpier at the idea of staying there. "Not Rika. She is one of my very best friends. Besides, Li, it's not like I'm a beggar off the street! I'm the Princess of Tomoeda!"
Li was about to make a rude comment about how arrogant that sounded but stopped himself when he realized she was joking. He didn't feel that anyone should joke about anything like that but he decided not to argue and followed her up the walk way to the house.
Politely, Sakura knocked on the door and waited for the servant to open it. "I need to speak with the Lady Rika, please. I'd also like to give my respects to Lord and Lady Sasaki, if I may."
A bit surprised at her sudden usage of courtly manners, Li kept silent.
"Right this way, your highness," the old butler said with a respectful bow.
"You shouldn't be so formal! You've known me since I was born practically, Souma!"
He merely smiled and opened the door further to let her and Li in. Respectfully he took their cloaks and ushered them into a sitting room. "Miss Rika is practicing with Mr. Terada." The butler and Sakura exchanged amused looks before he bowed and left.
"Why is that so funny, princess?"
"Mr. Terada was once the tutor for the royal court children. Even from then the two liked each other a great deal and have been so obviously in love with each other. But they refuse to admit it to anyone else, even though everyone else knows. Mr. Terada is afraid of what her parents will say."
"Do they object?"
"No, they like him very well. But he IS a great deal older than she is. Also they want him to have the gumption to actually come and ask them before they will let him know that he is acceptable."
"Oh."
A moment later, a mature looking red head opened the door and ran to hug Sakura. "I haven't seen you in almost a year, Sakura! I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too, Rika," she gushed. "You, too, Mr. Terada."
The older man smiled fondly then bowed. "It is time for me to leave, Miss Sasaki, your highness." Then he bowed to Li before leaving.
Everyone watched him go until the door shut. Then Rika sat down on the couch with Sakura. "I know that you wouldn't be here without reason, Sakura, especially without any of your family. But I assume that you need help."
"Yes, Rika, I'm afraid I do. But I'm afraid I can't tell you what is the matter. I don't know the full story yet myself and don't want to put you into harms way."
The young girl just smiled knowingly. "I understand, Sakura. I know you don't do anything without reason. So smile, it is not easy to see you upset."
Sakura smiled for the first time since the teacher left. "I'm sorry to worry you. But I'll cheer up."
"Good. Now, what do you need me to do for you and your companion?"
"Oh!" Sakura cried out, blushing. "I'm sorry for being so rude I should have introduced you! Rika this is Li Syaoran, who is in training and acting as my bodyguard for the next two years. Li, this is Rika Sasaki, my very dear friend and the Royal pianist."
The two bowed to each other. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Li."
"You too, my lady. But please call me Li."
"If you want, but only if you tell me what I can do to help you two."
"My lady, we have a small favour to ask and a slightly large one."
"What is the smaller one? I know I can grant that without asking my parents," she smiled.
"We need to know where we may buy supplies for a journey. And, if you have one, a bag that we can carry them in."
"Oh, of course. But, don't worry about buying them. We can supply you with enough to get to the next village if you need it."
"I'm afraid we can't, my lady."
Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes. "We will take it, Rika. Li is too proud to accept help, but I'm not. I only brought what money I had and don't know how far that will last since I've never had to buy much. So thank you for your help."
"What is the other favour?" she asked calmly.
Sakura laughed nervously and fiddled with the bun on the back of her head. "Umm, we haven't slept since yesterday night. Do you suppose you could lend us a bed for a few hours?"
"Of course! Mother and father won't mind in the least and we have guest rooms already made up since we have relatives expected tomorrow."
"Thank you, Rika!" she cried grasping her friend's hands. "I feel like I'm about to fall over."
Li felt that she was exaggerating a bit, but he knew they should get some rest before they continued on. "Thank you, my lady."
"It's nothing. Why don't you two follow me and I'll show you were you can sleep without interruption." Rika led them up a set of stairs and down a long hallway. "Sakura, your usual room is ready actually. And Li, you may sleep here, next door."
"Thank you," they both said.
"You are very welcome. Is there at time when you would like me to wake you up so you may continue?"
Sakura looked at Li in question. He was beginning to realize that she was deferring to him for all major decisions, aside of food, and he didn't know whether to feel honoured or wonder if she was being kind of lazy.
"If you would please wake us up by three, my lady."
"I will have everything ready by then. Please rest." She smiled and hurried down the hallway to start preparations. Li watched the girl in a sort of awe that someone his age seemed so much like an adult, especially a girl. He glanced over at Sakura in time to notice her sway. He caught her just before she reached the ground. Looking her over him realized that she was very pale and tired looking. He didn't realize why at first though, since the days walk hadn't been that exhausting and he had seen her last longer than this really.
Then it struck him: the magic. She had gone through a horrendous and painful ordeal when the magic had come to her. It probably had exhausted her thoroughly then, but still she kept on going. Li couldn't help but stare in awe at the frail looking girl in his arms. Quietly he laid her in her bed, covering her and then went to his own room for much needed sleep.
?
"Thank you so much again, Rika. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"Don't worry about it, Sakura. You've done enough for me over the years. It was my chance to pay you back."
Sakura leaned forward to hug her dear friend, again not knowing when she might see her again. "Say hello to my mother when you reach the Capitol for the gala. And please, have a good time!" She waved and then started walking back towards the street.
With one last bow, Li followed the princess, hurrying until he caught up with her. They walked in silence, Sakura clutching Kero in her arms, until they reached the far side of the village. The princess turned around to look at the village one last time before continuing on their way.
"You really like Rika don't you?" Kero asked.
"There were a group of us girls who were raised together. I'm closest with Tomoyo, obviously, but the other three girls are still my best friends. Unfortunately, though, Rika is the only one I've been able to see in the past few years. The other two moved away from court when we were still younger and I haven't been able to find out where they are now.
