Olwen-Cheesecake: hoarse whisper Come on your up!
Rin: squeal nanananana!
Olwen-Cheesecake: No! Noooo....don't touch that-Rin! Rin!
Rin: giggling But what does it do? Now what was I supposed to say? Oh well!
takes in breath and starts yelling while squishing her face between her hands
Sesshoumaru: Rin, stop that.
Rin: Yes me lord!
Olwen-Cheesecake: Thanks...the disclaimer?
Sesshoumaru: blink blink Don't expect me to say it.
Olwen-Cheesecake: sweat-drop Well tell Rin to say it then.
Sesshoumaru: I'm not your humble slave.
Olwen-Cheesecake: face is red hot with anger Just say the friggin' line!
Sesshoumaru: looks amused Rin say the line she told you to say before.
Rin: Yes me lord! Olwen-Cheesecake does not own CCS, but CLAMP does...
Sesshoumaru: Happy?
Olwen-Cheesecake: hugs Sesshoumaru and Jaken gasps Thank you!
Sesshoumaru: fries Olwen-Cheesecake
Mamoru followed her slender body into the central part of the city, near the remains of the fair, but a far enough distance from it. She seemed to be looking for a place where no one would find her. Mamoru had always been fascinated by Sakura, but even he could see that she did not need another problem weighing down on her now. That was when the idea struck him-he could help her! Only because she actually cared.
He ran up behind her panting and ducked at the expected punch thrown by Sakura. He knew Sakura would have thought he was some street "bad-boy" wanting a piece of her. Literally.
Sakura had realized it was, obviously, only Mamoru. "Oh! You scared the hell outta me."
Mamoru smiled, "Need a place to stay?"
Sakura sighed, "That would be great." She nodded.
He led her down the next alley and into a small tunnel, after they had climbed the fence, which Sakura had gotten caught on. The tunnel led to an abandoned street with only a few houses planted along the sidelines. It was a beautiful, untouched neighborhood. The part that Sakura really loved was that Cherry Blossoms grew everywhere, carelessly. It was one of those areas that the emperor, thankfully, hadn't bothered with.
Mamoru kept to one side until he reached a weathering house, which seemed a beautiful structure, though old. He led her up the stairs in the side of the house to another door, instead of the front door. "I've rented the top floor." Was the explanation received from Mamoru. He opened the door and invited Sakura inside. Sakura loved it. It was small, but cozier than any home she had ever visited or lived in.
"Sit," Mamoru pointed to the couch.
Sakura sat obediently, only a little uncomfortable in the new environment around her.
"Do you want tea? Cookies?" Mamoru asked, but Sakura shook her head quietly in response.
"Thanks Mamoru," Sakura said sincerely.
"No problem-and it's our little secret." Mamoru said. Sakura realized he would really talk and be more friendly when he wasn't on duty. If he had thought it appropriate to do so, he would most likely be like this everyday at work. He was a loyal and obedient worker.
"Why?" she asked.
"Well, because you had a fight with Syao-Master Li and-"
"No, not that! Why did you help me?"
Mamoru grinned and then shrugged, "Common courtesy."
Sakura relaxed slightly more, "I'm glad I have you around."
Mamoru smirked and thought to himself, And I'm glad to have you sweet Cherry Blossom.
"I can't believe she'd go missing within seconds!" Syaoran angrily said as he and the rest of the "crew" roamed near the fair. Syaoran followed his instincts and thought that she would head a fair distance away from the fairs, somewhere where no one would think to look for her.
"She could've gone to a homeless shelter," Meilin suggested, walking into an alleyway to scan the perimeters.
"No-she would probably go into hiding somewhere here, a common place, but none where we would think a girl such as her would hide." Takashi took the words right out of Syaoran's mouth.
"Are you saying she would hide in a dangerous zone?" Chiharu shuddered.
"Yeah-" Syaoran was cut off.
"I think she went this way..." Tomoyo stated calmly.
"What makes you so sure?" Meilin followed Tomoyo and stood beside her. Her eyes shot to where Tomoyo was pointing to. She was pointing to the end of the alley-at a fence. Meilin snorted, "And the fence proves what?" Tomoyo steadily walked towards the fence and pulled off a piece of cloth that she had spotted from afar. It had to be Sakura's clothing, Tomoyo would know it anywhere-she had, after all, sewn them herself. "You have really-REALLY good eyes, Tomoyo."
Tomoyo held the piece of cloth to her chest. Meilin and all the others knew how depressed Tomoyo was. Sakura and her were best friends. And after all Tomoyo had done to get by Sakura's side-Sakura had run off yet again. It made Meilin's blood sizzle, but she couldn't get too angry with Sakura. It was partly Syaoran's temper's fault too.
