I'm updating much quicker than I thought I would. Perhaps because it's just
so hard to leave Sakura like that . Anyway, answers.
Umm, thanks for the yay on grammar. No I don't use beta readers, in fact I'm not quite sure I could tell you what that is, I just have six aunts who are teachers and one who is a writer. If that doesn't drive good grammar into your head I don't know what will. And no, this isn't an angsty story, just hopefully well balanced between the good and the bad.
Now, on with fun!
Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. But that's fine. I'm sure if I did I'd have thousands of fans badgering me for the rights .
Chapter Thirteen: Heavily Weighted Crown
Sakura stood there for a few seconds, trying desperately to hold in the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her. But with everyone there, watching her and kneeling as they once did to her father, she couldn't take it. At last, a sob broke free, breaking her façade, and she ran from the room. Her brother could only watch as his little sister ran from him, his body too tired to move and follow despite how much he wished to. Instantly, Li and Tomoyo were on their feet and following her, Meiling attempting to go too until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up she found Yelan staring down at her, shaking her head solemly.
She needs her friends, the lady's piercing eyes told her. She needs comfort not strife. Meiling stared back at the lady she respected so much and brushed her hand away before following after the girl she now deemed a friend, the yellow guardian flying beside her head.
Those left in the room could only stare at the door that had given passage to the distraught teenagers. Yelan turned to look at the prince who was now slouched against a wall beside the unconscious body of the man he had given up his kingdom for. Then she glanced back at the Elders who stared at her in return. There was a silent understanding held between them And an equally shared feeling of fear.
Sakura ran and ran until she found herself at the eternally fateful tree that had born witness to so many events since she had come to this place. She threw her arms around it and wept inconsolably into the bark. As she sobbed, the Cards withdrew from their special purse and made a circle around her. All Cards but two who, unsummoned, grew into their other form. The two ladies, identical but for colouring, placed their hands on the distraught girl's shoulders. She turned around and gasped at the sight before her.
"Light, Dark.how?"
"We are here because you need us, Mistress," Light said softly.
"We will always be here when you call upon us," Dark added.
"Remember that when you feel your strength has failed you, we will be here to hold you up," Light continued with a smile before kissing her right cheek.
"Do not hesitate to call us when the need comes," Dark instructed, kissing her left.
Sakura nodded dutifully before the two Cards returned to their natural state and flew into her hand. She stared at them in wonder for a moment before she heard sounds of people rushing into the clearing.
Li had had a hard time following the girl who ran with a speed almost unheard of. Her aura was so disruptive that it seemed to flow evenly through the whole of the complex. Finally, he had given up trying to follow it and just ran to where he thought she might end up, Tomoyo, Meiling and the Guardian hot on his heels. He had guessed correctly and had burst into the clearing just in time to see the two Cards revert and return to their Mistress along with the rest.
Sakura looked into the eyes of the four, so filled with sympathy and shared grief. It was too much and the shock of having such an odd occurrence wore off again and she broke into inconsolable sobs once more, sinking down onto the cold hard ground.
"Sakura!" Tomoyo and Meiling yelled as all of them ran towards her. If anyone thought it was odd when the self-proclaimed enemy of the new Queen wrapped her arms around her the same as the childhood friend in comfort no one commented. Kero fluttered in front of her, stroking her softly with his small palms, causing the grief stricken girl to wrap her arms around him and curl forward as if she had been stabbed.
Li knelt before her, his own heartbreaking at the sight of such a naturally cheerful girl wracked with sobs that looked as if they would tear her to pieces. He reached forward and caressed her cheek. "Shh, it will be alright." But instead of calming the girl it seemed to send her into worse straights, her tears falling harder. He pulled back and watched helplessly with the other three.
She continued to sob for sometime until it seemed as if the tears would just not come. When she looked up at last, Li could swear that her aura was crying where her eyes had left off and he almost looked away at the sheer pain in her eyes. But as she stopped crying, reason returned to be mind for a few minutes. She pulled away from her friends.
"Sakura, you should lay down and get some rest. Why don't we take you to your room and get you some tea?" the Sun Guardian pleaded, continuing to pet her gently.
The solemn eyed girl shook her head, causing the ribbons that had been striving to keep her hair in place to lose the good fight and let her long lustrous hair fall down and curl as it hit the ground below. She drew a shaky breath and turned to Meiling.
"Please, Meiling, will you do me a favour?"
The ruby eyed girl nodded furiously, willing to do anything to make the eerily quiet girl return to who she had been only an hour before.
"Will you please go inform the Elders and Yelan that I will need to speak with them first thing tomorrow morning, preferably in the Elders formal hall. And that my brother and Yukito will need a room to sleep in tonight?"
Meiling nodded and reluctantly left to do as she was bid, wondering at the sudden firmness behind the girls words. When she left, Sakura turned to her other friend.
"Tomoyo, please go talk with my brother. Tell him that I'm fine and that I'll come speak to him once he's rested a little. He must rest, he was undoubtedly traveling nonstop for days. Also tell him that he is forbidden to leave until I tell him he can." A slight twinkle came into the green eyes at the idea of ordering her elder brother around, but quickly left.
"Sakura," the amethyst eyed girl began.
"I'm fine, Tomoyo. Or at least I will be. But Touya won't be if he doesn't realize that he needs to rest. You know how he is."