"But in a way Rika is special. She always acts so mature and so grown up, always has. She knows when to ask something and when to keep quiet. She is also always willing to help when she can and is always doing things."
"Like baking cookies!" Kero said munching down on the few Sakura had slipped into her pocket for him while at tea.
"Yes, she is very talented."
Li couldn't help but wonder, though, what the princess had done for Sasaki that she felt all this help was owed. He wanted to ask but in the end decided not to. Simple questions seemed to get very long answers from Sakura and he wasn't in the mood to talk really. They had a long way to go before the next village and would probably have to walk through at least some of the night.
"So, Kero, do you think we are far away enough yet?" the princess asked curiously.
"Not yet, but soon," he replied with a look on his face that told her he was feeling for something. "Hey brat!" he yelled at Li.
"Yes, stuffed animal?"
"I'm not a stuffed animal!"
"I'm not a brat!"
The two stopped to glare at each other for a minute. "Anyway, how long until we get to where we are going?"
"Why should I tell you?" Li replied with disdain.
"I want to know too, Li," Sakura said with a strained voice.
He sighed. "Fine. It' took me almost a month to get to the Capitol when I rode there from home."
"A month?! On horseback?" Sakura cried. "That means it will probably be two or three if we walk!"
He nodded grimly. The idea of spending two months only in the company of the princess and the stuffed animal wasn't exactly pleasing to him either. However, he had no choice. The only faster way was on horseback and that wasn't possible since they were trying to not attract attention. Not that that was really working since the princess was wearing obviously fine fabrics and looked too much like at the very least nobility to really manage to seem like a commoner. However, he'd figure that out later.
Sakura sighed. She didn't know if she could bear two months of his cold silence. But she knew she had to keep going. If she gave up now something bad might happen to her family. Whoever was after her might find her and take the Cards. She knew instinctively that would be disastrous. For a few minutes the two walked in silence, Kero having already fallen asleep in Sakura's bag. One was only thinking how much he just wanted to steal a horse and go home, alone, and the other couldn't stop worrying and feeling sorry for poor Li who had been dragged into this whole thing against his wishes. But Sakura was a naturally sunny person and couldn't stay depressed long. It wasn't too long before she was humming again, this time a song that Li vaguely recognized.
"You really like to hum don't you?" he asked irritated.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize I was!" She smiled apologetically. "But yes, I love to sing and hum. When I'm alone I will catch myself singing about really foolish things, like what I'm doing that day or what I'm eating." She broke off laughing.
Li steeled himself against her infectious laughter and merely nodded. Sakura noticed he looked angry and went quiet for a long while before unconsciously she began to hum again. This time Li didn't comment.
?
It was probably past midnight and they had been walking for hours without stop. The princess never complained and just went on humming but he began to notice that she stumbled more and more and that the tunes got less and less spirited. He sighed and looked around for a clearing in the woods they had been traveling in for the past forty minutes or more. Finally he saw one up and to the left a little.
"Head towards that clearing, princess. We'll rest and eat something. You should also probably get some sleep."
She nodded, sighing in relief. She had tried so hard all day not to whine, knowing that Li would take that as an excuse to dislike her even more, but her resolve had been close to collapse. She was hungry too. When Sakura reached the clearing she looked around and found a nice tree to lean her tired body on. Noticing that Li was watching her she smiled at him.
"IS something the matter, Li? You look confused."
"No, princess. You have the bag with the rations in them, correct."
"Yes, let me get them out." She rummaged around in the bag, kneeling down on the ground. First she pulled out a cloth and then began pulling out various foods and placing them carefully on it. She was careful not to take out too much though, having learned at dinner earlier that day that Kero would eat everything in sight if given the chance. She only took out enough for the three of them to have a small meal.
Li came and sat on the ground a few feet from her. Picking up a loaf of bread he watched to make sure she had taken a bite before eating it hungrily. Sakura saw this and laughed.
"You don't have to wait for me to eat, Li! Especially if you are hungry."
He frowned. "It is proper respect, princess. Besides, you ate so little at dinner I was worried. You usually eat plenty enough."
She smiled a little. "I didn't want to appear rude. Besides, I really wasn't that hungry."
He looked at her searchingly for a moment then looked away. She wasn't wasting away yet. If she continued to only eat a bit at a time he'd stop it. After they finished eating Kero sighed contentedly.
"Okay, mistress. I think it's time I started showing you what you are capable of."
"Hoe?" she asked tiredly. "Oh you mean the Cards. Yes, please do!"
"All right, first lesson," he said retrieving the book from a discarded bag, "Always keep the Cards with you. That way if you suddenly need to use them you have them handy. Now where is the Key?"
"The Key? Oh you mean the one I found in the tower." She rummaged around in her pockets until she pulled it out. "Here it is."
"All right. Now, do you have a ribbon or something?"
"Hmm.oh, yes in my hair," she said pulling out the grey ribbon. Her hair tumbled down around her face and down her back. Li's eyes widened in shock. He had never seen her hair down; instead it was always placed in braids or in a bun on the top of her head. The only part that was ever down were her bangs which she had styled unusually and which fell around her face becomingly with a strand on either side just a bit longer than the rest. With her hair down she was even more beautiful.
"Now when we get done with this explanation, mistress, I want you to loop the ribbon through the Key and wear it around your neck. Again so you will always have it on hand if you need it."
"Okay," she said compliantly, taking a glance down at the Key. "Hey wait a second. It's different than it was before!"
"Yes, it changed whenever you inherited the Cards and became their Mistress."
"Oh," she said feeling stupid for not noticing before. But she liked it better now, a little star in a circle with little wings. "Okay what next, Kero?"
"Stand up." She stood. "Now hold out your hand and repeat after me:
"Oh Key which holds the Power of the Stars, reveal your Power to me I, Sakura, command under contract. Release!"
