Argh I can't believe it! I don't have the time to read your reviews! That
is sooo lame, not to mention unfair for those nice people who've reviewed.
T.T I'm gonna kill onni-chan for sending me on this trip. But I can't cos
he's driving and I don't wanna die before I finish this story. My bottom's...
sou, sou this calls for the use of 'normal' words. My ass's whoa too many
s's! asleep and I can hardly feel my toes. Crap, crap and double crap.
In 'normal' words, shit, shit and double shit. - I admit, I'm not always
goody two-shoes. I've got a bad side too =) I just hope that the
laptop battery will last long enough...
::growl:: I'm in a bad mood...
Well, on with the story
Oh yeah. I almost forgot.
The disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CCS OR CLAMP OR WHATEVER, DAMMIT!
The night was a rough one. The waves just wouldn't stay put. Twice Eriol had to get up and use the wind spirit to calm down the waves. If their men were to fight a good, long battle, they needed all the rest they could get. The roaring of the wind spirit and the tremendous battle that the waves were putting on, kept him awake all night.
The first rays of the sun peaked over the horizon and Eriol slid off his glasses and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. He looked around dimly and yawned. Well, better sacrifice one life than a hundred he thought and put his glasses back on.
The sun was half way above the horizon when he heard foot steps. Syaoran appeared a few seconds later but took no notice of Eriol. His eyes were fixed on the ship that was coming closer and closer...a little more specifically on the figurehead fixed on the stern. "I could swear I've seen that somewhere..." he mumbled more to himself than to Eriol. "Don't you recognize it?" Eriol asked. "Do you?" he shot back to which Eriol nodded. "It's Masuki, Edeki"
"Masuki" Syaoran breathed the name out in pure, unorthodox hatred. "Ohayo. I thought you would recognize the ship of some one who killed your father" Eriol replied, causing Syaoran to flush. At the same moment light, uneven footsteps patted on the deck and Sakura appeared, meandering tipsily towards them.
"Itai, my head... someone turn off the freakin' sun! Gods, cane juice has a worse hangover than alchohol... just wait until I get my hands on that Syaoran Li..." this and some incoherent murmuring was heard until she walked straight into the mast. "IIttttaaiiii!!" Sakura screamed and clutched her head. Syaoran had a hard time controlling his laughter and bit the inner sides of his mouth. As this made his mouth hurt, he proceeded to stuff his fist in his mouth.
As she started walking towards them again Sakura tripped over a bucket of waters and landed flat on her face "Oh SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" she yelled as Syaoran let out a snort of laughter which he turned into an unconvincing cough as Eriol glared at him, and decided to act. "Sakura come here" Eriol beckoned. Sakura grumbled something about the dress being too long as she got up and obediently walked towards him.
Pressing two long fingers to the sides of her temple, he muttered a small Chinese incantation. Sakura felt wonderful relief as the headache vanished.
"Arigato Eriol. And Ohayo everyone!" Sakura said raising her voice happily. She was met with a few cries from nearby seagulls. And sweatdropped. There was no one there except them. "Psssth. Graceful" Syaoran snorted. "Ohayo to you too, Sakura" Eriol said politely. Sakura smiled gratefully. Syaoran grunted a "Pathetic", snapping Sakura's head in his direction. "Ohayo, Mr. Grump" she said sweetly earning a mumbled reply to which Eriol had a coughing fit.
"Ohayo everyone" Another girl's voice could be heard. "This ship has too many females" Syaoran mumbled and stalked off to a nice, secluded place, where no people of the eviler gender, could disturb him. "What's with him?" Sakura asked. "Dunno. He's always hated women" Eriol replied and they both shrugged.
Tomoyo clambered on deck and went straight for Sakura. Taking her hands she hissed "Don't you dare run off like that again" "Gomen nasai Tomoyo" Sakura said in a strained voice. "Ne" "Uh, Tomoyo?" Sakura squeaked. "Hai?" "You're squeezing my hands numb" she squealed.
Tomoyo smiled grimly. "I know. It's my revenge. Next time it'll be a bear hug" and let go of her friend's poor hands.
'Tomoyo's stronger than she lets on' Eriol thought as he watched Sakura try to denumb her hands. "Eriol, genki ne desu?" Tomoyo asked suddenly. Eriol nodded. "No, you aren't" She said and edged closer. "Eriol, you didn't sleep last night, did you? You're eyes are red..." she looked at him, a little concerned. She turned to see the pirates come onto deck yawning and stretching from a good slumber. Eriol sighed and shook his head. "Then you better go and get some shut eye" Tomoyo replied. On seeing him hesitate, she yelled "ET VITEMENT!!" French for AND PRONTO! - which sent him scampering off. Tomoyo and Sakura followed him. From the distance, from his secluded spot, Syaoran saw them vanish below deck and he decided to trail behind as well. Just in case...
Whilst he descended the ladder, the cunning little wolf sensed that he was not alone. Yes. She was there. The "Evil- Eyed" one was there. That was how he referred to Sakura. Her eyes, he'd noticed, contained more emotions than he thought was humanly possible. As soon as his foot touched the wooden floor, she sped upto him with such agility that it alarmed him. Syaoran shot up the ladder again while Sakura looked up at him, confused.
"Ano, Syaoran, I forgot the way to your cabin again..." Sakura said a little sheepishly. "Oh" he went a little red and hastily slid down and led the way to the cabin, very rigidly and red.
But the door was closed. T.T
"Kami-san damn that Eriol!" Syaoran yelled angrily and kicked the wall, forcefully. Sakura studied his face. "That hurt didn't it?" she asked. He let out a groan, nodding and slid onto the floor to examine his foot. "When I get my hands on him, I'm gonna punch his lights out!" Syaoran bawled, over reacting. She shook her head in amusement and slid down onto the floor next to him. "When's the battle again?" she asked densely. He didn't look up but continued to examine his toes, flexing them. "As soon as we're near enough, we'll raid the ship"
Syaoran looked up and caught the expression on Sakura's face and he rephrased his answer. "The MEN will raid the ship and the WOMEN will stay in my cabin" Sakura face faulted, Then almost assuringly he added "And besides, I've got an old score to settle with the captain..."
DABOOM!!!
Give me a break, ppls. I needed a sound, so I invent one. Genius Freak at work. He he he. I'll shut up now. I'm in a better mood 2 .
The first explosion hit the ship and caused them both to start. Losing balance, Sakura started to lean towards the door. A cold hand wrapped Itself around her upper arm and pulled her away form the fiendish door. "Ano..." Sakura turned around to see Syaoran staring at her incredulously. "Now is not the time to get stuck in the door again!" He still held her upper arm in a firm grip as Eriol dashed out in a streak of pink. Pink?! PINK?!
"Masuki's bombing us" they heard him yell from far off. "Wait here" Syaoran said, putting his boot back on and disappearing into the cabin. A few moments later, he emerged, stuffing a small but lethal jagged blade into his boot and checking for his chi bead with the other hand. His admiral coat was half unbuttoned, revealing a white shirt. As he straightened to meet her gaze, his fingers doing up the buttons, he cleared his throat "Uh Sa-Sakura" he began. "SYAORAN!" Eriol's voice was heard loudly without. "Eriol!' Sakura made it as if to go and save him from the horrors of the sea.
"NO!" Syaoran once again caught hold of her arm. "Look Syaoran. I don't know how much you care about Eriol. But I know Tomoyo does... A LOT" Sakura said fiercely. Syaoran loosened his grip lightly. "You can't just barge in there!" He yelled, letting go of her arm and indicating the ceiling. "There a fight going on. People get injured. People get KILLED" Syaoran stressed.
"And besides" he shrugged "I do NOT want to explain to my mother how you ended up dead" Sakura looked down at the floor. "Hey. It's not that big a deal. Eriol's gonna be okay. Just don't go anywhere. Stay in the cabin. I'll come and check on you loons if I can-" Sakura's head snapped up "Hey I'm not a loon! And neither is Tomoyo!" she whined. Syaoran just smirked and pushed her inside and closed the door. He stood there lost in thought for a moment. Why had he gone soft all of a sudden? Running a hand distractedly through his hair, he sighed. Maybe... just maybe, Kinomoto wasn't as bad as she let on.