"Someone has taken her." Syaoran said next. He had climbed over the fence and was on the other side looking at the a bit of mud covering the ground in front of a small tunnel.
Meilin sighed, "Now what evidence do you have of this?"
Syaoran pointed to the mud, "These footprints are very different, but made at around the same time. These two people went together. One of them was Sakura." Then Syaoran climbed back over the fence and went straight to Tomoyo. "Let me see that cloth."
Tomoyo handed it to Syaoran and the "crew" watched him scan the small ripped piece. Seconds later he picked something off of the cloth. A single brown hair.
Mamoru arrived at Meilin's house late that afternoon. However, it didn't matter because of the busy, sorrowful search for Sakura. Mamoru, instead of doing his regular work, because Tomoyo-sama wasn't feeling very well, took care of the two brothers that lived there when Meilin was available. After he had put the two to sleep, so they wouldn't get too worked up between the hustle and bustle, Mamoru headed to where he could hear Meilin shouting at Syaoran. He stood beside Takashi, watching Meilin let her anger out-finally.
"You knew she would leave like this! You didn't stop her!" Meilin yelled with irritation standing out in her voice.
Mamoru smiled, And a good thing he didn't.
"What are you smiling about?" Takashi glared at Mamoru. His glare seeped into the crystalline blue of Mamoru's amused eyes, causing them to fidget. "What's wrong? Hiding something?" Takashi asked with suspicion. "You're late and something delayed you. Or rather-someone?"
Mamoru gulped hard.
"I knew it!" Takashi had obviously seen Mamoru gulp. "Girlfriend troubles? If you need advice all I have to say is-"
Meilin's yells cut through Takashi's advice, "DON'T JUST LAZE AROUND! WE HAVE TO TRACE HER! NOW!"
Takashi looked back at Mamoru after he verified that Meilin had stopped yelling. "Buy her things-knick knacks, jewelry and other trinkets."
Mamoru sighed, realizing that Takashi had no clue whatsoever. "Thanks-problem solved."
Takashi smiled, knowingly, "How about you help us trace Sakura today-we figure she's in central Tokyo, so it should take forever, but we'll let you get off early today. To shop-I'll come." Takashi then looked around and whispered, "An excuse to get away from the-"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN LEAVE HER BE? SHE'S STUBBORN! WHO KNOWS WHO HAS HER NOW!?"
Takashi sighed, "Yelling."
"I really think Syaoran loves her no matter how pissed off he may seem-with her." Takashi concluded his observation on Syaoran's behavioral patterns with Sakura. "But that Meilin-I don't know what her rush is. I don't trust her-she and Chiharu spend way too much time together." Takashi went on about how he suspected Meilin and Chiharu plotting against him and...him.
Mamoru nodded absent-mindedly, while admiring the gift Takashi helped him pick out for his "girlfriend". The gift was a pair of earrings that were basically hearts with wings and a crown, but the Celtic knotting on the wings had attracted him the most about the earrings. He tucked the earrings back inside the small gift box and into his jacket pocket, making sure that Takashi went straight home, without following Mamoru. When he was sure Takashi had left, he headed the quick way home-through the alley, over the fence, and through the tunnel.
He knocked on the door once. Then quickly two times, two slow knocks, then he paused. Finally he knocked once more and waited. Sure enough, Sakura had recognized the "It's-only-me-knock".
"I made supper!" Sakura happily skipped back to the kitchen, wearing an apron from who-knew-where, to retrieve whatever she had prepared for them.
Mamoru dropped down on the couch, "I thought I was a goner. Takashi was suspicious."
"What!?" Sakura jumped out of the kitchen and right in front of Mamoru.
"But-" Mamoru heard Sakura sigh and he smiled. "He seemed only suspicious of girlfriend troubles. So..."
"So?"
"Here," Mamoru handed Sakura the gift box. Sakura opened it and didn't say a word. Mamoru saw her fiddle with the heart necklace around her neck. It was of a similar design to the earrings, but on the same chain was a mini wand-shaped pendant of some sort. It had wings-without the knotting.
Sakura was still speechless, but managed to mutter a "Thank you". She wore the earrings immediately.
"Like them?" Mamoru grinned.
"Yes, of course!" Sakura got up from her sitting position only to go to the kitchen to get what she had prepared. "They just seem so familiar," she said as she came back with a tray in her hands.