Tomoyo nodded and followed where Meiling had gone, knowing her duty. In the past she had often been the one to convince the prince that he wasn't invincible, especially when his younger sister was concerned in any way. She was the sensible one of the three and she knew her duty.
Li watched as Sakura then ordered Kero to check on Yue and help him recover until she could come see to him herself. The Guardian reluctantly left, swearing to come back to her as soon as he could. At last she turned to him, inflicted upon him again the soulless green eyes that made him wince internally.
"Li, is there a place where I can offer up my prayers? Somewhere in the complex?"
He nodded. "I'll show you the way," he said softly, rising and reaching out a hand to help her up. After she rose she didn't relinquish his hand and even went so far as to lean on him for support as they walked through most of the mansion. When at last he opened up the long gilded doors, she let go of his hand and walked into the room, kneeling before the tall holy statuary. He stared at her for a moment before turning to leave.
"Wait," she whispered barely loud enough to be heard. "Don't leave me alone. I'm so afraid of being alone and couldn't bear it right now."
He nodded silently and walked to kneel a little ways from her. He couldn't help but stare at her long hair, the hair he loved so much but rarely got to see unbound like this. He wanted to brush his fingers through it, wanted to hold her and give her comfort. He wanted to tell her it would eventually be all right, that he would never leave her.
That he loved her.
It was a thought that startled him by its very truth. He reflected on it realizing that it was only a superficial truth, that he not only loved her but that she had somehow over the past months become the most important thing in his life. Seeing her cry like that had nearly killed him and seeing the soulless look in her normally sparkling emerald eyes made him swear on his own life to do anything and everything to make her happy again.
"Do you have a dagger, Li?" she asked quietly, startling him from his reverie
"Er, yes," he said reaching for the dagger he kept with him daily. It was wicked looking, curved with a number of kanji engraved into the wide blade. The blade was the traditional symbol of the next leader of the Clan, similar to the ring she now wore. Calmly, more so than he felt, he passed it to the quiet girl beside him, wondering why she wanted to deadly a weapon.
For a moment she stared at it, drawing a finger over each of the kanji in turn, admiring the beauty of it. Then swiftly she reached up to gather her hair in one hand and cut it short at the base of her head. The longest hair now was the length that surrounded her face, untouched by the blade.
Li stared in horror at the desecration of such beauty and loss of one of his small fantasies.
"Prince- your majesty," he began stuttering.
"Call me Sakura, Li. There will be few who will call me by my true name and not my title, too few to bear. Please, I beg you to be one of them." She spoke solemnly, not bothering to gather the pool of hair behind her as she brought the dagger to rest in her lap.
"Fine. But why did you cut your hair?" he asked a little incredulously.
"You might say that I realized that it is time to put away childish things, long girlish hair included. I can no longer be a little girl, Li, so this is my sacrifice to my destiny."
She glanced at her companion who still had his eyes riveted to her shortened hair. "Oh, did you like my hair long like that, Li?" she asked, furrowing her brow a little. "Don't worry, it will grow back quickly."
He nodded and forced his eyes to look into hers. As he stared he realized that there was a sorrowful knowledge there where questions should lie. "You know who killed him don't you?"
She nodded. "Or at least I think I do. That dream I had a week ago must have been the actual act as it occurred. And that laugh that haunts so many of my dreams was there. It must be the same man. He is a monster."
Li agreed. "Yes, he is Sakura." But he couldn't help but wonder what this man gained by killing someone almost completely unrelated to the Cards, which had always been assumed his ultimate goal. What did killing the king gain him?
Sakura smiled a little for the first time since she heard the news. "You used to argue so much when I asked you to call me by my first name. Does that mean we are friends now?"
"Yes." And hopefully more than that one day, he silently added.
"Then can I call you Syaoran now? It's not your real name I know but it is what I have always called you in my head. Calling you Xiao Lang would almost be as unnatural as calling you Li."
"You can call me anything you like," he answered.
"Thank you," she whispered before leaning into him, her head on his shoulder. "I need all my friends the most now."
Silently, Syaoran agreed.
Sometime after Sakura had left to find someone who could tell her where her brother and Yukito had been given rooms, Syaoran found himself still kneeling in the same spot. However, finally he shook himself from the thoughts that held him captive and glanced over at the untouched hair. Without taking time to analyze his thoughts, he reached over and carefully straightened it out into one long detached ponytail before pocketing it and leaving the holy room as silent as it had been before they intruded.
Sakura looked at her brother as he sat staring at Yukito, still unconscious. "He'll be okay, Touya. Kero assured me so."
He nodded silently. After a minute he finally spoke. "Before I left I asked the counsel who they would have chosen between us. Without pause they told me they would have chosen you." He laughed dryly. "They said I was too impassioned, always running to protect without thinking about myself. Too little thought with too much action. I guess they never saw that you did the same, monster."
She smiled a little. "I knew it was coming, brother. And I was ready for it to come, really. I just never expected this quickly."
"Who would have?" He leaned forward, covering his face with his hands. "I'm so glad you were not there to see it. One of the palace guards found him and we forbid mother from going in there before everything was cleaned up. There was just blood everywhere."