"SYAORAN!!!" Eriol's tortured voice woke him from his reverie and he hurried towards the ladder...
Syaoran poked his head out of the trapdoor. A man form the enemy ship flew over his head and landed with a sickening thud. "Mammie?" he gurgled, little translucent beer bottles circling his head. One of their ship members soon beat the guy into pulp. But Eriol? Where was he? Syaoran jerked his head this way and that but no Eriol. Climbing out of the hole, he craned his neck over the multitude of duelers.
"ERIOL!!!" he bellowed. All the pirates stopped what they were doing and focused on him. One buccaneer who had been falling from the crow's nest stood suspended in midair. Syaoran sweatdropped. "AND WHAT ARE YOU ALL STARING AT?!" he yelled. Typical, ne? They shrugged and the din rose again as the pirates resumed their fight. The man who had been falling from the crow's nest fell on Syaoran who tried to shield the fall with a flowery pink umbrella. awwww...poor Syaoran
"urgh" Grunting with the dead weight of the man, Syaoran strained his hand to reach his umbrella again. Taking it in a firm grip of the handle, he used it as a lever and wedged the limp man off his body. Syaoran dusted himself as he stood up. "Eriol" he yelled again, pushing his way past a mouldy pair of rebels. Syaoran found his hand still clutching the umbrella. He threw it over his head and it hit a man who'd been creeping towards him, knocking him out, the umbrella sticking into one nostril.
The noise seemed to die down a bit where Syaoran was. A new sound caught his ear. The sound of music. My hiiillllls are aliiiiiivvve... with the soouuuunnnndd of muuuuussssssssiiiiic ::gets booed offstage:: v.v
There, all by himself was Eriol. In a pink tutu. Dancing en pointe to music from a recorder. He sweatdropped. "Eriol" Syaoran said exasperated. "What" Eriol asked snobbishly. "You're supposed to be fighting" Syaoran pointed out. "Well, violence can always wait" he pouted, jumping in a graceful arc. "I just had to tell you, dude. I've finished the forg prince and I'm onto the swan lake suite" Eriol boasted, dancing en pointe around Syaoran. "Eriol, sometimes you're to boyish to be a girl or too girlish to be a boy..."
"Which means...?" Eriol trailed away, swaying his arms over his head. Syaoran lost it. "ERIOL HIIROGIZAWA! WE ARE HERE TO FIGHT NOT TO DO BALLET!!!" Syaoran yelled. "Sou, sou keep your boots on. I'm coming..." Eriol quickly disappeared and re-emerged wearing his boy clothes. Unsheathing his sword he hissed "Let's go kick some pirate butt." And Syaoran wasn't far behind.
They plunged into the thicket of the fighting. Syaoran drew his sword too as a pugilist rushed towards him screaming and with a sword raised over his head. Syaoran smirked. This was just too easy... Before the guy could even bring the sword down, he'd pierced his sword through the left side of his stomach- a vital point. The guy heaved up blood, turned over and died instantly.
He yanked the sword out just in time to spear another combatant through the chest. Syaoran brushed his hair out of his eyes. Some idiot took advantage of that move and took possession of his sword. As he felt the hilt slip from his grasp, Syaoran's eyes looked up. The guy stumbled back. Never in the history of glaring, had he seen such a glare. His blood ran cold and his knees felt as if they would give way. "Rule number one. Never, ever make Syaoran Li angry" an uninvited voice supplied. The chap was now quivering badly and sheepishly offered his sword back as Syaoran began to advance, a low snarl reverberating from his throat. Syaoran flung out a hand, brushing the sword aside, before seizing his prey.
"You," he hissed. "Go tell your captain I want to see him." Syaoran jerked the front of the pirate's shirt tight against his throat, "now." On releasing him, the man scampered away, no doubt to his boss. Syaoran shot him a final look before looking around for a spare sword. Another man charged. Swordless, he turned to meet the opponent with an unexpected wide smirk.
Throwing out his arms, he seized and twisted the thick hand until the sword dropped with a clang. Syaoran forced his head down, kneeing him in the face. When the buccaneer pulled away, a hand against his bleeding nose, Syaoran did a flying dragon kick. One of my fav classical kung fu kicks. - The guy swayed back and forth before dropping in a heap.
"Not bad Syaoran" he heard Eriol's light tone and turned to meet his gaze.
Eriol was leaning leisurely against the mast, throwing small but lethal, poison-tipped darts at anyone who he thought came too close. "That was just a warm up" Syaoran replied casually. Eriol nodded, suddenly throwing a dart over his shoulder and somewhere close by, they heard a gag, the desperate sucking in of air and a thud.
"YOU GO GUYS! KICK THOSE PIRATES' ASSES!!" They heard a feminine voice cheer. They look upwards and sure enough they saw Sakura and Tomoyo waving energetically from the crow's nest. Syaoran just scowled and looked around for some one stupid enough to mess wi-
SAKURA AND TOMOYO?!?
The boys' heads snapped back up and they groaned. "YOU IDIOTS!" Syaoran yelled and brandished a fist while Eriol just stared.
"He doesn't seem too happy about seeing us" Tomoyo said looking down at the two. "Since when was Syaoran happy to see a girl?" Sakura asked wryly. "You call him by his first name?" Tomoyo grilled, raising an eyebrow. Sakura quickly turned her attention back to the battle.
"I TOLD YO- SHIT!" Syaoran yelled as he cradled a bloody fist. Eriol took one look at the fist, then at a random direction before sending three darts flying. "OMIGOD" They heard Tomoyo scream and then a soft thump. That was followed by Sakura shrieking "Tomoyo!" then a "hoe!". As a result, the guys presumed Tomoyo had fainted.
Syaoran drew a cloth from his pocket and proceeded to wrap it around his hand as his vision started to dim. A pink, crouching figure appeared near him, Taking his hand, the pink thing did something which lifted the fog in front of his eyes and soon his vision was almost blur-free. "What did you do?" Syaoran's voice seemed to come from a distance. "Herbs I found in your cupboard" He heard Sakura answer, almost as distantly. His head cleared and he became aware that he was seated and Sakura was fiddling with the final touches on the band aid. He blushed and forcefully pulled his hand away.
"Damn you Kinomoto. Why are you here?" he yelled, pushing himself away from her. "I just wanted to help" Sakura stated. "I don't need you to help me" he yowled hysterically. "Look, you over cooked cabbage head. Almost your whole crews' knocked out and I thought I could help in the fight..."
Syaoran studied the scene around them. There wasn't any fighting. Either the enemies were vanquished or had abandoned the battle. A few hundred dead bodies...a few unconscious, maybe, and of course there were a good few playing battle chess. Syaoran sweatdropped. "There's noone here to fight." He said, crossing his hands on his chest stubbornly. "And even if there was we have back ups"
Sakura and Eriol looked ready to burst. "SYAORAN LI THOSE WERE THE BACK UPS!" they howled, waving their arms. Syaoran yelped in alarm and crawled backwards. Eriol calmed down and gave a small smile. "That means we only have one choice left-"The sound of a trumpet suspended his words. This was followed by the regular sound of more than a dozen feet marching. "He's coming" Syaoran whispered with a deadly calm. "Who?" Sakura asked but her question was ignored. There was a dull sound on the port side of the ship. The tip of a wooden ladder came into view as the sound of the marching resumed a climbing sound.
Sakura was the first to use her senses. Running up to the ladder, she shoved it away with all her might. There was the sound of a few shouts and the splash of water as she walked back to the gawking boys, dusting her hands in a self satisfactory way. Syaoran shook his head quickly and resumed his glare. "I don't need you to help me. I can handle this myself"
This time the ladder was set up on starboard side of the galleon. The pirates clambered onboard hastily, some of them dripping wet, and stood at attention on either side of the ladder. Syaoran looked at the soaking pirates and smiled very lightly, but very smugly. Ha! Served them right for messing with that girl...