"What have we here?" Mamoru scanned the tray's contents as Sakura put them out on the table. "Soba, some sushi, ocha...salad-"
"And cheesecake," Sakura finished. "Didn't know what else to make..."
"It's great!" Mamoru didn't care for her excuses. "I don't even understand how you could have made such great food without that many things around this place to make it with."
"Actually, the nice lady living downstairs came up to give me some ingredients to use. I didn't ask her-honest. She seemed to be happy about something and when I asked her what she was so happy about she told me that she was glad to see you finally settling down." Sakura blushed. "Sorry, I didn't try to correct her."
Mamoru began to laugh, "It's all right."
Sakura smiled sweetly and Mamoru stopped laughing. Her eyes were twinkling at him, her voice trailing along in his ears, and her smile melting him like ice on a hot summer day. He knew exactly what he was feeling. It was foreign to him, but he loved it. He was in love...with Sakura.
"Kero! You have to help us!" Meilin yelled at the yellow fur ball.
"She doesn't want to be found and I refuse to uncover ?" Kero stated stubbornly.
Meilin held out a chocolate cupcake to the guardian resembling and stuffed toy. "Find her and there will be a lot more to come."
Kero muttered something, but agreed. "Fair enough!" Then he dived at the cupcake, swallowing it whole.
"Now?" Meilin stated in question, but Kero recognized it as a command.
"Alright-it should take me less than ten minutes. I'll be back with news of her whereabouts." Kero zoomed out the door, impossible to see for ignorant human eyes.
He felt her so close and knew suddenly that she was in that abandoned street. He knew she loved it, but he also knew she was with someone else. This person was important to her, but this person was strange to Kero. His or her aura was fuzzy and unclear. It was as if he or she wasn't meant to be traced or found. It frightened Kero. She wasn't it any immediate danger, but this person could be dangerous to her.
Kero approached a house on the abandoned street he had just flown toward. She had to be on the top floor. He neared the window where he expected to see it curtained, but surprisingly it was open. He gaped inside, jealous as ever, of the boy eating Sakura's homemade cheesecake. He knew this boy, but he didn't feel he was a threat any longer. He was just a rival.
"Revenge," Kero growled and zipped back to Meilin's house.
"Mamoru!?" Meilin yelled in surprise. "Tomoyo! Your goddamn scribe has Sakura!"
Tomoyo knew exactly what they would do. "We'll go tomorrow and follow him home. We will not-and I stress WILL NOT-do anything until we see and know exactly what is going on-"
Takashi muttered something under his breath and Chiharu yanked his ear, "And he thought Mamoru had girlfriend troubles! Hah!"
Mamoru came and left as usual, but he did not realize that Meilin, Tomoyo, and Syaoran were following him back, while Takashi and Chiharu stayed at home. Mamoru headed straight for his house on the abandoned street. He climbed up the stairs, exhausted and almost too tired to do the proper knocking ritual. Just as they had suspected, he did have a knocking ritual and Sakura opened the door cautiously, letting Mamoru in, but she knew something was wrong. She sensed another presence she was usually quite familiar with, but couldn't quite place it-odd.
Sakura stepped out into the hall, uneasily. She did not notice, however, that her three friends were hidden behind a large plant pot, crouching even lower, trying so hard not to be seen.
"I sense someone's aura."
"Sense?" Mamoru's eyebrow was raised.
"Yes."
"Damn!" Syaoran muttered to both Meilin and Tomoyo. "She senses my aura and powers!" Syaoran led the two girls out from behind the plant without letting them be seen. Syaoran ran all the way to Meilin's house without looking back. Two panting girls were following behind him closely, concerned.
"Powers!?"
"I have magic as well, you know." Syaoran explained. "Just don't use it much." He took out his Lasin board and smiled slyly. Then he showed them the elemental scripts.
Meilin gave Syaoran a sour look, "Lucky ass."
"They know I'm here," Sakura stated to Mamoru as she got moved toward the door with her sweater swung over one arm and small carrying bag hooked through the other.
"How?"
"They followed you home. Don't go back to Meilin's house tomorrow." Sakura warned with no expression whatsoever. "Syaoran will kill you."
"Well of course I won't go back. I'm going with you." Mamoru said stubbornly.
Sakura decided against objecting, "Let's go."
They rushed out the door, down the stairs and into the Tokyo streets.
"Where are we going anyway?" Mamoru asked.
"To pay the almighty sovereign a visit he'll never forget." Sakura's eyes sparkled with a familiar confidence.
A strange commotion had erupted. At first the emperor hadn't minded, but now he was slowly becoming irritated by it. Soldiers and officers alike were rushing around the palace halls, closing off the doors to the Grande hall he sat in now.