As she began to chant the Seal appeared under her feet and she could feel magical energy swirling around her. She watched in amazement as the Key grew and grew until it was almost taller than her. The head of the staff had a giant star with wings around it and a sun and moon below. She reached out to hold it and felt magic surge through her. Then the glow disappeared.
(A/N: The staff she uses at the end when converting Light/Dark. It's just too cool not to use)
"Whoa." She was reeling but held firm to the new staff.
"This is the Star Wand."
"Wand?! Wand implies something small, Kero."
"Seriously," Li chimed in, a bit awed himself.
He shrugged. "It was supposed to be a wand. Maybe you are just more powerful than we originally thought. Anyway, would you like to know what the Star Wand does?"
"Yes," she answered eagerly.
"Now, the Star Wand channels your magical energy. You still have magic without it but you can use it a lot better when you have the Wand in hand. Understand?"
"I think so."
"Now, take the Cards." Kero watched carefully as she took them from him and looked at them in awe. "Take the one on the top and place the rest in a pocket or something." She looked around until she shrugged and just placed them in the hood of her cloak. She looked at the Card she had selected and smiled. It seemed gentle.
"Now you have to listen carefully, Mistress. You need to focus your energy into the Card then throw it up into the air."
She nodded, a bit confused but complied. Closing her eyes she brought the Card in front of her face and concentrated. Sakura began to feel a tingling sensation, as if the Card were responding to her, and threw it into the air. The Card flew up then stayed in place a little above her.
"Now, point the Wand at it and recite the name on the Card."
She nodded and complied. "WINDY!"
An instant later the beautiful woman from the Card flew around her and then around the other two. After a moment, though, she flew up into the trees, fluttering everything.
"Now, when you want it to turn back into a Card just simply wish it. But you have to really wish it."
"Okay." She held out her hand and in her head called Windy back to her. The woman flew back. But instead of turning instantly back she paused to look at Sakura and smile benignly and bow. Once she did this she quickly broke into wisps of magic that reformed itself into a Card neatly in her hand.
"Impressive! I knew you would be gifted."
"Pssh! Windy is a gentle Card," Li commented. He was still a little impressed though. He knew almost everything there was to know about the Cards, having learned them from his family in their hopes that he one day control them. But before now he had never seen them in action.
Sakura frowned and looked a little saddened. "Do you think I should practice with another Card Kero?"
"Not right now. Using the Cards takes magic, especially the first time you change them. When you first use a Card you insert a bit of magic into them. But even a bit can become really tiring if you use a whole lot of little bits."
"I don't really understand, but I'll worry about that next time." She held the Wand out in front of her and asked it to return to being the Key. Obediently it shrank down into her hand where she laced the ribbon through and tied it around her neck. She looked up to notice both Li and Kero staring at her.
"What?"
"You just have a good grasp on magic for a beginner," Li muttered as he looked away.
"Brat, she is already very good and you know it."
Sakura blushed and returned reached back to get the Cards from her hood. "Um, Kero, what did you mean about getting to know me? Are they alive?"
"In a sense, yes. They are all different entities and they have feelings. They can trust you or distrust you. But they aren't really alive so much as they just.are."
The princess let this sink in a moment before nodding. She didn't understand really but as she held the Cards in her hand she could feel a warm glow coming from all of them, something she felt separately for each one. She knew that warm glow was their way of saying hi in her heart.
"You should probably get some sleep, princess. We need to start off early tomorrow."
"Yes. Thank you for laying out some blankets." She smiled at him and settled on one of the pallets he had made up. It wasn't long before she was completely asleep, Kero snoring softly beside her.
Li stared at the princess whose aura was becoming noticeably more powerful by the hour. He wondered how powerful she would be before all was said and done, and if he had something to worry about. He tried to shake away his thoughts and go to sleep but his eyes kept straying to the beautiful face of what seemed to be, in the end, an almost completely good person. Finally he drifted off and entered the land of dreams.
?
Li awoke to sounds of someone moving around. By the smell of the air he knew it must be just after dawn and so he was surprised, on some level that the Princess was awake. Tiredly, he listened to her move around and walked off in the direction of the nearby creek, presumably to do some bathing. He listened for her to come back but dosed off again. Some half hour later he opened his eyes tiredly, still half asleep and tried to focus.
When his eyes finally focused, Li found himself looking at the naked and neck of the princess and without thinking, reached to touch the smooth and creamy looking skin.
A bare inch from her back he snapped fully awake and dragged his arm back to him, hoping she didn't notice. Closing his eyes quickly he waited for her to make some comment or another. But instead all he heard was the rustling of clothes for a few minutes and then some softly uttered words. They were said so low that it was impossible to make out what she said until he heard the unmistakable, "Release!"
A bright light flashed, which would have woken him up if he hadn't already been awake, before it died down. The princess seemed to realize her mistake and gasped and kept silent for a moment. When he heard her moving again he dared to open his eyes just a little. It was beyond Li's understanding why he was spying on her, but he couldn't help himself. He fed himself the excuse that he wanted more sleep but knew it for the lie it was. That didn't mean however he wanted to know the truth.
As he watched, the new Card Mistress looked through the Cards one by one before grinning suddenly and pulling one out, tucking the others in a small pocket in the dress she had changed into. Quietly she threw it up into the sky and said, "FLY!"
For a moment, nothing seemed like it was happening. Then the young girl appeared to lose consciousness and began to float above the ground a little. Light came up and wrapped around her, glowing, then two wings began to grow from her back. They were enormous and spread their full length before wrapping around the princess, as if to keep her safe.
Slowly, she lowered to the ground and her eyes flashed open, as alert as she had been a few seconds ago. It was achingly beautiful to watch and if Li hadn't known better, watching the princess in her long flowing green dress and white as snow wings, he would have thought he'd seen an angel.