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here" they heard a sneering voice behind them. So the whole thing had been a distraction while their captain got on board safely. Smart but not smart enough...
The trio turned around slowly to see a man staring at them with a revolted look one might use while viewing a road-rollered chicken. "Syaoran Li. Dear, dear. I thought that the illustrious death of your father would have taught you not to come across me again..." Edeki Masuki seemed a five or six years older than them and had black hair and piercing silver eyes. He wore a turquoise admiral suit like the boys. This isn't my own name- I heard it somewhere. I think Edeki Masuki is a baseball player or something for Nippon. .;;
"My father's death should have served as a warning for you, Masuki" Syaoran seethed. "A warning?" Masuki laughed softly. "What sort of warning, my dear boy?" Syaoran advanced but Sakura and Eriol pulled him back. "What the- GET OFF KINOMOTO! HE KILLED MY FATHER!!" he roared and turned to her for the first time. Sakura shrunk under his deadly gaze. But there was no time to pity her.
"Another one of your pretty friends, Syaoran?" Masuki asked leaning to a side to look at Sakura. "What's it to you?" Syaoran spat, his eyes now on the forlorn Sakura who was almost hidden behind Eriol. Masuki took a tentative step forward. "I think you've found someone who-" "Who? Her?" Syaoran cast a scornful glance at Sakura before turning his back on them. "You know who I...liked" Masuki seemed to savour the words. "Yes, after all, she was my sister-" "And a traitor" Syaoran commented brutally.
Masuki didn't even hear what he'd said. His eyes were on Sakura and on Sakura alone he focused. "If you don't like her" Masuki began, still not taking his eyes for Sakura's fidgeting figure, "then why bother to keep her at all?" "She's here until mother transports her to her own time" Syaoran said loudly, catching a fleeting look from Sakura that she did not like the situation at all. Masuki's pale eyes landed on Syaoran again, his pale skin turning a delicate shade of pink near his cheeks. Eriol gaped as Syaoran looked behind at him, an eyebrow raised. "If you do not really care about her..." Masuki trailed off, tracing his thin lips with a finger. "Fine" Marching up to Eriol, he grabbed Sakura by her forearm. "What are you doing!?" She cried, breaking free of his grip. In response, he took her face in his hands roughly and stared into her frightened eyes. "Understand, sou?" he whispered, before letting go and gripping her arm. Taking a few paces towards Masuki, he almost threw her towards him.
Sakura's mind seemed to be jammed as she staggered and resumed her equilibrium. What the hell just happened? And what the hell did he mean by understand? Understand what? That she had to go with that creep? Or why he was doing this? Sakura looked back at Syaoran who was looking resolutely in another direction with Eriol breathing down his neck.
"Syaoran you-you can't do this" Eriol declared. "I just did" Syaoran said in an undertone. Eriol swelled ominously. "She's under your protection. She's not some-some slave to be sold to someone else! She has feelings. You can't degrade a girl like that!" "Watch me!" Syaoran snarled back. "Ever since she set foot on the ship, she's been nothing but trouble. She's eating me inside-out! I can't stand her and she can't stand me. The least we can do is send her back to her own time by finishing this deal-" "Deal?" Eriol yelled, his navy eyes flashing dangerously. "What deal? There isn't going to be any deal! Masuki has powerful magic. You think he'd give up Sakura without a fight. Yelan wouldn't expect that. She'd lose. We'd lose. And we'd lose...her. Sakura. She would be lost to us... to...to you" He finished softly.
Syaoran looked over at the almost naïve girl and Masuki. His eyes automatically narrowed into slits as he heard what he was saying.
Maskui walked towards Sakura with a hand extended and purred "Let me introduce myself, mon cherie. Edeki Masuki, at your service. "He swept into a bow, taking Sakura's hand. Sakura wrenched her hand and screamed "Get your filthy hands offa me, you-you moron!" Taking a couple of steps back, she hastily wiped her hands on her skirt. Masuki didn't give up. He continued to talk to her in soft, seductive tones. "I promise I won't hurt you" he held his hands out. "Fat chance" she retorted. "Come on, I wouldn't hurt you. I'm not heartless. Like Li over there..." Sakura cast another look. She had the fleeting impression that he'd been looking at them a few seconds ago.
"See. She hates him. Sakura would rather stay with us. And you know that, Li. You know that she wants to stay here until her time is over" Eriol glanced at Syaoran's expressionless face. He sighed and held out his hands in desperation. "All I'm asking is for you to see reason" Then he shrugged. "The rest is up to you..." Syaoran ran his hands through his hair. "You really know how to get the shit out of me, don't you?" Syaoran asked and Eriol smiled aware that there was a light smirk playing on his partner's lips. Eriol looked towards Sakura, who caught his gaze, and nodded.
"-You shall be my fair queen. We shall sail across the world and spread the message of Hope, Peace and Love" He looked at Sakura who had a really strange expression on her face. "I wouldn't be your 'queen' if I had the choice between you and a kumquat" she snapped and hurried over to the guys. Turning around she gave a sweet smile. "She stays, Masuki" Syaoran declared. They smirked causing Masuki to growl. "That's it!" Taking the glove off his left hand, he threw it in between the two parties.
"I challenge you to a duel!" Masuki said in a loud voice. Syaoran's smirk widened. "And I accept" He replied haughtily.
Masuki snapped his fingers and two men removed his coat for him. He unsheathed his sword and threw the scabbard in a corner. Syaoran flung his coat in a corner, listening to Sakura jabber nervously to Eriol. "I didn't know they'd be dueling. I-I never mean for all this to happen. I'll never forgive myself-" Eriol patted her on the head like a little kid. "No sweat. This duel had to take place sometime soon. It's just taking place now cause of you-" At this, Sakura burst into tears. "So it is my fault! It is cos of me they're dueling! If Syaoran dies-" "Syaoran is not gonna die" Syaoran said walking up to them. Sakura squealed. "What would you do without me, huh?" he asked sarcastically, making her blush and sniffle. Syaoran turned to Eriol. "Can I borrow your sword? Mine's lost and I can't risk using this" he patted his shirt front where the chi bead was hidden. Eriol handed him a lightweight katakana or two hand sword while Syaoran leaned near Sakura's ear and whispered "If I die, you can have all my stuff..." Sakura started crying again as Syaoran shouldered the sword and went off, smirking.
"If you're quite ready, Syaoran..." Masuki didn't look up at him but continued to trace the edge of the blade with his finger. Syaoran raised the sword vertically , the blade flat against one palm, a fist holding the hilt strongly. "Bring it on, small fry!"
Masuki made the first move, thrashing out with his sword. The blades made contact and broke away. Syaoran twisted his body, avoiding the point as Masuki began another assault. Masuki lost balance and Sayoran took this opportunity to force his blade into the wooden floor. Masuki's eyes widened as he stared at the sword then at Syaoran. Syaoran charged with a wild cry, swinging the sword treacherously close to his opponent. Masuki did a couple of backflips, then got into combat position again, slowly moving his head from right to left. Quickly, dodging the butterfly cut that Syaoran had vented out, he reached his sword and gave it another unfruitful tug, a second before a dart skimmed the air and landed neatly a quarter of a centimeter away from his skin. Sensing he was nearby, Masuki threw a high kick which hit Syaoran on the shoulder, sending the foil in his hand overboard.
"You missed me with that dart" Masuki informed him calmly. Syaoran just smirked. "I meant to give you another chance" "Oh how nice" Masuki gave an insipid smile. "So that I could torture you longer" Masuki's thin smile faded and was replaced by a dark scowl. "Hand to hand combat now" Syaoran said, almost crouching down to get into his battle position. But just as he launched a punch, Masuki did a dirty move. Reaching swiftly into his boot, he pulled out a small hand knife and flung it. Syaoran winched as he examined the wound the flying knife had caused. He'd be okay. Though the cut was large, the damage done wasn't too deep. "That hurt, didn't it?" Masuki interrogated. "Not as much as you think" Syaoran breathed before resuming his attack. Right fist, left fist, right fist again, Syaoran became a whirlwind of fists. That was all that went through his mind; kill Masuki. Snake hand strike, counter, crane strike just below the second rib. Masuki stumbled away, clutching his chest.
