Hey! I'm back! And on with da story, cuz I got nothing else to say.
~Oh ya, one thing. Pardon me, I mixed the years up in the last chap. It's supposed to be 1651, not 1563. I fixed it in the first chapter, but just in case you were wondering, because 1563 is still Ming Dynasty. LoL. Sorry.
~And thank you sooooooooo much for the people who reviewed! You don't know how much it means to me! And I think I'll do the responses at the end of this story, though. But enjoy!
~And thanxies Dragonstar03 for always supportin' me *sniff*, you've reviewed every one of my chappies, and I appreciate it so very much! And thanxies to Ying-Hua and Wallpaper for tellin' me the name of the teacher. It's Terada, not Takeshi. I'll go back and change it in chappie one. *grins broadly* thanxies!!!
DISCLAMER: I dun own CCS, nor HP. And now I shall give you a hard quiz. Why is it called FANfiction if I owned CCS or HP?
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LOST IN TIME
Chapter One
ENCHANTED
By dZnSNofLAkeZ
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LAST TIME:
Young man gathered around Ying Hua at the wedding as they always did, flirting.
But the Cherry Blossom was not paying attention to them.
Over the crowd of people, her eyes had caught a certain pair of amber eyes that burnt with such fierceness, and matching brown hair.
And she was entranced by them…
-------------------------
A boy of fifteen wondered around the room decorated in red, with the chinese character XI, which was a cross between luck and happiness, on the walls, for the official wedding was over, and the feast had begun. The male had deep amber eyes that burnt with such fierceness and a sense of sternness, and messy chocolate brown hair that kept falling into his eyes in such a natural way that it only accented his charming exterior. His hair was unusual, for it was brown, a rare hair color in the empire of China. Furthermore, it was not shaved in the front and tied in the back like most men's were. He had refused to do that when he was forced to, and since he was the son of a very good advisor, the Emperor did not argue against it. His eyes, however, held a wariness of the world no boy nor child his age should have, and an intelligence that surpassed the common human knowledge. He wore a traditional deep forest green outfit that matched his calm yet serious demeanor. His well built body could be seen through the fabric; it was not buffy, but just enough to be able to tell that he excercised, and was skillful at martial arts.
He was surrounded by a flock of women that seemed to have nothing else better to do than bug him with their nonsense, all batting their eyelashes and flirting shamelessly. He ignored them, thinking them a nuisance. He himself was anti-social, preferring the silence of the mountains and the serenity of being alone, but for some reason, he always attracted a great number of people, mostly women. (A/N: *sarcastically* I wonder why.) They gathered around him no matter how much effort he put into shaking them off his tail by ignoring them and being rude, but they still followed him around like baby ducks to their mothers.
(A/N: man. This is crap. I can't write today. I think I'm coming down with a cold……. Anyways, just to inform you this chapter is crap.)
The reason said, one could easily guess why he hadn't wanted to come to the wedding. To him, it was all just a show, so the lords could show off their wealth, and the ladies could flount their pretty dresses in others' faces. But as usual, his presense was required sinse he was the son of a VERY important noble, and thus he was forced to.
(A/N: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! I'm getting Chinese history mixed with European. Oh well, not everything in here is historically acurate, especially the part where he was required to go to the wedding, that's European culture, but whatever. They are mostly acurate. And in case if you did not read the Author's note up there, *points to the top* I mixed up the years. It's 1651, not 1563, just to make sure you understand that. I don't want to feed you wrong information, cuz you see, 1563 is still Ming Dynasty, and this is set in Qing Dynasty. LoL. Sorry.)
He searched the room for any excuse of escaping the hellhole, but instead of a getaway, his eyes landed on another pair of deep emerald orbs. It was enchanting, with specks of gold, and it glowed with such cheeriness that it was unresistable, although at the moment a cloud of boredom was apparent in her eyes.
He tried, but couldn't look away. It pulled him deeper and deeper in, and a feeling of warmth he had never felt before took over his heart. The girl was beautiful. Her hair was such an unusual color, with so many different shades of auburn and gold, wound into such a complicated pattern. Her beautiful eyes, and those pink cherry lips that looked so soft even at a distance… Her slim yet graceful figure was in an elegant pink silk qipao and on the side was a slit that went up to the middle of her thigh. It showed her long legs, her skin a creamy milky white color that seemed so smooth that it would have made any man drool. In fact, a tint of red appeared on his face, something that had never happened before, and if he wasn't taught self-control since when he was young, and wasn't good at it, he would have started drooling himself.