Sakura refrained from telling him that she had perhaps seen more than even he since it would derive him from what comfort he had left in the situation. She couldn't help the tears that ran down her cheeks, though, as she watched her brother looking so desolate. In her heart she wanted to mourn forever for the loss of such a wonderful man and the havoc that it would undoubtedly cause as well as the hurt it had given her family. But she knew that the time for tears would be later and that order needed to be kept now.
She stood up and walked over to her brother, wrapping her arms around him. He followed suit and for a long time the two siblings held each other in silent understanding, like two children lost in the wilderness waiting for their daddy to come and find them. But it was not to be and Sakura finally withdrew from the warm embrace of her brother.
"Sleep now, I know you need it. Tomorrow you have to return, though I will try to find a way to aid you on your way back so as to not kill my Guardian. I would like to selfishly keep you here with me, but mother needs comfort to. I'm meeting with the Elders and the leader of the Chinese people tomorrow. I would like for you and Yukito to come too."
He nodded, looking at his younger sister as she acted so strong. But she always had been strong when she needed to be, when others relied on her. "You get some sleep too, little sis, you need it more than anyone."
She nodded and left his room quietly, in search of her own bed despite the early hour. She really should go to eat something with the family, but hunger was beyond her now and she needed the strength that sleep could afford her. She had to be strong.
But she had one last thing to do before she could sleep and so she sat at her desk and began to write.
The next morning neglected to dawn as the sky was enwrapped with a cloud of grey. There was a promise of rain to come, but as the sun rose somewhere behind the endless clouds, it was kept to the air. It was as if the world itself wept for the lost father, and in truth it did.
The whole of the Li family gathered to the hall before the time in question. Chairs had been set up on either side of the dais for Yelan, her daughters, son, sons-in-law and her niece. More were set up when Tomoyo entered with Touya and Yukito in tow. They all waited silently until the doors opened a last time admitting the queen herself. She was dressed in a borrowed gown since she usually wore no black. As she swept into the room, the high Chinese collar and sweeping black skirts made her look more regal than usual. But also paler and more lacking in life than anyone had seen before.
"Thank you everyone for coming," she said softly, with a little smile. She was extremely nervous at having such a solemn and silent group look at her unflinchingly but she knew it was the way it had to be now and until she died. Whenever that came to pass. "Before anything else I have a question I must ask. Yelan, Elders, Syaoran," she said turning to them each in turn, "I must ask permission to stay on your lands for awhile longer as your guest."
"It would be an honour," Yelan answered instantly.
Sakura smiled in relief, a smaller smile than usual that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I am glad to hear it. I think it is best I stay here." She turned to the rest of the people and addressed the room as a whole. "You may have already guessed, but the man who murdered my father is the same as the man after my own life. I can only guess his reasons but I do know that he penetrated the not inconsiderable protections of the castle. I think it is best that while he is still a danger I do not return to where he has already been and give him a chance to take my own life as well."
She paused and looked down at her hands. "I think for the moment that we should keep from the people this man. It would cause panic to know that there is a force stronger than the royalty running amuck. And to keep that a secret it is imperative that he not kill anyone else in the family." She turned to smile at her brother. "This is another reason I take the crown so readily, Touya. I don't doubt that for some reason he wants me to be queen of the lands and that would mean you would have to die if you inherited."
Touya frowned and clutched at his armrest, wanting to object violently at his sister so carelessly putting her life on the line. He nearly did but Yukito touched his shoulder and shook his head, calming the prince.
"Since this man is even more of a danger than we previously thought I need your help most of all, Elders, in preparing to fight him. I also need the help of you, Syaoran, Meiling, since you already know what I am only learning."
The two nodded instantly.
Sakura smiled then reached into a pocket extracting a sealed scroll. "Last night I wrote my first official mandate which I want spread around the kingdom as quickly as possible. In here I stated that the kingdom will go into official mourning for their king for two months. At the end of that time there will be a celebration as well as public coronation to which everyone is invited. This will happen whether or not the matter has been settled. However, I hope the two months will buy us all the necessary time. It states that until that time I will be reinstating relations with the Chinese people in light of the horror my father has been through. I imagine the people will understand the need for allies when the king has been assassinated.
"Also in here, I name you, Yukito, as one of my chief advisors. It shouldn't be questioned since you have been known to be an expert in everything for years, but if anyone argues you have it in writing. If possible, I would like to see if you and Yue can find any information on this man that might be helpful. Drag my brother into it as well."
Yukito nodded, feeling honoured. However, he also felt a little shamed that he was the chief reason this small figure of a girl was no responsible for so much.
"Tomoyo, I'm guessing I can't persuade you to go with them?" the queen pleaded.
"Nope!" the Duchess of Park grinned. And while it annoyed Sakura that she couldn't convince her friend to return in a way that would help them all, she was glad that she was still treating her as a friend.
"Fine. Now, Yelan, Elder Quen Yuan, since I will be remaining her for a time is there anyway that I can set up a way of sending papers and such back and forth without needing to fly Yue every time?"
Quen Yuan nodded. "There is an old spell we used as such. It takes a great amount of Power to keep its permanence but I'm sure there are enough of us here to make it relatively easy."
Sakura nodded. "Eriol left me a formula for instantaneous transportation of people, which you will be using," she commented looking at her brother and friend, "but there was nothing about a messaging system. I would like to see if that can be set up before they leave."
Yelan and Quen Yuan nodded.