"Give me an S, give me a Y, give me an A, O, R...Give me an A, give me an N. So what does it spell? SYAORAN!" Both the duelers went dotty-eyed and sweatdropped. They very slowly turned to view Sakura... And whoa, what a change! She was dressed in a white top and short yellow skirt that showed off her slim legs. Her hair was done in pigtails and she was waving white and yellow pom-poms. Eriol looked rather guilty about something. "I had to do it, mate" he yelled to Syaoran. "There was no other way." Syaoran sighed and yelled back "You just had to give her that sugar cane juice, didn't you?".
Ditto last night, Sakura dived overboard again and Eriol went after her. Syaoran hung his head and sweatdropped again.
But his expression hardened as he turned back to Masuki, who he found to his utter disgust, to be floating, with hearts coming out of his eyes in la- la land and drooling. "Ahem" he coughed. No effect whatsoever from Masuki who was still on invisible wings. "I said AHEM" Syaoran coughed louder. No reply to that too. A drop of drool fell on his head. "That's it" he mumbled, grossed out.
He give a vigorous pull and Masuki landed in a pile next to him. He got up speedily, his fist clenched in front of him and two blue viens popping out of his forehead. "DON"T" he punched out but Syaoran evaded. "EVER" he stuck out his leg tripping his adversery. "DO" he tried to kick Syaoran but he'd side rolled out of harm's way just in time. "THAT" He punched again and Syaoran shielded himself. "WHEN" Syaoran took advantage and kicked his shin, tripping him. "I'M HANYAN!" Masuki groaned as he got kneed. Standing up, he smiled a little sinisterly. "Very well, Li. No more games. Why don't I-" his smile widened "-speed things up a bit?"
Syaoran's eyes widened as he heard the words escape from Masuki's mouth:
"Here my plea, oh guardian of time,
Let the day shed its light,
And become as black as night,
And the moon as yellow as slime."
Well, what else rhymes with time but slime. I tried lime and dime, but not that good
Something did not make sense, Syaoran thought, watching Masuki glare at the skies. Suddenly, the pair of silver eyes focused on him as Masuki advanced slowly. "D'you know what tonight is?" he asked in a voice of deadly calm. Syaoran looked thoughtful. "Un, really dark?" he suggested. "NO!" Masuki pulled at his hair. "Tonight is a full moon" he went on. "And d'you know what happens to a werewolf on a full moon night?" His voice was becoming strangely hoarse. In the background, the sun set at an alarming speed and night began to creep in. "HE BECOMES THE MOST INVINCIBLE CREATURE ON THE PLANET" Masuki roared, and he did literally roar. His pale skin turned a soft brown before sprouting hair and becoming a burgundy brown. His eyes turned red and his teeth a sick yellow and grew three inches long. As he began to grow, his clothes tattered and tore in a few places to accommodate the larger body.
Syaoran backed off until he collided with something soft which turned out to be Eriol. Sakura had, thankfully, changed into mare decent clothes. "Take Sakura and go below deck or somewhere safe. NOW!" he hissed. He felt the two leave and turned back to see a fully morphed werewolf, staring down his hairy snout at him. "Masuki, now you're proving that you're an animal" Syaoran voiced, though he felt churlish and his mouth, dry. Masuki let out a long, low howl before fixing his beady red eyes on him.
With another howl, he launched himself on all fours at Syaoran who jumped out of the way just in time. The werewolf lunged at him again, sending them both rolling. Masuki had the advantage, being on the top, and scratched him on the chest, leaving three red lines, oozing with droplets of blood. Syaoran kicked out with both feet sending him flying a few feet and landing in an unceremonious pile.
Syaoran sat up and looked down at his tattered shirt which was a mixture of red, beige and brown.
"GGGGGRRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWW!" The werewolf was too powerful to be knocked out by a single blow. Swinging himself to his feet and taking a running start, Syaoran hit the animal with a round kick followed by a deep punch in the jaw. Jumping off as soon as he felt unsafe, he began to jog. All of a sudden he was seized in a tight bear hug that was sure to break his bones. Syaoran elbowed him twice then bit the hairy limb. Masuki roared in pain and let go, sauntering backwards. Still spitting out wolf hair and quickly wiping his mouth on his shoulder, Syaoran ran to confront the beast. Taking hold of his large, dog-like ears, he head butted him. Going slightly cross- eyed, Syaoran released him rubbing his temples hard. Masuki lurched backwards and tripped over some dead guy and fell down. Syaoran moved forward, holding his neck tightly in a scissors grip before he stopped struggling and groaned. "SYAORAN, THE CHAIR! GIVE HIM THE CHAIR!" he heard a voice shout. He looked around quickly and spotted a metal chair nearby and banged it on his back twice before throwing it away. A tiny referee appeared out of nowhere and squeaked "One... two...three!", thumping his fist on the deck with every count.
Ding! ding! ding! "AND YOOOUUU'RREE OUT!" a voice drawled into a microphone. "What the...?" A few guys came out of nowhere, presented him with a broad black belt with a silver plate in the middle. They left as abruptly as they came. "What was all that about?" he asked the ship at large.
The galleon suddenly tipped dangerously and he remembered that they had been cannoned that morning. "Oh crap!" He yelled before shouting for Eriol. "What is it?" He asked, coming out of the shadows. "The ship was hit this morning. We've got to abandon it..." "I'll go tell the men" Eriol waved as he went off. A few minutes later, his cries of "ABANDON SHIP!" rang throughout the galleon as well as the steady sound of rowing and shifting of materials. Eriol came back half an hour later informing him that all the arrangements had been made and half the crew was already onboard the other vessel investigating it. "What about Sakura? And Daidouji?" he asked. "They're still here"
"Well, get them off this ship instantly!" he yelled as he saw Masuki stirring.
It was only then that Syaoran realized that he might not make it. The werewolf charged again. And this time there was no escape. Syaoran braced himself for the impact. Masuki took two swipes at his arms leaving them lined with blood. Syaoran punched him on the jaw and got ready for a spinning kick. But Masuki had him this time. As he made contact, he grabbed his foot and twisted it, making Syaoran yell in pain. Willing himself not to die in the hands er, claws of this monster, he twisted his whole body so that his other leg slammed into the creature's face. Dropping catlike on the floor inspite of the pain, he looked sideways to see Sakura stand there with a mildly detached expression of some one who was likely to faint. "What are you doing here?!" Syaoran asked, incredulously. "Waiting to get off this ship" she replied faintly, eyeing the monster's weak efforts to stand up. "Where's Eriol" he asked, taking a step in her direction. "Dunno. He told me to wait till you were done." she shrugged. "What?! Is he crazy?!" That was all he could say for the moment as Masuki had recovered and was standing groggily to fight till the end. Syaoran did a final round kick and Masuki went down and stayed down.
Breathing a little hard from the effort, he turned around and walked up to Sakura. "Where's Eriol?" He asked her again. "The last time I saw him, he was carrying Tomoyo" Sakura replied unhelpfully. There was a low growl. Syaoran closed his eyes and breathed out slowly before turning towards Masuki. Holding his wrists together, he mumbled "Firey, come to my aid!" A bright beam of light made Sakura shield her eyes and a few second later, she saw him reflect a glowing ball of ember. "Come on, we have to get out of here" he said, gazing around for an escape route which did not involve swimming. The warm glow behind them intensified. "Shit" she heard him swear.
"Now what?" she asked. There was no way out. Syaoran ducked his head under a mass of low hanging rope and re staked the whole deck. "Nope. No boats, no ladders, no nothing" he said almost cheerfully. "We are gonna diiee..." Sakura wailed. Syaoran simply shook his head. Then he happened to glance upward. The rope... He pulled it, testing his weight against it. It didn't budge. "Hey I've found our escape route" he yelled. Sakura hurried over. "Where?" She looked around. The heat intensified until they were sure to get skin cancer if they didn't leave right away. "Let's hope I never do this again" Syaoran murmured before grasping Sakura's waist and jumping off the ship. "Hoooeee!! What the hell are you doing, you wannabe Tarzan?!" she squealed, grasping onto the front of his shirt like her life depended on it.