But then that angel grinned and broke the spell. For a moment, she closed her eyes, as if concentrating and flew up into the sky. Li sat up and watched as she shot up and up until she was almost just a dot in the sky. She stayed there for a long moment before going into an almost vertical dive. His breath caught in his throat watching her, looking as if she was falling, but she pulled up at the last minute and landed effortlessly next to him on her knees.
"Li! You're awake!" she grinned.
"Don't do that!" he nearly yelled in response.
The princess blinked. "Do what?"
"Dive like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry. I didn't know you were watching. But oh! I had an idea!" Without saying another word she stood up and ran over to where Kero was sleeping, and drooling, in mid-air. She grabbed him and shook him.
"Kero! KERO! Wake up!"
"HUH?! WHA?! What?!" he screamed looking around him. When he noted that no one was dying or in any danger of being so, he glared at Sakura.
"Don't shake people awake unless it is a life or death situation!"
"Sorry!"
"I'll forgive you," he said almost condescendingly, causing Li to frown.
"But, I need you to change into your bigger form, er, I mean your much cooler form."
"I am cool aren't I? Very well, as you wish."
In the half minute it took him to transform, the princess worked quickly to fold up the two pallet's Li had laid out the night before and tie the baggage strings together. When the Guardian Beast, winged lion that he was, landed from his transformation, his mistress quickly threw their bags over him and grabbed Li in a close hug. He barely had time to blush before the princess took flight, yelling back to a very confused Keroberos to, "Follow us!"
As they shot into the sky, going faster than he had ever before, Li clutched to the princess as tightly as she held him, being careful not to encumber her wings at all, and could barely even feel the 'Wand' as it dug, inevitably, into his back. But as the minute rolled by he found himself growing more comfortable and had to force himself to look at the sky in front of them instead of the girl who he was supposed to be protecting.
And it was awe inspiring. They were so high up that they could see for miles until the land was swallowed by the horizon. He also guessed that they were going a mile or more a minute, drastically cutting down the time that they would have to walk. Maybe they could fly a little each day, not too much since it would take up a lot of her strength, but enough that it wouldn't take two full months to reach home.
So engrossed was he by his thoughts that at first he didn't notice the warning signs. It wasn't until the princess made a noticeable dive, striving to keep altitude that he noticed something was really wrong. But by then it was too late to do anything and before his eyes the large white wings dematerialized and he felt the Wand shrink down as well. Clutching tightly to the unconscious body of the princess as they began a terrible free fall, Li reached around his neck and pulled out a black obsidian orb on a decorative red cord and a small piece of yellow paper. Concentrating he flung out his arm, causing a long Chinese sword to appear in his hands. Wasting no time he threw out the yellow paper and shouted, "God of Wind, come to my aid!"
Gale force winds rushed up from the ground and held them up fully, allowing the two to slowly touch down to the hard ground instead of smash into it. Li rolled into a kneeling position and stabbed his sword into the ground. He leaned over to check her breathing and pulse. She was alive, but as he looked at her, her he noticed that she was deathly pale.
"Princess! Wake up, Princess! Come on!" he shouted as he shook her urgently.
At last, Kero finally caught up with them and landed, shaking off the bags. He had tried to save his mistress earlier but the bags had weighed him down in addition to his late start and he wasn't quick enough. He leaned down and nudged her slightly. "Mistress, come on open your eyes, wake up now." He spoke very calmly, surprising LI, who took him as a high strung sort.
"Come on, Princess, open your eyes," he chimed in.
They both sighed in relief when her eyes fluttered open for a minute. She smiled softly and said, "I'm fine. Just tired." Then her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep again.
"Good. Now she only needs rest. She used up most of her energy, but not all of it, thank goodness. The Card must have realized that if she used any more she would most likely died and that's why it left her. The Wand too," he said gesturing to the Star Key clutched in the princess' hand.
Keroberos' watched as Li took the Key and put it back around the princess' neck gently. When Li looked up again, the Guardian was glaring at him. "Fly must trust you," he growled, implying that he didn't.
"Why didn't you tell her this could happen?" Li asked accusingly.
"I told her last night that it would exhaust her!"
"That is hardly the same thing as telling her that she could potentially kill herself if she strained herself too much, stuffed animal!"
Keroberos' golden eyes narrowed as they stared into Li's amber ones. "Listen, brat. It is not your place to criticize me. YOU were the one who was with her when it happened. You obviously have plenty enough magic of your own to have sensed that she was drained."
Li blushed but turned away.
"I was concentrating elsewhere. Anyway, grab the bags we need to keep moving. It wont take him long to realize that she isn't their and will start following us soon enough. I want to be home before we deal with him."
Leaning over, he gently picked up the inert body of the princess and began to walk away, leaving Kero to gather the bags himself. After a moment, Kero sighed.
"I thought so. You know who follows us don't you?"
"Considering who I am, it'd be just plain stupid if I didn't."
"Then isn't bringing her to your home almost like granting him a favour?"
"No, stuffed animal it isn't."
"Why not, brat?"
The two glared at each other a moment before Li answered. "Because, my family knows how to fight him. She is safest there. Now stop talking and walk."
Without another word he turned away from the Sun Guardian and began to walk quickly. Keroberos' sighed and glared at the retreating back before glancing at his own laden body and followed. It was going to be a long day.
Um, while I'm pretty sure that this chapter will answer those questions anyway but to clarify, they area already Sakura Cards but she still has to Master them. And yes there is an evil they have to face, though they'll have emotional issues too, it wouldn't be CCS if they didn't.
Anyway, here's next chap!
Disclaimer: Of course I don't own CCS. That's cause it's real, I mean Syaoran is standing right behind me! He keeps calling me Sakura though .Anyway
Chapter Two: Old Friends
IT was actually almost ten thirty when the three arrived at the village. The people were already moving about in a bustle of activity and didn't seem to notice the two strangers at first. They looked around the town for a bit before Sakura realized something.
"I know where we are! Come on Li," she said grabbing his hands and pulling him in one direction. "I know where to go!"