"What is the meaning of this!?" the emperor yelled above the disorder.
"It is a woman, sire. Accompanied by a male peasant and she has come to simply pay a short and unexpected visit, apparently." one officer informed. He looked confused and particularly disturbed by the turmoil that had struck the palace. In fact, every single officer and soldier looked only slightly more confused and worried.
"So, why isn't the loon ridded of?" the emperor asked scornfully.
A few soldiers gulped, and some even ran out the hall doors toward the commotion, hoping that the emperor would not be so unyielding on them, by firing them or even harming them.
The informative officer continued bravely, "She seems to have-uh-knocked two officers unconscious and beaten sixteen more...to a pulp."
"Very persuasive," the emperor grinned in amusement. He scratched his chin and made a gesture with his hand. "Let her in."
Sakura entered the Grande hall, staff in one hand and Mamoru on the other side of her, holding her sweater and small purse. She felt proud that it was her that was in control and not the other way around. And people are so sexist!
"Emperor-"
"What's your name child?" the emperor interrupted, grimly.
"Sakura."
The emperor showed a change in expression by the sound of her name. He seemed a little more interested in absorbing everything about Sakura physically and what he could get from her aura. Sakura knew he was trying hard to read her mind, but she had her protective shield around-there was no way he could get through to her mind, no matter what powers he did possess. Sakura suddenly felt relieved she had practiced her magic and exercised her powers with Kero and Syaoran.
"State your business..." he said with slight irritation. Sakura guessed it was due to her shield.
"I'm just paying you a visit that I can guarantee you'll never forget."
The emperor muttered, "Never will I forget this visit Nor will I forget you, can I assure." Then he added on a more defiant note, "Attitude will get you nowhere-" He was cut off immediately by Sakura.
"But perseverance will!" Sakura's eyes even brighter than before. It was the spark that caused the emperor to relax. He could confirm what he knew of her, but she couldn't. Sakura continued, despite how relaxed the emperor seemed. "DO NOT underestimate me."
"Too late to warn, my dear! Seems that I have already underestimated your power and well...you." The emperor said it without anger.
Sakura smiled sweetly, but didn't lose her stability for a second, "Correct." She felt a strange tingle. It was the emperor's aura. It was quite similar to that of Eriol except the emperor's was stronger. No-the aura was similar to another person's aura...but who? Mamoru! It had to be. It was coming from Mamoru too, but his aura was made...unnoticeable. There's another aura that both of theirs are quite similar to. Sakura was rattling her brains for answers.
The emperor knew what she was trying to figure out, though her face expressionless and firm. He was disappointed that she couldn't figure it out yet. He was disappointed she couldn't remember the clear aura. "Forgetful little child." he paused. "One whom hasn't sought the proper questions will not find the proper answers."
The name was flashing up in her mind every few seconds, but she just couldn't catch it-then finally! "So familiar-it couldn't be!"
"Yes?" The emperor was now wholly amused. She's just here to size me up. Nothing else.
"Clow Reed?"
The emperor still seemed amused, but Sakura saw bitterness through it all. She realized that he resembled Clow Reed, somewhat. Though, the emperor wore no glasses and his eyes did not show the familiar world of wisdom. His eyes showed age and cunning. His eyes showed that somewhere he was lost and didn't know if what he was doing was the right way. His eyes showed he wasn't quite as calm as he showed on the outside. He panicked on the inside. His heart ached from the pain. Sakura felt it all.
Just like that the moment of vision disappeared. Sakura forgot what she had seen or felt. The emperor, however, did not.
"I will let you go-you are of no harm to me yet." the emperor turned his eyes away from her, fearing another vision. He didn't want it to be so. He just wanted her to leave. "Be gone!"
Sakura backed away, confused. Her confidence fluttered. She shouldn't be here and she knew it. She wasn't ready to make any moves against the emperor yet. She wasn't ready to even be at the stage of talking to the emperor. Sakura knew she had no idea what she was doing. She only needed the Hope card to reassure her. And then...then she would return.
"She is dangerous! I want her records now-EVERYTHING!" the emperor screamed.
An officer appeared minutes after, reciting what little that they did have. "Kinomoto Sakura of Tomoeda, Japanassia. Aged seventeen and onto eighteen in four days. Near my age sire and she is a pretty lit-"
"Did I hire letch or did I hire a well-trained officer!?" the emperor interrupted.
"Uh...an officer your highness!" he replied quickly, and continued with the emperor's gesture of the hand. "She was reported missing around a month and a half in the past. It seems someone then tried reporting her kidnapped, but...hm."