Which it did.
As the explosion occurred, the orange and yellow glow silhouetted two people landing on board the nearby ship. As the roar of the gigantic fire died down, Eriol joined the soot covered two at the rails. Suddenly everything seemed twice as funny. They'd made it. "We made it !" Sakura screamed joyfully, rushing up and down the deck until she fell flat on her face. Syaoran smiled softly before turning away from the furnace and taking a bucket of water to clean his wounds. Setting down the bucket and sitting Indian style on the floor, he unwound the cloth on his hand and dipped it in the water. "That was scary, ya know" Sakura said conversationally. "What was scary?" he asked, still cleaning the cuts on his arm. "Me, Masuki, the fight, the flight or you falling flat on your face?" Sakura looked at him with a pained expression. "How can you joke around when half your body's been torn by a werewolf?" she cried emotionally. "Simple" he replied blandly. "Ignore the cuts, the bruises and the bites." There was silence.
"Is it really over? I mean, is he dead?" Sakura asked, looking at the burning ship. "Nah" Syaoran shook his head, applying the cool of the water on his nape. "Can't kill a were-wolf or any other part-human with Elementals..." Sakura looked around at the ship. It was smaller than theirs, but more powerfully built.
"You know, I reckon Masuki was really interested in you" Syaoran unexpectedly chipped in. "Stop right there, Li. He was an unhuman creep who almost stole my first kiss, sou?! Besides, you never told me about his sister being your-" Sakura trailed off as he sighed. "What does it matter?" he sought, almost sadly. Sakura was worried. "Are you okay, Syaoran?" she asked quietly. "Yeah, I'm fine" he replied. "I know you hate my bugging you but how do I know that you're okay?" she placed her hands on her hips.
"If I wasn't okay, I wouldn't do this..." he tipped all the water in the bucket over her head. Moving closer, he sprayed the last few drops on her face. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut at the coolness and then let out an unexpected sneeze. Her meek emerald eyes opened to find a pair of almost concerned amber ones. "Daijoubu?" he asked and she nodded slightly. "It's a cold night tonight. Better go inside and get dried" he looked up at the sky, a few of his hairs brushing her cheek in the process. Sakura took a step back. Squelch. Syaoran's gaze immediately fastened on her. "What?!" she asked irritably. Squelch. Squelch. Syaoran couldn't hold it in. he let out a great 'ha' and cascaded into laughter. "Wha...what's so funny?" she whined.
"Sakura? Syaoran?!" Sakura turned to meet Eriol's gaze. Squelch. Syaoran started crying with laughter behind her. "Ano, he's gone a bit funny, Eriol" she waved desperately at Syaoran. Eriol suddenly prostrated himself before her extolling "Teach me your ways, O Wet and Soggy One..."
"Eriol! Sakura! Un... I wonder where every one is... Ah! Sakura! Sa-Sakura?!" Tomoyo's voice faltered as she reached the scenerio. She looked disbelievingly at the snorting Syaoran and the worshipping Eriol. "Sa- Sakura, what happened here?" she asked weakly. Sakura looked down. "I...I don't know Tomoyo" she whispered softly. "And the battle?" Sakura looked up at her best friend. This time, however, a smile stretched across her lips. "We won, Tomoyo. We won."
As the foursome made their way below deck to inspect their new cabins, they suddenly heard voices. Eriol motioned for them to stop and the four put their heads together, listening hard. "Yeah" a brusque voice agreed stupidly. "All we have to do now is kill anyone loyal to that asshole of a captain still on this ship!" "And what about the enemies?" a new, more alerter voice, asked. "Ah, they won't even know we're here" a laid back voice supplied. "We'll get orf at the next port they halt at." There were a few grunts of approval. A panel of wood was thrown open in one of the corridors nearby. Syaoran signalled frantically to Eriol and Tomoyo who waved back before ducking into a nearby alcove.
"Come on" he whispered to Sakura as the loud voices came closer and closer...
"Syaoran, there's nowhere to hide" Sakura whimpered, distraughtly searching the area. She felt his hand unconsciously slip into hers and despite the gravity of the situation, blushed a strawberry red. "Wha-"she let out an unintelligible cry as he pulled her to the next corridor and into another little alcove. Her breath coming out in short rasps from the sudden sprint. He was still in front of her, peering stonily outside over his shoulder. Whirling to face her, Syaoran let out a shaky breath. "I've only managed to give us a head start" he said in an under tone. "They're bound to come this way sooner or later. So what we need now, is a plan..." "That captain came down here ages ago" a voice suddenly boomed. "Yeah, snooping kid. Where did ya think he's gone?" another nasally voice mused.
Syaoran's neck creaked as he turned to face Sakura. "It's too late" he said in a hoarse whisper. Sakura's mind went to work in an instant. There was only one thing that she could think of. Well, best put it into action... "There is a way" she said slowly. "What's that?"
As quick as anything, Sakura had placed her hands on his shoulders and whispered "Play along with me."
He looked doubtful. "Isn't there any other way?" he whined softly. Sakura sighed and let her arms fall away slightly.
"I wish there was" she answered, ruefully. Syaoran inched closer to her until she was so sure that her clumsy heart was on the verge of exploding. "You sure about this?" he asked, while through the corner of his eye he saw a shadow pass the light. "It's not like I'm gonna steal your first kiss, anyway" he said hastily. Sakura simply nodded. Syaoran felt the guy creep around and felt he needed to do this right in order to pass off as an innocent ::urgh:: smooching couple. Slowly sliding his hands to her slim waist, he could feel exhilaration run through his veins as well as his face get very hot. "You really sure about this?" Syaoran asked again. Sakura stared at him "Why?" she asked. Good question, he thought. "I don't know." He thought for a while unconsciously sliding his hands around her waist, bringing them even closer. "There's some one here. Two I think..." he heard a whisper. Leaning in slightly, he let his forehead rest against hers. Sakura could swear she was going to die any moment.
Syaoran's POV
I could feel her heart beat against my chest. She must be at least freaked out about this as I am. Darn Pirates. I could have cursed them into Oblivion, the way they hooked me up with her. Why couldn't she have gone with that other girl and why couldn't Eriol have come with me? But I must say, me kissing Eriol wouldn't have been a pretty sight. I'd rather be kissing Sakura any way... woot woot .
And I couldn't help asking her over and over again if she was okay with this. Who cares who it's okay with?! All we needed to do was act. I should be shuddering, dammit. Shuddering. No girl except Mihanga has ever come this close to me. Well, not even Mihanga, for a matter of speaking. Why in the world did she have to come up with this idea?! Although there is a possibility it might work... I know that this sounds strange, but maybe I do like her. Maybe I do want her to stay. Maybe... but I'm not certain. Just yesterday, I could have pledged that I hated her. But today, I'm not so sure...
As I leaned in, ready to make a good show of it while it lasted, I could hear her gasp softly. I chuckled. I couldn't help that, too. There seems to be a lot of thing that I can't help now a days. "You thought I'd kiss you, didn't you?" I whispered. Sakura shivered against me and I could feel someone's uninvited stare. Detaching one of my hands form her back, I brushed away a few strands of hair from her face, smoothing it behind her ear. And in the sudden light, I noticed she was blushing. Either that or she was very angry...
Sakura's POV
"Why in the name of kami-sama are you red?!" I heard him ask sarcastically. Kami-san, do I have to answer to that?! First I had thrown my hands around some one I haven't even known for a week, then I start blushing and wishing I was dead a thousand times over. I just don't understand Syaoran. But I could feel this thing in my heart which told me what I was doing seemed right. I was saving us, wasn't I? And that's a good deed. Wasn't it? Or was it something else?