The bodyguard was very disgruntled at the hand clasping his own but tried his best to hide it. They ran through the streets for a few minutes before the princess finally stopped in front of a very expensive looking house, obviously owned by one of the gentry or nobility.
"Where are we?" he asked a bit out of breath.
"Well, I used to tour the country with father every other year so I know a lot of villages. But I spent a lot of time in this one because my friend from the court lives here. This is her house."
"Are you sure it's okay to just walk right up and knock? I mean, you are expecting a lot from her aren't you? To help us I mean." He wasn't sure he wanted help from anyone who was a member of the royal court. Most of the girls there had no brains and little manners.
She laughed, making Li even grumpier at the idea of staying there. "Not Rika. She is one of my very best friends. Besides, Li, it's not like I'm a beggar off the street! I'm the Princess of Tomoeda!"
Li was about to make a rude comment about how arrogant that sounded but stopped himself when he realized she was joking. He didn't feel that anyone should joke about anything like that but he decided not to argue and followed her up the walk way to the house.
Politely, Sakura knocked on the door and waited for the servant to open it. "I need to speak with the Lady Rika, please. I'd also like to give my respects to Lord and Lady Sasaki, if I may."
A bit surprised at her sudden usage of courtly manners, Li kept silent.
"Right this way, your highness," the old butler said with a respectful bow.
"You shouldn't be so formal! You've known me since I was born practically, Souma!"
He merely smiled and opened the door further to let her and Li in. Respectfully he took their cloaks and ushered them into a sitting room. "Miss Rika is practicing with Mr. Terada." The butler and Sakura exchanged amused looks before he bowed and left.
"Why is that so funny, princess?"
"Mr. Terada was once the tutor for the royal court children. Even from then the two liked each other a great deal and have been so obviously in love with each other. But they refuse to admit it to anyone else, even though everyone else knows. Mr. Terada is afraid of what her parents will say."
"Do they object?"
"No, they like him very well. But he IS a great deal older than she is. Also they want him to have the gumption to actually come and ask them before they will let him know that he is acceptable."
"Oh."
A moment later, a mature looking red head opened the door and ran to hug Sakura. "I haven't seen you in almost a year, Sakura! I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too, Rika," she gushed. "You, too, Mr. Terada."
The older man smiled fondly then bowed. "It is time for me to leave, Miss Sasaki, your highness." Then he bowed to Li before leaving.
Everyone watched him go until the door shut. Then Rika sat down on the couch with Sakura. "I know that you wouldn't be here without reason, Sakura, especially without any of your family. But I assume that you need help."
"Yes, Rika, I'm afraid I do. But I'm afraid I can't tell you what is the matter. I don't know the full story yet myself and don't want to put you into harms way."
The young girl just smiled knowingly. "I understand, Sakura. I know you don't do anything without reason. So smile, it is not easy to see you upset."
Sakura smiled for the first time since the teacher left. "I'm sorry to worry you. But I'll cheer up."
"Good. Now, what do you need me to do for you and your companion?"
"Oh!" Sakura cried out, blushing. "I'm sorry for being so rude I should have introduced you! Rika this is Li Syaoran, who is in training and acting as my bodyguard for the next two years. Li, this is Rika Sasaki, my very dear friend and the Royal pianist."
The two bowed to each other. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Li."
"You too, my lady. But please call me Li."
"If you want, but only if you tell me what I can do to help you two."
"My lady, we have a small favour to ask and a slightly large one."
"What is the smaller one? I know I can grant that without asking my parents," she smiled.
"We need to know where we may buy supplies for a journey. And, if you have one, a bag that we can carry them in."
"Oh, of course. But, don't worry about buying them. We can supply you with enough to get to the next village if you need it."
"I'm afraid we can't, my lady."
Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes. "We will take it, Rika. Li is too proud to accept help, but I'm not. I only brought what money I had and don't know how far that will last since I've never had to buy much. So thank you for your help."
"What is the other favour?" she asked calmly.
Sakura laughed nervously and fiddled with the bun on the back of her head. "Umm, we haven't slept since yesterday night. Do you suppose you could lend us a bed for a few hours?"
"Of course! Mother and father won't mind in the least and we have guest rooms already made up since we have relatives expected tomorrow."
"Thank you, Rika!" she cried grasping her friend's hands. "I feel like I'm about to fall over."
Li felt that she was exaggerating a bit, but he knew they should get some rest before they continued on. "Thank you, my lady."
"It's nothing. Why don't you two follow me and I'll show you were you can sleep without interruption." Rika led them up a set of stairs and down a long hallway. "Sakura, your usual room is ready actually. And Li, you may sleep here, next door."
"Thank you," they both said.
"You are very welcome. Is there at time when you would like me to wake you up so you may continue?"
Sakura looked at Li in question. He was beginning to realize that she was deferring to him for all major decisions, aside of food, and he didn't know whether to feel honoured or wonder if she was being kind of lazy.
"If you would please wake us up by three, my lady."
"I will have everything ready by then. Please rest." She smiled and hurried down the hallway to start preparations. Li watched the girl in a sort of awe that someone his age seemed so much like an adult, especially a girl. He glanced over at Sakura in time to notice her sway. He caught her just before she reached the ground. Looking her over him realized that she was very pale and tired looking. He didn't realize why at first though, since the days walk hadn't been that exhausting and he had seen her last longer than this really.
Then it struck him: the magic. She had gone through a horrendous and painful ordeal when the magic had come to her. It probably had exhausted her thoroughly then, but still she kept on going. Li couldn't help but stare in awe at the frail looking girl in his arms. Quietly he laid her in her bed, covering her and then went to his own room for much needed sleep.
?
"Thank you so much again, Rika. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"Don't worry about it, Sakura. You've done enough for me over the years. It was my chance to pay you back."