"Xiao Lang? Xiao Lang?! Are you alright?" one of the ladies around him inquired, shaking him out of his reverie. He quickly shook his head to clear the image of the captivating pair of eyes, but failed miserably. He looked back and noticed that she wasn't there anymore. He shook his head a few more times. Instead of freeing his mind from the charming emerald orbs, however, it made it worse, and the eyes kept coming back to him. After a while of resultless effort of chasing the thought of the girl away, he finally surrendered. 'I need to walk in the cool air to refresh my mind…' he thought to himself determinedly, and excused himself with the explanation of having to go to the lavatory.
He walked through the open corridors, welcoming the freshness of the night air. It seemed so pure, so clean, it was so good to have the calmness of the night surrounding him. A gentle breeze ruffled through the leaves of trees and played with Xiao Lang's hair. As he stepped into the beautiful garden, he looked up to be greeted by the sight of the moon and the stars, all shining ever so brightly in their places, as if they had not a single trace of worry.
Xiao Lang sighed dejectedly. If only he could be like the stars. His mother was pressuring him with the aspect of marriage as he was already "of age", and his clan was stressing the importance of education by piling more and more books and scrolls that were needed to be read seeing that he was the next leader of the Li clan and would inherit the title of a first class noble. He was taught the art of politics, not that there were anything beautiful about them, and was expected to know every single detail by heart. He was practicing martial arts like there was no tomorrow, always trying to improve his already flawless skills, dropping dead in his bed every night out of exhaustion. Plus, he had to extend his magical powers, and that proved to be a much more difficult task then he had imagined.
He took pleasure in observing the nature that could be found around him, with its calmness and never changing patterns. It made him lose himself from the anxiety of his daily routine, and to find a tranquility that was missing from his hectic life was a blessing.
Suddenly, a faint rustling in a near by brush was heard, and his training took over. He crept quietly to the brush with such stealth that it was almost like a wolf creeping up upon its prey. Just as he was about to leap out, however, he collided with something soft and warm, and he felt himself falling, and falling… on top of the object…
A pair of eyes… Those charming eyes… stared back at him.
(A/N: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! I FEEL SO EVIL!! You guys of course know WHAT he fell upon, no? I AM EVIL!!!!!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
~*~
she was trapped in those soulful brown eyes, and she couldn't look away. He was quite handsome, too. Those brown locks that fell so easily into his deep amber eyes as if it was made to do so, and those brown eyes with such an intellectual glow… and his outfit matched him perfectly, outlining the muscles that showed that he did martial arts. She felt her heart beat faster, such a loud sound. Certainly he must have heard it…? Perhaps not. A tint of red colored her cheeks, making the usually pale face become slightly pink.
"Ying Hua…? Ying Hua! Are you alright?" one of the male that had surrounded her questioned, shaking her out of her trance. She needed to get away. Out in to the night air to calm herself. "Please excuse me. I have to go refresh myself." (A/N: *cough!* Sorry, but I couldn't think of a better way to say it. -_-;;;) she hurried out into the night, ignoring the disappointed looks she got from her admirers. 'it's not like I asked for the attention…' she thought sulkily.
As she stepped out of the noisy room, a gentle breeze ruffled through her hair, making a few strands fall from their place on her head. She sighed. She didn't really like doing her hair, it took so long, and after a while, her head hurt. She only did it today because she wanted to show respect for her friend. But now that she was away where nobody can see her… she took off all the pins that secured her hair in its place, and the sea of auburn fell down her back like a waterfall.
She stepped out into the garden. It was so peaceful here. The leaves rustled gently in the wind, and the flowers shined under the moonlight. The serenity of the scene carried her worries away. She was often tired nowadays, with her father talking about her marriage, considering she was "of age", and her brother argueing hotly about why she shouldn't marry. Plus, being the way he was, her father insisted that she educated herself, piling her with books, and hiring tutors for her. He wanted her knowledgeable in every subject; Numbers, the Characters(chinese charcters that she had to learn), History not only of China but also the neighboring countries, although she enjoyed history, and how their government works, Politics, and the Scientific study of the world around her, and Astronomy. Although it was a marvelous sight watching the stars dance in their heavenly spots in the sky, staying up half the night was really draining her down. On top of that, she had to be good in writing poems and painting pictures, a virtue demanded of the Upper Class nobles, and all the skills a woman was supposed to learn; sewing elegant patterns, mending clothes, and so on. There was something else that she practiced that nobody else knew about, other than her best friend Tao Hua, that caused her to drop into her bed every night and sleep like a log, and that was excercising her magical skills, and…
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as she heard footsteps, and her senses took over. It was only a few years after the Ming Dynasty was overthrown, and there were still ones that supported the former Dynasty, making it unsafe for the new nobles of the court to be alone at night. She crept over to the sound with the agility of a feline and so quietly that no one person could possibly hear her move. Unfortunately, her shoulder hit a nearby brush, causing it to rustle, and the owner of the feet must have heard because she heard the footsteps no more. She waited for a few moments, and when she was about to leap out, she bumped into something warm, something soft, something breathing… she felt herself fall, and fall backwords with the object on top of her…
And a pair of eyes, a pair of brown eyes… those eyes… stared back at her.