Syaoran gazed at me, his amber eyes glowing even in the semi-darkness. "I-I feel hot" I whispered feverishly. Then I mentally slapped myself. Yeah, hot alright. His eyes twinkled in amusement and I could see he'd read my mind. I went, if possible, even redder. "And why are you shivering then?!" Syaoran really seemed to enjoy my uncomfortable position. Not fair. Fine, play it your way, I thought. "Well" I said in a breezy voice, allowing my hand to travel to the back of his neck. "I-I really don't think I like this plan..." I heard him mumble, and suppressed a giggle.
Disengaging my hands from his neck, I let it travel up sides of his face. I could feel a smirk. "Playing with my feelings, are we?" I heard him murmur into my ear, his lips tickling it. I didn't reply, sure as hell I was going down. Receding his forehead slightly, he turned ever so slightly to glimpse at the huddled group of buccaneers, who were still at the side of the slcove. Gods, I never so badly wanted them out of there. Looking back at me, he gave a sudden almost boyish grin. "They're still there" he whispered. Seeing one of them over peek over at us, I ran my hands over to his fore head and into his thick strands of hair. He half-closed his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. I knew, whatever he may say, that Syaoran was enjoying it. That I was enjoying it. And I didn't care if I threw away my first kiss for this guy, too. It's really strange. Yesterday I hated him and today, I like him?! My face went even more hotter at the image. But even as that thought crept into my head, I was scared of admitting it... Scared of admitting I was falling for him...
Syaoran's POV
I caught on rapidly, knowing she would only over act when some one was looking. I felt ...what? It felt good. That's all I could say. It felt right. Leaning in more, I gently rubbed my cheek against hers and could have sworn she liked it. The way she closed her eyes, I could tell she did. Abruptly, I felt her knees give way underneath her. "Whoa, steady there!" I whispered, holding her more tightly, feeling her skin grow hot. She mumbled something about being embarrassed. Gently pressing her cheek against mine, I froze. There were new foot steps. Almost like...
Normal POV
"Eriol" Sakura squealed in delight and Syaoran let go of her. "In the flesh" Eriol replied amiably stepping over the four men he'd knocked out. "What were you two doing in there?" "Making out-" "-alive." Syaoran finished for Sakura. Eriol raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Sakura. My cute descendant didn't try anything on you-" "ERIOL!" It was not two voices that shouted it but three. Though each with different reasons. "What took you so long?" Tomoyo asked. "Where's Sakura?"
"Sakura! Are you okay?! What happened? I was so worried about you! I was starting to think that they caught you guys..." Tomoyo raved on, releasing all her pent-up emotions in one go. Sakura who was still a little red, glanced at Syaoran who seemed to be avoiding her gaze. A little put out, she turned back to Tomoyo right on time to hear the last question. "So I suppose the battle has really been won, hasn't it?" she looked around at the group. "Yeah, its won" Syaoran agreed.
"Nothing has been won yet!" a raucous voice shouted and they looked to see a lone pirate wielding a sword at them, looking frightened and lost. "You little..." Syaoran stepped forward but Eriol held him back. "Wait. You are not going to get anything from fighting us" he reasoned quietly. "Join us" he said. "Where-where are the others?" the man questioned shakily. "Gone" Tomoyo answered simply. The man let his arms fall to his sides and looked down. "We don't want to hurt you" Sakura put in softly. "Okay..." he said hesitantly after a moment. "Okay, I-I'll stay" he dropped the sword with a clang as Eriol seized his hand. "Come on. I'll introduce you to what's left of the crew..." Eriol lead the way to the deck while Sakura and Tomoyo followed him, Syaoran bringing up the rear with both his hands behind his head. "Syaoran," Sakura turned to look at him almost bumping into him. Syaoran looked around shiftily. "Look, I'm really sorry for what I had to do back there" she hung her head. "I mean, I didn't want you to get hurt fighting again" she looked up to see him a little red. "I know it wasn't the best of plans bu-" Syaoran put a hand up in air to stop her. "It wasn't for real, so I guess that's okay" he replied as she hung her head again. " And it's not like we're ever gonna do that again" Syaoran pointed out and Sakura nodded, stilled face down. She saw Syaoran's shoe take a step in her direction. "Plus I think it was brilliant plan" he said warmly. Sakura's head shot up. "Honto?" she asked delighted. "Hai" Syaoran replied. "Sakura!" Tomoyo's voice penetrated from the deck. "Coming!" Sakura yelled back. "Oh and Syaoran..." "Sakura..." Syaoran started at the same moment. She giggled. "COULD YOU PLEASE NOT MENTION THIS TO ANYONE!" They both chorused and nodded, before departing for the deck together, Sakura shrieking "Chotto! I don't know my way around this ship yet!"
So here ends a chapter filled with war, mixed feelings and agreements. What will the future hold for out heroes? If Masuki is not dead, where is he? And what about the new guy who's joined the crew? Is he as sincere as he looks? Why are Tomoyo and Eriol disappearing so often? Why is Syaoran so secretive? Why is Sakura so dense? What's with Eriol and Ballet? And what are those clothes Tomoyo is making for them? All these questions and more will be answered in the following chapter of Pirate's Treasure. I actually forgot the name of this story. It took me five minutes to write that last sentence. Spiffy, ne? .;;
Important stuff
D'you think the Battle's over? Huh? You think so? You really, really think so? Well, it is! Got your hopes up, didn't I? I'm in a very cheeky mood now. I just finished putting sand in Onni-chan's shoes. Wet sand caked together with a few bugs that I managed to coax this boy to stuff in, too. I am a genius... ::becoming serious:: But he deserves it... Anyways, the moment I get a modem, I'll read your reviews.
I actually did write a different ending to this chapter but it won't do... too sappy ::looks disgusted:: My friend gave me that idea...she's a romantic weirdo ... Like I told you before, there ain't any decent girls in my class. excluding me and I always hang out with the guys. Not as someone's girl but as a girl. And I guess you could say the guys respect me for that. - Not that this is a decent chapter... but they didn't kiss and that keeps me happy. -
And wait till I hit the ET. That'll be real soon, too. You'll never regret reading this story. I think Onni-chan's also writing a story... Not sure though. So if you see a new fic with anything to do with Spy Kids, Martial arts and Road maps, let me know, sou? I wonder where he get that extra time from...
Oh, and the martial arts bits? Did ya like 'em? I thought they were so flimsy. But a lot of people won't understand if I said Atemi wasa instead of vital point techniques and so forth. And I can't write good fights without resorting to technical terms, so gomen. I didn't mean to disappoint you.
REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT FACT! THERE WAS ACTUALLY A REAL LI FAMILY IN CHINA IN THE SICHUAN PROVINCE DURING THE 1850'S. THEY WERE TRAINERS IN MARTIAL ARTS TOO. THEIR TECHNIQUE WAS CALLED JIU LONG BAGUAZHANG AND THEY USED ELEMENTAL FEELINGS LIKE SOFT WAVES REPRESENTING WATER TO CONTROL THE BALANCE OF CHI FLOWING THROUGH THEIR BODY. MAYBE THAT'S WHERE CLAMP GOT THE IDEA.
Well, random fact for the day. See, the internet does help you learn!
That's all. Luv ya all.
For now, this is Chibi Ijin saying JA MATTE MINNA-SAN! =.=
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-
::growl:: I'm in a bad mood...
Well, on with the story
Oh yeah. I almost forgot.
The disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CCS OR CLAMP OR WHATEVER, DAMMIT!
The night was a rough one. The waves just wouldn't stay put. Twice Eriol had to get up and use the wind spirit to calm down the waves. If their men were to fight a good, long battle, they needed all the rest they could get. The roaring of the wind spirit and the tremendous battle that the waves were putting on, kept him awake all night.
The first rays of the sun peaked over the horizon and Eriol slid off his glasses and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. He looked around dimly and yawned. Well, better sacrifice one life than a hundred he thought and put his glasses back on.