Sakura leaned forward to hug her dear friend, again not knowing when she might see her again. "Say hello to my mother when you reach the Capitol for the gala. And please, have a good time!" She waved and then started walking back towards the street.
With one last bow, Li followed the princess, hurrying until he caught up with her. They walked in silence, Sakura clutching Kero in her arms, until they reached the far side of the village. The princess turned around to look at the village one last time before continuing on their way.
"You really like Rika don't you?" Kero asked.
"There were a group of us girls who were raised together. I'm closest with Tomoyo, obviously, but the other three girls are still my best friends. Unfortunately, though, Rika is the only one I've been able to see in the past few years. The other two moved away from court when we were still younger and I haven't been able to find out where they are now.
"But in a way Rika is special. She always acts so mature and so grown up, always has. She knows when to ask something and when to keep quiet. She is also always willing to help when she can and is always doing things."
"Like baking cookies!" Kero said munching down on the few Sakura had slipped into her pocket for him while at tea.
"Yes, she is very talented."
Li couldn't help but wonder, though, what the princess had done for Sasaki that she felt all this help was owed. He wanted to ask but in the end decided not to. Simple questions seemed to get very long answers from Sakura and he wasn't in the mood to talk really. They had a long way to go before the next village and would probably have to walk through at least some of the night.
"So, Kero, do you think we are far away enough yet?" the princess asked curiously.
"Not yet, but soon," he replied with a look on his face that told her he was feeling for something. "Hey brat!" he yelled at Li.
"Yes, stuffed animal?"
"I'm not a stuffed animal!"
"I'm not a brat!"
The two stopped to glare at each other for a minute. "Anyway, how long until we get to where we are going?"
"Why should I tell you?" Li replied with disdain.
"I want to know too, Li," Sakura said with a strained voice.
He sighed. "Fine. It' took me almost a month to get to the Capitol when I rode there from home."
"A month?! On horseback?" Sakura cried. "That means it will probably be two or three if we walk!"
He nodded grimly. The idea of spending two months only in the company of the princess and the stuffed animal wasn't exactly pleasing to him either. However, he had no choice. The only faster way was on horseback and that wasn't possible since they were trying to not attract attention. Not that that was really working since the princess was wearing obviously fine fabrics and looked too much like at the very least nobility to really manage to seem like a commoner. However, he'd figure that out later.
Sakura sighed. She didn't know if she could bear two months of his cold silence. But she knew she had to keep going. If she gave up now something bad might happen to her family. Whoever was after her might find her and take the Cards. She knew instinctively that would be disastrous. For a few minutes the two walked in silence, Kero having already fallen asleep in Sakura's bag. One was only thinking how much he just wanted to steal a horse and go home, alone, and the other couldn't stop worrying and feeling sorry for poor Li who had been dragged into this whole thing against his wishes. But Sakura was a naturally sunny person and couldn't stay depressed long. It wasn't too long before she was humming again, this time a song that Li vaguely recognized.
"You really like to hum don't you?" he asked irritated.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize I was!" She smiled apologetically. "But yes, I love to sing and hum. When I'm alone I will catch myself singing about really foolish things, like what I'm doing that day or what I'm eating." She broke off laughing.
Li steeled himself against her infectious laughter and merely nodded. Sakura noticed he looked angry and went quiet for a long while before unconsciously she began to hum again. This time Li didn't comment.
?
It was probably past midnight and they had been walking for hours without stop. The princess never complained and just went on humming but he began to notice that she stumbled more and more and that the tunes got less and less spirited. He sighed and looked around for a clearing in the woods they had been traveling in for the past forty minutes or more. Finally he saw one up and to the left a little.
"Head towards that clearing, princess. We'll rest and eat something. You should also probably get some sleep."
She nodded, sighing in relief. She had tried so hard all day not to whine, knowing that Li would take that as an excuse to dislike her even more, but her resolve had been close to collapse. She was hungry too. When Sakura reached the clearing she looked around and found a nice tree to lean her tired body on. Noticing that Li was watching her she smiled at him.
"IS something the matter, Li? You look confused."
"No, princess. You have the bag with the rations in them, correct."
"Yes, let me get them out." She rummaged around in the bag, kneeling down on the ground. First she pulled out a cloth and then began pulling out various foods and placing them carefully on it. She was careful not to take out too much though, having learned at dinner earlier that day that Kero would eat everything in sight if given the chance. She only took out enough for the three of them to have a small meal.
Li came and sat on the ground a few feet from her. Picking up a loaf of bread he watched to make sure she had taken a bite before eating it hungrily. Sakura saw this and laughed.
"You don't have to wait for me to eat, Li! Especially if you are hungry."
He frowned. "It is proper respect, princess. Besides, you ate so little at dinner I was worried. You usually eat plenty enough."
She smiled a little. "I didn't want to appear rude. Besides, I really wasn't that hungry."
He looked at her searchingly for a moment then looked away. She wasn't wasting away yet. If she continued to only eat a bit at a time he'd stop it. After they finished eating Kero sighed contentedly.
"Okay, mistress. I think it's time I started showing you what you are capable of."
"Hoe?" she asked tiredly. "Oh you mean the Cards. Yes, please do!"
"All right, first lesson," he said retrieving the book from a discarded bag, "Always keep the Cards with you. That way if you suddenly need to use them you have them handy. Now where is the Key?"
"The Key? Oh you mean the one I found in the tower." She rummaged around in her pockets until she pulled it out. "Here it is."
"All right. Now, do you have a ribbon or something?"
"Hmm.oh, yes in my hair," she said pulling out the grey ribbon. Her hair tumbled down around her face and down her back. Li's eyes widened in shock. He had never seen her hair down; instead it was always placed in braids or in a bun on the top of her head. The only part that was ever down were her bangs which she had styled unusually and which fell around her face becomingly with a strand on either side just a bit longer than the rest. With her hair down she was even more beautiful.