Sakura was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "I think before we all go to a much deserved breakfast I should say one last thing. Thank you everyone for your help so far and for the help I ask of you. I could never have done any of this without you and I'm sure I will have many things I can't face on my own. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."
As she finished, she dropped to one knee and bowed before all of them. For a moment the whole room grew silent. Sakura had often bowed in politeness or deference, but to have the Queen of the land they stood upon bow before them in such reverence was a little disconcerting. A moment passed and Syaoran rose and walked over to the new queen, taking her hand and forcing her to rise.
"We would not have done it if we did not wish to, Sakura. No thanks is needed."
She smiled at him, tears in her eyes.
"Now let's go eat," Meiling said coming up beside them. "I'm starving!"
"Then I have to work on new dresses for Sakura. I think a whole new wardrobe is called for," Tomoyo said, causing everyone to sigh in exasperation.
Everyone rose to follow the group, Touya a little more quickly than the rest as he glared at Li for touching his little sister. However, he was stopped almost instantly when he felt someone touch his shoulder. Turning around he found four almost identical girls staring at him in an almost evil way. Desperately, he looked for an escape but it was impossible. Instantly the girls were all over him and Yukito, squealing and giggling over their good looks. The two boys looked at each other with chagrin and tried to inch away. They were finally saved by the three men standing not to far away.
"We should have warned you," Jin Le chuckled as he pulled his wife away.
"They are incontrollable," Shen agreed.
Xiefa frowned at her husband and brothers-in-law. "You are only mad because you are jealous."
"No," Liang commented as he pulled both his wife and youngest sister- in-law away. "I know that Fuutie is faithful to me, as my brothers know your faithfulness. I just have to feel sorry for anyone who you attack."
Touya and Yukito laughed nervously before sprinting to the door, calling back thanks to the three brothers. Yelan couldn't help but laugh as she led her children through the door.
Long after they had set up the messaging system and Sakura had sent her brother and Yukito home with a note for her mother as well as the dictum, Sakura found herself sitting outside on the common balcony that looked out onto the gardens. The threatening rain had turned into snow as night fell and she couldn't but help but stare at it as it lazily fell and covered the dark grounds with a layer of pristine white.
Suddenly she felt someone cover her shoulders with a long cloak, giving her warmth that she didn't realize she needed from the bitter cold. "You really shouldn't be out here. You will catch pneumonia or something."
She smiled sadly. "I don't get sick easily, Syaoran," she said looking down. It was his cloak and not her own. Glancing over she realized he had taken it from his own shoulders. "You should be wearing this yourself."
He shook his head. "I'm fine. Got manly warm blood, you know."
She giggled, sounding like music in his ears. But it died and she began to look out onto the snow once more. As he looked at her, Syaoran realized just how strong she was, perhaps stronger than he himself.
As if reading his thought she said, "I'm not that strong really. If this was only me and no one else was involved I'd be a mess of tears huddled in a corner somewhere. When it's only you involved you don't have to worry as much, you know? Whether you lose doesn't matter as much since it's only your loss. But it's not just me, it's everyone. If I lose now, if I die, then all of Tomoeda will be involved. It's desperation that lends me strength."
He looked at her. "No, I just think you don't know your own strength until you really need it. And there is no shame in crying when you need to as long as you know that crying doesn't gain anything."
She turned to look at him with a small smile. "You told me that before, remember? It was only a week after you came and Touya had told me there was a ghost hiding in my favourite room. You told me not to cry because crying would only be letting Touya win. Then you showed me there wasn't a ghost there at all."
Li smirked. Actually there had been a ghost there, but nothing too impressive or dangerous. The ghost had witnessed the princess' fear and subsided whenever she entered the room. He didn't doubt that if she went to that room now she would know instantly that he had been lying. However, he was glad that she remembered something so small.
"I like the snow. It reminds me of Yukito. You know, when I was younger I had an enormous crush on him. But when I told him he explained that it wasn't really a crush as much as familial love, and he was right. Of course, he was really surprised when I realized that he and my brother were in love with each other."
Li started, a little shocked at the sudden answer to the puzzle. It made sense now why his decision was so unacceptable. He wouldn't have an heir in that relationship. When Sakura looked at him curiously he realized that she thought he already had guessed which he should have. To cover he asked quickly, "Did you ever have another crush after that?"
She thought for a moment then blushed a little. "You can say that I like someone now." She thought about the person in her dream as well as the kisses that she and Syaoran had shared.
He stared at her, his worst nightmare confirmed. She liked someone else. He decided not to tell her that he was in love with her then. As long as she was happy he'd be fine. Or so he told himself as jealousy grew in the pit of his stomach at the idea of someone else holding his Sakura.
With a last sigh, Sakura took of the warm cloak and returned it to him. "I need to get some sleep. It will be rough from now on now that I have a kingdom to worry about as well as my life. Thank you for being here yet again, Syaoran. You always seem to know when I need to talk." She leaned up and kissed him on his cheek before returning to the house.
Syaoran watched her go, holding his cheek where she had kissed him. It was true that he always knew when she needed to talk because her aura always called out to him, almost by name. He could feel instantly whenever she was troubled and when she was hurt. At first he thought that was a bit weird but now he attributed it to being in love.
Which was half of the truth perhaps.
(A/N: It starts to get fun after this. I'll be updating soon but I need to work on me other stories before Amy-chan murders me. Ja!)