"What now?" The emperor sighed.
"She has a brother...Kinomoto Touya."
"Go on..." the emperor urged.
"He reported her missing...and then he went missing himself. Along with a fried of his. There had actually been officers of ours searching for Sakura here." the officer paused. "They were commands given by the emperor himself-you...?"
"Yes I knew about her long you blubbering fool." the emperor sad impatiently.
"Well you commanded the officers to stand outside the Hopeless Forest and wait for the so-called meddlers from Tomoeda that had accompanied Angelo. They were heading the illegal way, which no one would dare to do-for it is the Hopeless-"
"I am quite aware every single citizen fears the forest-do not tell me what I know all too well." The emperor waved the comments aside.
"Well, it is said that Sakura was among these meddlers headed to Tokyo. And, as you and I know, she is now here. There were reports from some of the officers about some sort of disturbance that they had sensed within the forest. The aura the forest was dimmed by this one. A magician's aura some suggest. Nonsense if you ask me." the officer continued.
"I didn't ask you. And it is certainly not nonsense. I know this magician well enough. Eriol Hiirigazawa." the emperor nodded. "Proceed..."
"Ah, well, local spies conclude that Sakura was responsible for leading the pregnant women and the couples into hiding from our plot. They are currently hiding, still, but we are not totally blinded. They live in the same areas still. Probably close to Sakura's hide out. Though, some say that she has separated from her gang due to some fight with the leader of the group. So we should be doubtful of finding her in that area." the officer finished the report and looked up at the emperor, whom sat on his throne, arrogantly. "Some of the last bit of information was retrieved from one of our strong psychics. Though he said it was hard even getting what little information he did get."
"And the lad that came in with Sakura? What of him?"
The officer looked confused for only a minute, "That was the odd part..."
"Carry on..."
"His name is Mamoru. There are no other records on him. It seems he simply does not exist. Even the psychic was unable to get anything from him. I was even unable to read his aura! Remarkable little mortal!" The officer paused worried about something.
"What is it you wish to say now?" the emperor sighed.
"I fear that the orb's presence has finally shown us the consequences for its usage. This includes the abnormal existence of a boy that wouldn't usually be found on Earth." The officer said in his most convincing voice.
The emperor laughed, "That is because Mamoru is the Earth's spirit, baka!" The emperor began. "When we ridded of the true nature of Earth we couldn't just dispose of the Earth's spirit. That is simply impossible! So we took it and let it fall into the unused body of a mortal. What better way to rid of a spirit than using a body?" The emperor then asked, "Do the spies now know exactly where to get the women and couples?"
The officer flinched at the question, "No, the migrate very so often and it takes time to relocate where they have been moved to. There migration is not in patterns and therefore confuses the spies. Th leader of Sakura's little group is a smart one."
The emperor looked unhappy, "Send for more peasant spies! I want Mamoru and Sakura here by four days. As for the leader of their group-kill him."
"Clow Reed can't be evil!" Sakura cried as she got a fire started. "And I know it was not him! But how did the emperor get such genes? Surely they aren't brothers. Never possible..."
Sakura and Mamoru occupied a hidden space in a field near the palace. They were in the small ditch with a human-sized burrow in it. It was unnaturally convenient. They had crawled into it, wondering who or what would make such a place for either shelter or some sort of transportation. They were grateful anyway because the officers would never see the ditch's burrow, as the front was covered.
"Rest Sakura, "Mamoru said calmly.
Sakura simply nodded and let her drooping lids close. She touched the earrings to make sure they were still there. All her jewelry over her travels, had away of piecing themselves together like puzzle. The earrings were simply the last piece to the puzzle Sakura's mind floated, but she still thought to say goodnight to Mamoru, "Pleasant dreams."
A.N.: Okay so as I said in the Prologue I would have the significance of the jewelry. I'm sure I told you, but the jewelry DOES indicate the lifestyle that the Obythian Lords do live. So basically the point I was trying to make is that there are four main middle-age classes:
clergy (priests/monks)
merchants
peasants
In comparison to Obythia:
Obythian Lords
Soldiers/Officers
merchants of Tokyo
and of course the peasants.
Detailed enough for you? Oh yeah and I have my list:
1) Mamoru is an important character to the plot.
I also want you guys to know that I'm soooo sorry I couldn't update any earlier,
but I have been really really
busy! Hope it doesn't take me months to write the next one...rolls eyes R&R!
Thanks Bye! Please please please notify me of any mistakes you may see. I
really don't have the time to edit these chapters, and I prefer someone who is
reading it thoroughly to tell me.