"Now when we get done with this explanation, mistress, I want you to loop the ribbon through the Key and wear it around your neck. Again so you will always have it on hand if you need it."
"Okay," she said compliantly, taking a glance down at the Key. "Hey wait a second. It's different than it was before!"
"Yes, it changed whenever you inherited the Cards and became their Mistress."
"Oh," she said feeling stupid for not noticing before. But she liked it better now, a little star in a circle with little wings. "Okay what next, Kero?"
"Stand up." She stood. "Now hold out your hand and repeat after me:
"Oh Key which holds the Power of the Stars, reveal your Power to me I, Sakura, command under contract. Release!"
As she began to chant the Seal appeared under her feet and she could feel magical energy swirling around her. She watched in amazement as the Key grew and grew until it was almost taller than her. The head of the staff had a giant star with wings around it and a sun and moon below. She reached out to hold it and felt magic surge through her. Then the glow disappeared.
(A/N: The staff she uses at the end when converting Light/Dark. It's just too cool not to use)
"Whoa." She was reeling but held firm to the new staff.
"This is the Star Wand."
"Wand?! Wand implies something small, Kero."
"Seriously," Li chimed in, a bit awed himself.
He shrugged. "It was supposed to be a wand. Maybe you are just more powerful than we originally thought. Anyway, would you like to know what the Star Wand does?"
"Yes," she answered eagerly.
"Now, the Star Wand channels your magical energy. You still have magic without it but you can use it a lot better when you have the Wand in hand. Understand?"
"I think so."
"Now, take the Cards." Kero watched carefully as she took them from him and looked at them in awe. "Take the one on the top and place the rest in a pocket or something." She looked around until she shrugged and just placed them in the hood of her cloak. She looked at the Card she had selected and smiled. It seemed gentle.
"Now you have to listen carefully, Mistress. You need to focus your energy into the Card then throw it up into the air."
She nodded, a bit confused but complied. Closing her eyes she brought the Card in front of her face and concentrated. Sakura began to feel a tingling sensation, as if the Card were responding to her, and threw it into the air. The Card flew up then stayed in place a little above her.
"Now, point the Wand at it and recite the name on the Card."
She nodded and complied. "WINDY!"
An instant later the beautiful woman from the Card flew around her and then around the other two. After a moment, though, she flew up into the trees, fluttering everything.
"Now, when you want it to turn back into a Card just simply wish it. But you have to really wish it."
"Okay." She held out her hand and in her head called Windy back to her. The woman flew back. But instead of turning instantly back she paused to look at Sakura and smile benignly and bow. Once she did this she quickly broke into wisps of magic that reformed itself into a Card neatly in her hand.
"Impressive! I knew you would be gifted."
"Pssh! Windy is a gentle Card," Li commented. He was still a little impressed though. He knew almost everything there was to know about the Cards, having learned them from his family in their hopes that he one day control them. But before now he had never seen them in action.
Sakura frowned and looked a little saddened. "Do you think I should practice with another Card Kero?"
"Not right now. Using the Cards takes magic, especially the first time you change them. When you first use a Card you insert a bit of magic into them. But even a bit can become really tiring if you use a whole lot of little bits."
"I don't really understand, but I'll worry about that next time." She held the Wand out in front of her and asked it to return to being the Key. Obediently it shrank down into her hand where she laced the ribbon through and tied it around her neck. She looked up to notice both Li and Kero staring at her.
"What?"
"You just have a good grasp on magic for a beginner," Li muttered as he looked away.
"Brat, she is already very good and you know it."
Sakura blushed and returned reached back to get the Cards from her hood. "Um, Kero, what did you mean about getting to know me? Are they alive?"
"In a sense, yes. They are all different entities and they have feelings. They can trust you or distrust you. But they aren't really alive so much as they just.are."
The princess let this sink in a moment before nodding. She didn't understand really but as she held the Cards in her hand she could feel a warm glow coming from all of them, something she felt separately for each one. She knew that warm glow was their way of saying hi in her heart.
"You should probably get some sleep, princess. We need to start off early tomorrow."
"Yes. Thank you for laying out some blankets." She smiled at him and settled on one of the pallets he had made up. It wasn't long before she was completely asleep, Kero snoring softly beside her.
Li stared at the princess whose aura was becoming noticeably more powerful by the hour. He wondered how powerful she would be before all was said and done, and if he had something to worry about. He tried to shake away his thoughts and go to sleep but his eyes kept straying to the beautiful face of what seemed to be, in the end, an almost completely good person. Finally he drifted off and entered the land of dreams.
?
Li awoke to sounds of someone moving around. By the smell of the air he knew it must be just after dawn and so he was surprised, on some level that the Princess was awake. Tiredly, he listened to her move around and walked off in the direction of the nearby creek, presumably to do some bathing. He listened for her to come back but dosed off again. Some half hour later he opened his eyes tiredly, still half asleep and tried to focus.
When his eyes finally focused, Li found himself looking at the naked and neck of the princess and without thinking, reached to touch the smooth and creamy looking skin.
A bare inch from her back he snapped fully awake and dragged his arm back to him, hoping she didn't notice. Closing his eyes quickly he waited for her to make some comment or another. But instead all he heard was the rustling of clothes for a few minutes and then some softly uttered words. They were said so low that it was impossible to make out what she said until he heard the unmistakable, "Release!"
A bright light flashed, which would have woken him up if he hadn't already been awake, before it died down. The princess seemed to realize her mistake and gasped and kept silent for a moment. When he heard her moving again he dared to open his eyes just a little. It was beyond Li's understanding why he was spying on her, but he couldn't help himself. He fed himself the excuse that he wanted more sleep but knew it for the lie it was. That didn't mean however he wanted to know the truth.
As he watched, the new Card Mistress looked through the Cards one by one before grinning suddenly and pulling one out, tucking the others in a small pocket in the dress she had changed into. Quietly she threw it up into the sky and said, "FLY!"