Umm, thanks for the yay on grammar. No I don't use beta readers, in fact I'm not quite sure I could tell you what that is, I just have six aunts who are teachers and one who is a writer. If that doesn't drive good grammar into your head I don't know what will. And no, this isn't an angsty story, just hopefully well balanced between the good and the bad.
Now, on with fun!
Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. But that's fine. I'm sure if I did I'd have thousands of fans badgering me for the rights .
Chapter Thirteen: Heavily Weighted Crown
Sakura stood there for a few seconds, trying desperately to hold in the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her. But with everyone there, watching her and kneeling as they once did to her father, she couldn't take it. At last, a sob broke free, breaking her façade, and she ran from the room. Her brother could only watch as his little sister ran from him, his body too tired to move and follow despite how much he wished to. Instantly, Li and Tomoyo were on their feet and following her, Meiling attempting to go too until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up she found Yelan staring down at her, shaking her head solemly.
She needs her friends, the lady's piercing eyes told her. She needs comfort not strife. Meiling stared back at the lady she respected so much and brushed her hand away before following after the girl she now deemed a friend, the yellow guardian flying beside her head.
Those left in the room could only stare at the door that had given passage to the distraught teenagers. Yelan turned to look at the prince who was now slouched against a wall beside the unconscious body of the man he had given up his kingdom for. Then she glanced back at the Elders who stared at her in return. There was a silent understanding held between them And an equally shared feeling of fear.
Sakura ran and ran until she found herself at the eternally fateful tree that had born witness to so many events since she had come to this place. She threw her arms around it and wept inconsolably into the bark. As she sobbed, the Cards withdrew from their special purse and made a circle around her. All Cards but two who, unsummoned, grew into their other form. The two ladies, identical but for colouring, placed their hands on the distraught girl's shoulders. She turned around and gasped at the sight before her.
"Light, Dark.how?"
"We are here because you need us, Mistress," Light said softly.
"We will always be here when you call upon us," Dark added.
"Remember that when you feel your strength has failed you, we will be here to hold you up," Light continued with a smile before kissing her right cheek.
"Do not hesitate to call us when the need comes," Dark instructed, kissing her left.
Sakura nodded dutifully before the two Cards returned to their natural state and flew into her hand. She stared at them in wonder for a moment before she heard sounds of people rushing into the clearing.
Li had had a hard time following the girl who ran with a speed almost unheard of. Her aura was so disruptive that it seemed to flow evenly through the whole of the complex. Finally, he had given up trying to follow it and just ran to where he thought she might end up, Tomoyo, Meiling and the Guardian hot on his heels. He had guessed correctly and had burst into the clearing just in time to see the two Cards revert and return to their Mistress along with the rest.
Sakura looked into the eyes of the four, so filled with sympathy and shared grief. It was too much and the shock of having such an odd occurrence wore off again and she broke into inconsolable sobs once more, sinking down onto the cold hard ground.
"Sakura!" Tomoyo and Meiling yelled as all of them ran towards her. If anyone thought it was odd when the self-proclaimed enemy of the new Queen wrapped her arms around her the same as the childhood friend in comfort no one commented. Kero fluttered in front of her, stroking her softly with his small palms, causing the grief stricken girl to wrap her arms around him and curl forward as if she had been stabbed.
Li knelt before her, his own heartbreaking at the sight of such a naturally cheerful girl wracked with sobs that looked as if they would tear her to pieces. He reached forward and caressed her cheek. "Shh, it will be alright." But instead of calming the girl it seemed to send her into worse straights, her tears falling harder. He pulled back and watched helplessly with the other three.
She continued to sob for sometime until it seemed as if the tears would just not come. When she looked up at last, Li could swear that her aura was crying where her eyes had left off and he almost looked away at the sheer pain in her eyes. But as she stopped crying, reason returned to be mind for a few minutes. She pulled away from her friends.
"Sakura, you should lay down and get some rest. Why don't we take you to your room and get you some tea?" the Sun Guardian pleaded, continuing to pet her gently.
The solemn eyed girl shook her head, causing the ribbons that had been striving to keep her hair in place to lose the good fight and let her long lustrous hair fall down and curl as it hit the ground below. She drew a shaky breath and turned to Meiling.
"Please, Meiling, will you do me a favour?"
The ruby eyed girl nodded furiously, willing to do anything to make the eerily quiet girl return to who she had been only an hour before.
"Will you please go inform the Elders and Yelan that I will need to speak with them first thing tomorrow morning, preferably in the Elders formal hall. And that my brother and Yukito will need a room to sleep in tonight?"
Meiling nodded and reluctantly left to do as she was bid, wondering at the sudden firmness behind the girls words. When she left, Sakura turned to her other friend.
"Tomoyo, please go talk with my brother. Tell him that I'm fine and that I'll come speak to him once he's rested a little. He must rest, he was undoubtedly traveling nonstop for days. Also tell him that he is forbidden to leave until I tell him he can." A slight twinkle came into the green eyes at the idea of ordering her elder brother around, but quickly left.
"Sakura," the amethyst eyed girl began.
"I'm fine, Tomoyo. Or at least I will be. But Touya won't be if he doesn't realize that he needs to rest. You know how he is."