The sun was half way above the horizon when he heard foot steps. Syaoran appeared a few seconds later but took no notice of Eriol. His eyes were fixed on the ship that was coming closer and closer...a little more specifically on the figurehead fixed on the stern. "I could swear I've seen that somewhere..." he mumbled more to himself than to Eriol. "Don't you recognize it?" Eriol asked. "Do you?" he shot back to which Eriol nodded. "It's Masuki, Edeki"
"Masuki" Syaoran breathed the name out in pure, unorthodox hatred. "Ohayo. I thought you would recognize the ship of some one who killed your father" Eriol replied, causing Syaoran to flush. At the same moment light, uneven footsteps patted on the deck and Sakura appeared, meandering tipsily towards them.
"Itai, my head... someone turn off the freakin' sun! Gods, cane juice has a worse hangover than alchohol... just wait until I get my hands on that Syaoran Li..." this and some incoherent murmuring was heard until she walked straight into the mast. "IIttttaaiiii!!" Sakura screamed and clutched her head. Syaoran had a hard time controlling his laughter and bit the inner sides of his mouth. As this made his mouth hurt, he proceeded to stuff his fist in his mouth.
As she started walking towards them again Sakura tripped over a bucket of waters and landed flat on her face "Oh SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" she yelled as Syaoran let out a snort of laughter which he turned into an unconvincing cough as Eriol glared at him, and decided to act. "Sakura come here" Eriol beckoned. Sakura grumbled something about the dress being too long as she got up and obediently walked towards him.
Pressing two long fingers to the sides of her temple, he muttered a small Chinese incantation. Sakura felt wonderful relief as the headache vanished.
"Arigato Eriol. And Ohayo everyone!" Sakura said raising her voice happily. She was met with a few cries from nearby seagulls. And sweatdropped. There was no one there except them. "Psssth. Graceful" Syaoran snorted. "Ohayo to you too, Sakura" Eriol said politely. Sakura smiled gratefully. Syaoran grunted a "Pathetic", snapping Sakura's head in his direction. "Ohayo, Mr. Grump" she said sweetly earning a mumbled reply to which Eriol had a coughing fit.
"Ohayo everyone" Another girl's voice could be heard. "This ship has too many females" Syaoran mumbled and stalked off to a nice, secluded place, where no people of the eviler gender, could disturb him. "What's with him?" Sakura asked. "Dunno. He's always hated women" Eriol replied and they both shrugged.
Tomoyo clambered on deck and went straight for Sakura. Taking her hands she hissed "Don't you dare run off like that again" "Gomen nasai Tomoyo" Sakura said in a strained voice. "Ne" "Uh, Tomoyo?" Sakura squeaked. "Hai?" "You're squeezing my hands numb" she squealed.
Tomoyo smiled grimly. "I know. It's my revenge. Next time it'll be a bear hug" and let go of her friend's poor hands.
'Tomoyo's stronger than she lets on' Eriol thought as he watched Sakura try to denumb her hands. "Eriol, genki ne desu?" Tomoyo asked suddenly. Eriol nodded. "No, you aren't" She said and edged closer. "Eriol, you didn't sleep last night, did you? You're eyes are red..." she looked at him, a little concerned. She turned to see the pirates come onto deck yawning and stretching from a good slumber. Eriol sighed and shook his head. "Then you better go and get some shut eye" Tomoyo replied. On seeing him hesitate, she yelled "ET VITEMENT!!" French for AND PRONTO! - which sent him scampering off. Tomoyo and Sakura followed him. From the distance, from his secluded spot, Syaoran saw them vanish below deck and he decided to trail behind as well. Just in case...
Whilst he descended the ladder, the cunning little wolf sensed that he was not alone. Yes. She was there. The "Evil- Eyed" one was there. That was how he referred to Sakura. Her eyes, he'd noticed, contained more emotions than he thought was humanly possible. As soon as his foot touched the wooden floor, she sped upto him with such agility that it alarmed him. Syaoran shot up the ladder again while Sakura looked up at him, confused.
"Ano, Syaoran, I forgot the way to your cabin again..." Sakura said a little sheepishly. "Oh" he went a little red and hastily slid down and led the way to the cabin, very rigidly and red.
But the door was closed. T.T
"Kami-san damn that Eriol!" Syaoran yelled angrily and kicked the wall, forcefully. Sakura studied his face. "That hurt didn't it?" she asked. He let out a groan, nodding and slid onto the floor to examine his foot. "When I get my hands on him, I'm gonna punch his lights out!" Syaoran bawled, over reacting. She shook her head in amusement and slid down onto the floor next to him. "When's the battle again?" she asked densely. He didn't look up but continued to examine his toes, flexing them. "As soon as we're near enough, we'll raid the ship"
Syaoran looked up and caught the expression on Sakura's face and he rephrased his answer. "The MEN will raid the ship and the WOMEN will stay in my cabin" Sakura face faulted, Then almost assuringly he added "And besides, I've got an old score to settle with the captain..."
DABOOM!!!
Give me a break, ppls. I needed a sound, so I invent one. Genius Freak at work. He he he. I'll shut up now. I'm in a better mood 2 .
The first explosion hit the ship and caused them both to start. Losing balance, Sakura started to lean towards the door. A cold hand wrapped Itself around her upper arm and pulled her away form the fiendish door. "Ano..." Sakura turned around to see Syaoran staring at her incredulously. "Now is not the time to get stuck in the door again!" He still held her upper arm in a firm grip as Eriol dashed out in a streak of pink. Pink?! PINK?!
"Masuki's bombing us" they heard him yell from far off. "Wait here" Syaoran said, putting his boot back on and disappearing into the cabin. A few moments later, he emerged, stuffing a small but lethal jagged blade into his boot and checking for his chi bead with the other hand. His admiral coat was half unbuttoned, revealing a white shirt. As he straightened to meet her gaze, his fingers doing up the buttons, he cleared his throat "Uh Sa-Sakura" he began. "SYAORAN!" Eriol's voice was heard loudly without. "Eriol!' Sakura made it as if to go and save him from the horrors of the sea.
"NO!" Syaoran once again caught hold of her arm. "Look Syaoran. I don't know how much you care about Eriol. But I know Tomoyo does... A LOT" Sakura said fiercely. Syaoran loosened his grip lightly. "You can't just barge in there!" He yelled, letting go of her arm and indicating the ceiling. "There a fight going on. People get injured. People get KILLED" Syaoran stressed.
"And besides" he shrugged "I do NOT want to explain to my mother how you ended up dead" Sakura looked down at the floor. "Hey. It's not that big a deal. Eriol's gonna be okay. Just don't go anywhere. Stay in the cabin. I'll come and check on you loons if I can-" Sakura's head snapped up "Hey I'm not a loon! And neither is Tomoyo!" she whined. Syaoran just smirked and pushed her inside and closed the door. He stood there lost in thought for a moment. Why had he gone soft all of a sudden? Running a hand distractedly through his hair, he sighed. Maybe... just maybe, Kinomoto wasn't as bad as she let on.
"SYAORAN!!!" Eriol's tortured voice woke him from his reverie and he hurried towards the ladder...
Syaoran poked his head out of the trapdoor. A man form the enemy ship flew over his head and landed with a sickening thud. "Mammie?" he gurgled, little translucent beer bottles circling his head. One of their ship members soon beat the guy into pulp. But Eriol? Where was he? Syaoran jerked his head this way and that but no Eriol. Climbing out of the hole, he craned his neck over the multitude of duelers.
"ERIOL!!!" he bellowed. All the pirates stopped what they were doing and focused on him. One buccaneer who had been falling from the crow's nest stood suspended in midair. Syaoran sweatdropped. "AND WHAT ARE YOU ALL STARING AT?!" he yelled. Typical, ne? They shrugged and the din rose again as the pirates resumed their fight. The man who had been falling from the crow's nest fell on Syaoran who tried to shield the fall with a flowery pink umbrella. awwww...poor Syaoran
"urgh" Grunting with the dead weight of the man, Syaoran strained his hand to reach his umbrella again. Taking it in a firm grip of the handle, he used it as a lever and wedged the limp man off his body. Syaoran dusted himself as he stood up. "Eriol" he yelled again, pushing his way past a mouldy pair of rebels. Syaoran found his hand still clutching the umbrella. He threw it over his head and it hit a man who'd been creeping towards him, knocking him out, the umbrella sticking into one nostril.