For a moment, nothing seemed like it was happening. Then the young girl appeared to lose consciousness and began to float above the ground a little. Light came up and wrapped around her, glowing, then two wings began to grow from her back. They were enormous and spread their full length before wrapping around the princess, as if to keep her safe.
Slowly, she lowered to the ground and her eyes flashed open, as alert as she had been a few seconds ago. It was achingly beautiful to watch and if Li hadn't known better, watching the princess in her long flowing green dress and white as snow wings, he would have thought he'd seen an angel.
But then that angel grinned and broke the spell. For a moment, she closed her eyes, as if concentrating and flew up into the sky. Li sat up and watched as she shot up and up until she was almost just a dot in the sky. She stayed there for a long moment before going into an almost vertical dive. His breath caught in his throat watching her, looking as if she was falling, but she pulled up at the last minute and landed effortlessly next to him on her knees.
"Li! You're awake!" she grinned.
"Don't do that!" he nearly yelled in response.
The princess blinked. "Do what?"
"Dive like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry. I didn't know you were watching. But oh! I had an idea!" Without saying another word she stood up and ran over to where Kero was sleeping, and drooling, in mid-air. She grabbed him and shook him.
"Kero! KERO! Wake up!"
"HUH?! WHA?! What?!" he screamed looking around him. When he noted that no one was dying or in any danger of being so, he glared at Sakura.
"Don't shake people awake unless it is a life or death situation!"
"Sorry!"
"I'll forgive you," he said almost condescendingly, causing Li to frown.
"But, I need you to change into your bigger form, er, I mean your much cooler form."
"I am cool aren't I? Very well, as you wish."
In the half minute it took him to transform, the princess worked quickly to fold up the two pallet's Li had laid out the night before and tie the baggage strings together. When the Guardian Beast, winged lion that he was, landed from his transformation, his mistress quickly threw their bags over him and grabbed Li in a close hug. He barely had time to blush before the princess took flight, yelling back to a very confused Keroberos to, "Follow us!"
As they shot into the sky, going faster than he had ever before, Li clutched to the princess as tightly as she held him, being careful not to encumber her wings at all, and could barely even feel the 'Wand' as it dug, inevitably, into his back. But as the minute rolled by he found himself growing more comfortable and had to force himself to look at the sky in front of them instead of the girl who he was supposed to be protecting.
And it was awe inspiring. They were so high up that they could see for miles until the land was swallowed by the horizon. He also guessed that they were going a mile or more a minute, drastically cutting down the time that they would have to walk. Maybe they could fly a little each day, not too much since it would take up a lot of her strength, but enough that it wouldn't take two full months to reach home.
So engrossed was he by his thoughts that at first he didn't notice the warning signs. It wasn't until the princess made a noticeable dive, striving to keep altitude that he noticed something was really wrong. But by then it was too late to do anything and before his eyes the large white wings dematerialized and he felt the Wand shrink down as well. Clutching tightly to the unconscious body of the princess as they began a terrible free fall, Li reached around his neck and pulled out a black obsidian orb on a decorative red cord and a small piece of yellow paper. Concentrating he flung out his arm, causing a long Chinese sword to appear in his hands. Wasting no time he threw out the yellow paper and shouted, "God of Wind, come to my aid!"
Gale force winds rushed up from the ground and held them up fully, allowing the two to slowly touch down to the hard ground instead of smash into it. Li rolled into a kneeling position and stabbed his sword into the ground. He leaned over to check her breathing and pulse. She was alive, but as he looked at her, her he noticed that she was deathly pale.
"Princess! Wake up, Princess! Come on!" he shouted as he shook her urgently.
At last, Kero finally caught up with them and landed, shaking off the bags. He had tried to save his mistress earlier but the bags had weighed him down in addition to his late start and he wasn't quick enough. He leaned down and nudged her slightly. "Mistress, come on open your eyes, wake up now." He spoke very calmly, surprising LI, who took him as a high strung sort.
"Come on, Princess, open your eyes," he chimed in.
They both sighed in relief when her eyes fluttered open for a minute. She smiled softly and said, "I'm fine. Just tired." Then her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep again.
"Good. Now she only needs rest. She used up most of her energy, but not all of it, thank goodness. The Card must have realized that if she used any more she would most likely died and that's why it left her. The Wand too," he said gesturing to the Star Key clutched in the princess' hand.
Keroberos' watched as Li took the Key and put it back around the princess' neck gently. When Li looked up again, the Guardian was glaring at him. "Fly must trust you," he growled, implying that he didn't.
"Why didn't you tell her this could happen?" Li asked accusingly.
"I told her last night that it would exhaust her!"
"That is hardly the same thing as telling her that she could potentially kill herself if she strained herself too much, stuffed animal!"
Keroberos' golden eyes narrowed as they stared into Li's amber ones. "Listen, brat. It is not your place to criticize me. YOU were the one who was with her when it happened. You obviously have plenty enough magic of your own to have sensed that she was drained."
Li blushed but turned away.
"I was concentrating elsewhere. Anyway, grab the bags we need to keep moving. It wont take him long to realize that she isn't their and will start following us soon enough. I want to be home before we deal with him."
Leaning over, he gently picked up the inert body of the princess and began to walk away, leaving Kero to gather the bags himself. After a moment, Kero sighed.
"I thought so. You know who follows us don't you?"
"Considering who I am, it'd be just plain stupid if I didn't."
"Then isn't bringing her to your home almost like granting him a favour?"
"No, stuffed animal it isn't."
"Why not, brat?"
The two glared at each other a moment before Li answered. "Because, my family knows how to fight him. She is safest there. Now stop talking and walk."
Without another word he turned away from the Sun Guardian and began to walk quickly. Keroberos' sighed and glared at the retreating back before glancing at his own laden body and followed. It was going to be a long day.