Tomoyo nodded and followed where Meiling had gone, knowing her duty. In the past she had often been the one to convince the prince that he wasn't invincible, especially when his younger sister was concerned in any way. She was the sensible one of the three and she knew her duty.
Li watched as Sakura then ordered Kero to check on Yue and help him recover until she could come see to him herself. The Guardian reluctantly left, swearing to come back to her as soon as he could. At last she turned to him, inflicted upon him again the soulless green eyes that made him wince internally.
"Li, is there a place where I can offer up my prayers? Somewhere in the complex?"
He nodded. "I'll show you the way," he said softly, rising and reaching out a hand to help her up. After she rose she didn't relinquish his hand and even went so far as to lean on him for support as they walked through most of the mansion. When at last he opened up the long gilded doors, she let go of his hand and walked into the room, kneeling before the tall holy statuary. He stared at her for a moment before turning to leave.
"Wait," she whispered barely loud enough to be heard. "Don't leave me alone. I'm so afraid of being alone and couldn't bear it right now."
He nodded silently and walked to kneel a little ways from her. He couldn't help but stare at her long hair, the hair he loved so much but rarely got to see unbound like this. He wanted to brush his fingers through it, wanted to hold her and give her comfort. He wanted to tell her it would eventually be all right, that he would never leave her.
That he loved her.
It was a thought that startled him by its very truth. He reflected on it realizing that it was only a superficial truth, that he not only loved her but that she had somehow over the past months become the most important thing in his life. Seeing her cry like that had nearly killed him and seeing the soulless look in her normally sparkling emerald eyes made him swear on his own life to do anything and everything to make her happy again.
"Do you have a dagger, Li?" she asked quietly, startling him from his reverie
"Er, yes," he said reaching for the dagger he kept with him daily. It was wicked looking, curved with a number of kanji engraved into the wide blade. The blade was the traditional symbol of the next leader of the Clan, similar to the ring she now wore. Calmly, more so than he felt, he passed it to the quiet girl beside him, wondering why she wanted to deadly a weapon.
For a moment she stared at it, drawing a finger over each of the kanji in turn, admiring the beauty of it. Then swiftly she reached up to gather her hair in one hand and cut it short at the base of her head. The longest hair now was the length that surrounded her face, untouched by the blade.
Li stared in horror at the desecration of such beauty and loss of one of his small fantasies.
"Prince- your majesty," he began stuttering.
"Call me Sakura, Li. There will be few who will call me by my true name and not my title, too few to bear. Please, I beg you to be one of them." She spoke solemnly, not bothering to gather the pool of hair behind her as she brought the dagger to rest in her lap.
"Fine. But why did you cut your hair?" he asked a little incredulously.
"You might say that I realized that it is time to put away childish things, long girlish hair included. I can no longer be a little girl, Li, so this is my sacrifice to my destiny."
She glanced at her companion who still had his eyes riveted to her shortened hair. "Oh, did you like my hair long like that, Li?" she asked, furrowing her brow a little. "Don't worry, it will grow back quickly."
He nodded and forced his eyes to look into hers. As he stared he realized that there was a sorrowful knowledge there where questions should lie. "You know who killed him don't you?"
She nodded. "Or at least I think I do. That dream I had a week ago must have been the actual act as it occurred. And that laugh that haunts so many of my dreams was there. It must be the same man. He is a monster."
Li agreed. "Yes, he is Sakura." But he couldn't help but wonder what this man gained by killing someone almost completely unrelated to the Cards, which had always been assumed his ultimate goal. What did killing the king gain him?
Sakura smiled a little for the first time since she heard the news. "You used to argue so much when I asked you to call me by my first name. Does that mean we are friends now?"
"Yes." And hopefully more than that one day, he silently added.
"Then can I call you Syaoran now? It's not your real name I know but it is what I have always called you in my head. Calling you Xiao Lang would almost be as unnatural as calling you Li."
"You can call me anything you like," he answered.
"Thank you," she whispered before leaning into him, her head on his shoulder. "I need all my friends the most now."
Silently, Syaoran agreed.
Sometime after Sakura had left to find someone who could tell her where her brother and Yukito had been given rooms, Syaoran found himself still kneeling in the same spot. However, finally he shook himself from the thoughts that held him captive and glanced over at the untouched hair. Without taking time to analyze his thoughts, he reached over and carefully straightened it out into one long detached ponytail before pocketing it and leaving the holy room as silent as it had been before they intruded.
Sakura looked at her brother as he sat staring at Yukito, still unconscious. "He'll be okay, Touya. Kero assured me so."
He nodded silently. After a minute he finally spoke. "Before I left I asked the counsel who they would have chosen between us. Without pause they told me they would have chosen you." He laughed dryly. "They said I was too impassioned, always running to protect without thinking about myself. Too little thought with too much action. I guess they never saw that you did the same, monster."
She smiled a little. "I knew it was coming, brother. And I was ready for it to come, really. I just never expected this quickly."
"Who would have?" He leaned forward, covering his face with his hands. "I'm so glad you were not there to see it. One of the palace guards found him and we forbid mother from going in there before everything was cleaned up. There was just blood everywhere."
Sakura refrained from telling him that she had perhaps seen more than even he since it would derive him from what comfort he had left in the situation. She couldn't help the tears that ran down her cheeks, though, as she watched her brother looking so desolate. In her heart she wanted to mourn forever for the loss of such a wonderful man and the havoc that it would undoubtedly cause as well as the hurt it had given her family. But she knew that the time for tears would be later and that order needed to be kept now.