(A/N: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahem… I'm ok. Have I mentioned I'm insane? Perhaps not. Well, beware. A mad woman is on the loose. Either that, or it's the candy. I think I'm on a sugar high. Either way, MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! Ok, I'll shut up.)
~*~
Ying Hua and Xiao Lang lay on the ground, with the latter on top of the brunette. They stared into each others' eyes, their faces inches apart, until they finally regained their senses and leapt apart.
"I'm sorry!" came out of their mouths at exactly the same time, and they were glad of the dark or else the other would have noticed that their faces resembled an overripe tomato.
"I…"
"um…"
"hi…" Xiao Lang started nervously "my name is Xiao Lang. And you?" he didn't say his last name because he didn't think it was necessary.
"I'm Ying Hua. Nice to meet you."
And so they talked on, deep into the night, about their busy life and how they longed for a simpler one, while discovering that they had a great deal in common. However, the time came when they had to depart, and each went home, with the wish of meeting again, but no real hope of it.
~*~
sleepless nights followed Ying Hua around, and the image of a certain someone floated into her mind everytime she tried to go to sleep. The amber eyes floated in front of her, and she couldn't shake the image off.
In another part of the town, in as grand an estate as Ying Hua's, a certain boy lay awake every night, with a pair of emerald green eyes, his favorite color, haunting him in his sleep, while he was awake, and anytime of the day. It was an image he couldn't shake off.
'is this love…?'
~*~
a girl with long auburn hair and bright emerald eyes stood in a fighting position. The usually cheerful shine in her eyes were absent, and instead, it was focused and stern. An arrow flew by, barely grazing her skin, leaving a burn mark. It would have peirced through her heart and the brunette would have been on the ground, dead, if she wasn't quick enough.
Suddenly, a sword appeared out of nowhere, charging toward the girl at top speed. The girl quickly took out her sword and in one quick sweep, swiped the sword away, but the ownerless sword regained its composure, and charged back at the brunette. The girl and the sword battled, so fast that one could only see a blur of moving hands and silver. The clang of sword meeting sword could be heard all over the forest in which she trained, and flashes reflected off the swords every time light flickered upon it.
With a clank, the ownerless sword fell onto the ground, defeated.
Ying Hua smiled affectionately.
"thank you, Sword." A bow and a handfall of arrows rushed toward her, all ownerless, causing the Cherry Blossom's grin to broaden. "and thank you, Arrow."
As much as it seemed like she was using the Clow Cards, she was not. She had read about those wondrous objects in an ancient scroll, and admired it, but she was not the owner of those magnificent cards, for which she was very disappointed about. However, she had enchanted a sword, a bow, and arrows with her magic so that it was just like the Clow Cards. It did her bidding, often helping her with her training, and making it easier for her since she did not have a teacher nor a partner.
"I think I'll work on my hand-to-hand combat now. Thank you for your help." Ying Hua said lovingly. The Sword and Arrow was her pride, for she had done such a good job with the enchanting.
Ying Hua started her routine. A kick, a punch, a mid-air kick… it was so complicated and so absolutely flowless that it was amazing.
Suddenly, a crunch of a leaf was heard, and Ying Hua grabbed her sword in one swift movement. She crept up to the place she had heard the crunch stealthily, and was about to leap out, when suddenly, she collided into something soft, something warm, yet again. And felt herself fall, fall, and fall to the ground…
The same pair of eyes stared back at her…
~*~
it was morning, and the sun was already up in the sky, shining brightly. Xiao Lang had overslept, an unusual thing. He couldn't be blamed for it, however, for he had lay awake all night, and had finally fallen asleep at early morning, the face still lingering in his uneasy slumber.
He headed into a nearby forest where he usually did his training. It was a secluded place, for not many knew about it, and he could practice there in peace.
When he reached the clearing, however, he heard a voice.
"thank you, Sword."