She stood up and walked over to her brother, wrapping her arms around him. He followed suit and for a long time the two siblings held each other in silent understanding, like two children lost in the wilderness waiting for their daddy to come and find them. But it was not to be and Sakura finally withdrew from the warm embrace of her brother.
"Sleep now, I know you need it. Tomorrow you have to return, though I will try to find a way to aid you on your way back so as to not kill my Guardian. I would like to selfishly keep you here with me, but mother needs comfort to. I'm meeting with the Elders and the leader of the Chinese people tomorrow. I would like for you and Yukito to come too."
He nodded, looking at his younger sister as she acted so strong. But she always had been strong when she needed to be, when others relied on her. "You get some sleep too, little sis, you need it more than anyone."
She nodded and left his room quietly, in search of her own bed despite the early hour. She really should go to eat something with the family, but hunger was beyond her now and she needed the strength that sleep could afford her. She had to be strong.
But she had one last thing to do before she could sleep and so she sat at her desk and began to write.
The next morning neglected to dawn as the sky was enwrapped with a cloud of grey. There was a promise of rain to come, but as the sun rose somewhere behind the endless clouds, it was kept to the air. It was as if the world itself wept for the lost father, and in truth it did.
The whole of the Li family gathered to the hall before the time in question. Chairs had been set up on either side of the dais for Yelan, her daughters, son, sons-in-law and her niece. More were set up when Tomoyo entered with Touya and Yukito in tow. They all waited silently until the doors opened a last time admitting the queen herself. She was dressed in a borrowed gown since she usually wore no black. As she swept into the room, the high Chinese collar and sweeping black skirts made her look more regal than usual. But also paler and more lacking in life than anyone had seen before.
"Thank you everyone for coming," she said softly, with a little smile. She was extremely nervous at having such a solemn and silent group look at her unflinchingly but she knew it was the way it had to be now and until she died. Whenever that came to pass. "Before anything else I have a question I must ask. Yelan, Elders, Syaoran," she said turning to them each in turn, "I must ask permission to stay on your lands for awhile longer as your guest."
"It would be an honour," Yelan answered instantly.
Sakura smiled in relief, a smaller smile than usual that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I am glad to hear it. I think it is best I stay here." She turned to the rest of the people and addressed the room as a whole. "You may have already guessed, but the man who murdered my father is the same as the man after my own life. I can only guess his reasons but I do know that he penetrated the not inconsiderable protections of the castle. I think it is best that while he is still a danger I do not return to where he has already been and give him a chance to take my own life as well."
She paused and looked down at her hands. "I think for the moment that we should keep from the people this man. It would cause panic to know that there is a force stronger than the royalty running amuck. And to keep that a secret it is imperative that he not kill anyone else in the family." She turned to smile at her brother. "This is another reason I take the crown so readily, Touya. I don't doubt that for some reason he wants me to be queen of the lands and that would mean you would have to die if you inherited."
Touya frowned and clutched at his armrest, wanting to object violently at his sister so carelessly putting her life on the line. He nearly did but Yukito touched his shoulder and shook his head, calming the prince.
"Since this man is even more of a danger than we previously thought I need your help most of all, Elders, in preparing to fight him. I also need the help of you, Syaoran, Meiling, since you already know what I am only learning."
The two nodded instantly.
Sakura smiled then reached into a pocket extracting a sealed scroll. "Last night I wrote my first official mandate which I want spread around the kingdom as quickly as possible. In here I stated that the kingdom will go into official mourning for their king for two months. At the end of that time there will be a celebration as well as public coronation to which everyone is invited. This will happen whether or not the matter has been settled. However, I hope the two months will buy us all the necessary time. It states that until that time I will be reinstating relations with the Chinese people in light of the horror my father has been through. I imagine the people will understand the need for allies when the king has been assassinated.
"Also in here, I name you, Yukito, as one of my chief advisors. It shouldn't be questioned since you have been known to be an expert in everything for years, but if anyone argues you have it in writing. If possible, I would like to see if you and Yue can find any information on this man that might be helpful. Drag my brother into it as well."
Yukito nodded, feeling honoured. However, he also felt a little shamed that he was the chief reason this small figure of a girl was no responsible for so much.
"Tomoyo, I'm guessing I can't persuade you to go with them?" the queen pleaded.
"Nope!" the Duchess of Park grinned. And while it annoyed Sakura that she couldn't convince her friend to return in a way that would help them all, she was glad that she was still treating her as a friend.
"Fine. Now, Yelan, Elder Quen Yuan, since I will be remaining her for a time is there anyway that I can set up a way of sending papers and such back and forth without needing to fly Yue every time?"
Quen Yuan nodded. "There is an old spell we used as such. It takes a great amount of Power to keep its permanence but I'm sure there are enough of us here to make it relatively easy."
Sakura nodded. "Eriol left me a formula for instantaneous transportation of people, which you will be using," she commented looking at her brother and friend, "but there was nothing about a messaging system. I would like to see if that can be set up before they leave."
Yelan and Quen Yuan nodded.