He peeked from behind a tree, and saw an amazing sight. A bow and a handfull of arrows floated toward a girl dressed in a simple white garment, with her hair flowing freely in the wind. He did not know which was more amazing, the arrows hovering in midair, or the beautiful girl with the long auburn hair.
The girl turned around to greet her arrows and bow, and Xiao Lang saw a pair of bright green eyes. Those eyes……
Ying Hua.
She had started her hand-to-hand combat routine, and Xiao Lang was entranced. A series of kicks, punches, and midair stunts were pulled, all done with faultless skill. She was as good as him.
He stepped to get a closer look when a leave crunched underneath his foot. He swore silently, and ducked back into the shelter of the trees. He did not want her to think he was spying on her. A few moments went by where he heard nothing, and when he thought he was safe to come out, he suddenly collided with something soft, something warm, something breathing… and fell backwards, with that something on top of him.
And emerald green eyes stared into his own amber ones.
~*~
Ying Hua quickly scrambled up. "um, I'm sorry…"she mumbled quietly.
"wow. This is just like the first time we met…"
"yah…"
"oh! I'm sorry! Do you train here? I must have occupied your training ground." Ying Hua stated as she noticed the way he was dressed and the sword he had.
Xiao Lang smiled. "ya, I usually practice here, but I overslept this morning." He finished sheepishly.
"oh. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to take your place away from you. It's just because of the thunderstorm yesterday night, the place where I usually trained was ruined, and so after a while of looking around, I found this clearing." She looked down in an ashamed way. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was occupied."
Xiao Lang felt his lips curve up in a soft smile. She was so kind. And she brought true smiles out of him, not those forced ones he had to wear in court, but a genuine one.
"It's ok. You can practice here from now on." Xiao Lang continued, "I saw your routine. You must be good." Then he smirked. "but I bet I'm better."
A smirk also appeared on Ying Hua's face, and she declared with confidence, "well, let's find out. Hand-to-hand combat?"
With a nod from Xiao Lang, the duo swept into a fighting position, and at the same exact time, as if it was planned, both launched at each other. Both were skilled, and both could not beat the other. Blows were directed toward the other, and the blows were blocked. Ying Hua punched. Xiao Lang blocked. If he was any slower, he would have been on the floor with a bloody nose. Xiao Lang kicked. Ying Hua blocked. And if she had blocked a moment later, she would have ended up with a broken limb. A midair kick was attempted, and blocked. It went on like this for a while, with the attacks so fast that the bodies were a blur, and all one could see was the flashes of skin and the occasional color of the clothes.
Finally, the pair got tired, and stopped.
"looks like we're even." Stated Ying Hua with a hint of amusement in her voice.
"yah…" Xiao Lang was amazed. He was one of the best in the empire when it came to fighting, but he could not land even one finger upon this girl. She was indeed unique. He felt himself falling for her…
"it's so much better having a partner. It's so much easier." Said Ying Hua.
"why don't you have an instructor?" asked Xiao Lang curiously.
Ying Hua sighed. "my father thinks fighting is… unnecessary for ladies. And so I would predict that he would not be very pleased if he finds out. I've been training by myself, with only books written about martial arts as my guide." She suddenly noticed his green aura, and smiled softly. "you possess magic, I presume?"
Xiao Lang only nodded. He did, however, notice a strong pink aura radiating from the girl next to him.
"well, I did enchant Arrow and Sword, and they are a big help when I train." Her voice filled with gratitude as she looked down fondly at the sword and arrows.
"well, why don't you come here every morning, and we can train together?" Xiao Lang suggested.
"really?! You wouldn't mind?" Ying Hua asked excitedly.
The response she got was a grin and a nod.
"THANK YOU!!!!!"
she enveloped him in a hug, causing the boy to blush an inhuman shade of scarlet. Ying Hua quickly let go, a tint of crimson on her cheeks.
"I'm sorry. I just kind of got a little excited…" she said awkwardly, but a moment later, rings of laughter rang through the forest as the couple giggled and laughed.
And that was how their friendship was formed.
TSUZUKU………
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the chapter's done!! Woohoo!!! Yays. That was LOOOOONG. Not so bad, I guess. Not the best, either, but oh well. 3621 words. Not bad, I guess.
Oh ya, I feel like being evil, so I won't update until I get… 10 more reviews…? LoL. I'm just hungry for reviews. And thanxies SOOOOOOOO much for ya peeps out there that reviewed! You guys are DA BEST!!
Well, that's all. C ya!
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~dZnSNofLAkeZ aka Shirley