Sakura was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "I think before we all go to a much deserved breakfast I should say one last thing. Thank you everyone for your help so far and for the help I ask of you. I could never have done any of this without you and I'm sure I will have many things I can't face on my own. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."
As she finished, she dropped to one knee and bowed before all of them. For a moment the whole room grew silent. Sakura had often bowed in politeness or deference, but to have the Queen of the land they stood upon bow before them in such reverence was a little disconcerting. A moment passed and Syaoran rose and walked over to the new queen, taking her hand and forcing her to rise.
"We would not have done it if we did not wish to, Sakura. No thanks is needed."
She smiled at him, tears in her eyes.
"Now let's go eat," Meiling said coming up beside them. "I'm starving!"
"Then I have to work on new dresses for Sakura. I think a whole new wardrobe is called for," Tomoyo said, causing everyone to sigh in exasperation.
Everyone rose to follow the group, Touya a little more quickly than the rest as he glared at Li for touching his little sister. However, he was stopped almost instantly when he felt someone touch his shoulder. Turning around he found four almost identical girls staring at him in an almost evil way. Desperately, he looked for an escape but it was impossible. Instantly the girls were all over him and Yukito, squealing and giggling over their good looks. The two boys looked at each other with chagrin and tried to inch away. They were finally saved by the three men standing not to far away.
"We should have warned you," Jin Le chuckled as he pulled his wife away.
"They are incontrollable," Shen agreed.
Xiefa frowned at her husband and brothers-in-law. "You are only mad because you are jealous."
"No," Liang commented as he pulled both his wife and youngest sister- in-law away. "I know that Fuutie is faithful to me, as my brothers know your faithfulness. I just have to feel sorry for anyone who you attack."
Touya and Yukito laughed nervously before sprinting to the door, calling back thanks to the three brothers. Yelan couldn't help but laugh as she led her children through the door.
Long after they had set up the messaging system and Sakura had sent her brother and Yukito home with a note for her mother as well as the dictum, Sakura found herself sitting outside on the common balcony that looked out onto the gardens. The threatening rain had turned into snow as night fell and she couldn't but help but stare at it as it lazily fell and covered the dark grounds with a layer of pristine white.
Suddenly she felt someone cover her shoulders with a long cloak, giving her warmth that she didn't realize she needed from the bitter cold. "You really shouldn't be out here. You will catch pneumonia or something."
She smiled sadly. "I don't get sick easily, Syaoran," she said looking down. It was his cloak and not her own. Glancing over she realized he had taken it from his own shoulders. "You should be wearing this yourself."
He shook his head. "I'm fine. Got manly warm blood, you know."
She giggled, sounding like music in his ears. But it died and she began to look out onto the snow once more. As he looked at her, Syaoran realized just how strong she was, perhaps stronger than he himself.
As if reading his thought she said, "I'm not that strong really. If this was only me and no one else was involved I'd be a mess of tears huddled in a corner somewhere. When it's only you involved you don't have to worry as much, you know? Whether you lose doesn't matter as much since it's only your loss. But it's not just me, it's everyone. If I lose now, if I die, then all of Tomoeda will be involved. It's desperation that lends me strength."
He looked at her. "No, I just think you don't know your own strength until you really need it. And there is no shame in crying when you need to as long as you know that crying doesn't gain anything."
She turned to look at him with a small smile. "You told me that before, remember? It was only a week after you came and Touya had told me there was a ghost hiding in my favourite room. You told me not to cry because crying would only be letting Touya win. Then you showed me there wasn't a ghost there at all."
Li smirked. Actually there had been a ghost there, but nothing too impressive or dangerous. The ghost had witnessed the princess' fear and subsided whenever she entered the room. He didn't doubt that if she went to that room now she would know instantly that he had been lying. However, he was glad that she remembered something so small.
"I like the snow. It reminds me of Yukito. You know, when I was younger I had an enormous crush on him. But when I told him he explained that it wasn't really a crush as much as familial love, and he was right. Of course, he was really surprised when I realized that he and my brother were in love with each other."
Li started, a little shocked at the sudden answer to the puzzle. It made sense now why his decision was so unacceptable. He wouldn't have an heir in that relationship. When Sakura looked at him curiously he realized that she thought he already had guessed which he should have. To cover he asked quickly, "Did you ever have another crush after that?"
She thought for a moment then blushed a little. "You can say that I like someone now." She thought about the person in her dream as well as the kisses that she and Syaoran had shared.
He stared at her, his worst nightmare confirmed. She liked someone else. He decided not to tell her that he was in love with her then. As long as she was happy he'd be fine. Or so he told himself as jealousy grew in the pit of his stomach at the idea of someone else holding his Sakura.
With a last sigh, Sakura took of the warm cloak and returned it to him. "I need to get some sleep. It will be rough from now on now that I have a kingdom to worry about as well as my life. Thank you for being here yet again, Syaoran. You always seem to know when I need to talk." She leaned up and kissed him on his cheek before returning to the house.
Syaoran watched her go, holding his cheek where she had kissed him. It was true that he always knew when she needed to talk because her aura always called out to him, almost by name. He could feel instantly whenever she was troubled and when she was hurt. At first he thought that was a bit weird but now he attributed it to being in love.
Which was half of the truth perhaps.
(A/N: It starts to get fun after this. I'll be updating soon but I need to work on me other stories before Amy-chan murders me. Ja!)