The noise seemed to die down a bit where Syaoran was. A new sound caught his ear. The sound of music. My hiiillllls are aliiiiiivvve... with the soouuuunnnndd of muuuuussssssssiiiiic ::gets booed offstage:: v.v
There, all by himself was Eriol. In a pink tutu. Dancing en pointe to music from a recorder. He sweatdropped. "Eriol" Syaoran said exasperated. "What" Eriol asked snobbishly. "You're supposed to be fighting" Syaoran pointed out. "Well, violence can always wait" he pouted, jumping in a graceful arc. "I just had to tell you, dude. I've finished the forg prince and I'm onto the swan lake suite" Eriol boasted, dancing en pointe around Syaoran. "Eriol, sometimes you're to boyish to be a girl or too girlish to be a boy..."
"Which means...?" Eriol trailed away, swaying his arms over his head. Syaoran lost it. "ERIOL HIIROGIZAWA! WE ARE HERE TO FIGHT NOT TO DO BALLET!!!" Syaoran yelled. "Sou, sou keep your boots on. I'm coming..." Eriol quickly disappeared and re-emerged wearing his boy clothes. Unsheathing his sword he hissed "Let's go kick some pirate butt." And Syaoran wasn't far behind.
They plunged into the thicket of the fighting. Syaoran drew his sword too as a pugilist rushed towards him screaming and with a sword raised over his head. Syaoran smirked. This was just too easy... Before the guy could even bring the sword down, he'd pierced his sword through the left side of his stomach- a vital point. The guy heaved up blood, turned over and died instantly.
He yanked the sword out just in time to spear another combatant through the chest. Syaoran brushed his hair out of his eyes. Some idiot took advantage of that move and took possession of his sword. As he felt the hilt slip from his grasp, Syaoran's eyes looked up. The guy stumbled back. Never in the history of glaring, had he seen such a glare. His blood ran cold and his knees felt as if they would give way. "Rule number one. Never, ever make Syaoran Li angry" an uninvited voice supplied. The chap was now quivering badly and sheepishly offered his sword back as Syaoran began to advance, a low snarl reverberating from his throat. Syaoran flung out a hand, brushing the sword aside, before seizing his prey.
"You," he hissed. "Go tell your captain I want to see him." Syaoran jerked the front of the pirate's shirt tight against his throat, "now." On releasing him, the man scampered away, no doubt to his boss. Syaoran shot him a final look before looking around for a spare sword. Another man charged. Swordless, he turned to meet the opponent with an unexpected wide smirk.
Throwing out his arms, he seized and twisted the thick hand until the sword dropped with a clang. Syaoran forced his head down, kneeing him in the face. When the buccaneer pulled away, a hand against his bleeding nose, Syaoran did a flying dragon kick. One of my fav classical kung fu kicks. - The guy swayed back and forth before dropping in a heap.
"Not bad Syaoran" he heard Eriol's light tone and turned to meet his gaze.
Eriol was leaning leisurely against the mast, throwing small but lethal, poison-tipped darts at anyone who he thought came too close. "That was just a warm up" Syaoran replied casually. Eriol nodded, suddenly throwing a dart over his shoulder and somewhere close by, they heard a gag, the desperate sucking in of air and a thud.
"YOU GO GUYS! KICK THOSE PIRATES' ASSES!!" They heard a feminine voice cheer. They look upwards and sure enough they saw Sakura and Tomoyo waving energetically from the crow's nest. Syaoran just scowled and looked around for some one stupid enough to mess wi-
SAKURA AND TOMOYO?!?
The boys' heads snapped back up and they groaned. "YOU IDIOTS!" Syaoran yelled and brandished a fist while Eriol just stared.
"He doesn't seem too happy about seeing us" Tomoyo said looking down at the two. "Since when was Syaoran happy to see a girl?" Sakura asked wryly. "You call him by his first name?" Tomoyo grilled, raising an eyebrow. Sakura quickly turned her attention back to the battle.
"I TOLD YO- SHIT!" Syaoran yelled as he cradled a bloody fist. Eriol took one look at the fist, then at a random direction before sending three darts flying. "OMIGOD" They heard Tomoyo scream and then a soft thump. That was followed by Sakura shrieking "Tomoyo!" then a "hoe!". As a result, the guys presumed Tomoyo had fainted.
Syaoran drew a cloth from his pocket and proceeded to wrap it around his hand as his vision started to dim. A pink, crouching figure appeared near him, Taking his hand, the pink thing did something which lifted the fog in front of his eyes and soon his vision was almost blur-free. "What did you do?" Syaoran's voice seemed to come from a distance. "Herbs I found in your cupboard" He heard Sakura answer, almost as distantly. His head cleared and he became aware that he was seated and Sakura was fiddling with the final touches on the band aid. He blushed and forcefully pulled his hand away.
"Damn you Kinomoto. Why are you here?" he yelled, pushing himself away from her. "I just wanted to help" Sakura stated. "I don't need you to help me" he yowled hysterically. "Look, you over cooked cabbage head. Almost your whole crews' knocked out and I thought I could help in the fight..."
Syaoran studied the scene around them. There wasn't any fighting. Either the enemies were vanquished or had abandoned the battle. A few hundred dead bodies...a few unconscious, maybe, and of course there were a good few playing battle chess. Syaoran sweatdropped. "There's noone here to fight." He said, crossing his hands on his chest stubbornly. "And even if there was we have back ups"
Sakura and Eriol looked ready to burst. "SYAORAN LI THOSE WERE THE BACK UPS!" they howled, waving their arms. Syaoran yelped in alarm and crawled backwards. Eriol calmed down and gave a small smile. "That means we only have one choice left-"The sound of a trumpet suspended his words. This was followed by the regular sound of more than a dozen feet marching. "He's coming" Syaoran whispered with a deadly calm. "Who?" Sakura asked but her question was ignored. There was a dull sound on the port side of the ship. The tip of a wooden ladder came into view as the sound of the marching resumed a climbing sound.
Sakura was the first to use her senses. Running up to the ladder, she shoved it away with all her might. There was the sound of a few shouts and the splash of water as she walked back to the gawking boys, dusting her hands in a self satisfactory way. Syaoran shook his head quickly and resumed his glare. "I don't need you to help me. I can handle this myself"
This time the ladder was set up on starboard side of the galleon. The pirates clambered onboard hastily, some of them dripping wet, and stood at attention on either side of the ladder. Syaoran looked at the soaking pirates and smiled very lightly, but very smugly. Ha! Served them right for messing with that girl...
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here" they heard a sneering voice behind them. So the whole thing had been a distraction while their captain got on board safely. Smart but not smart enough...
The trio turned around slowly to see a man staring at them with a revolted look one might use while viewing a road-rollered chicken. "Syaoran Li. Dear, dear. I thought that the illustrious death of your father would have taught you not to come across me again..." Edeki Masuki seemed a five or six years older than them and had black hair and piercing silver eyes. He wore a turquoise admiral suit like the boys. This isn't my own name- I heard it somewhere. I think Edeki Masuki is a baseball player or something for Nippon. .;;
"My father's death should have served as a warning for you, Masuki" Syaoran seethed. "A warning?" Masuki laughed softly. "What sort of warning, my dear boy?" Syaoran advanced but Sakura and Eriol pulled him back. "What the- GET OFF KINOMOTO! HE KILLED MY FATHER!!" he roared and turned to her for the first time. Sakura shrunk under his deadly gaze. But there was no time to pity her.
"Another one of your pretty friends, Syaoran?" Masuki asked leaning to a side to look at Sakura. "What's it to you?" Syaoran spat, his eyes now on the forlorn Sakura who was almost hidden behind Eriol. Masuki took a tentative step forward. "I think you've found someone who-" "Who? Her?" Syaoran cast a scornful glance at Sakura before turning his back on them. "You know who I...liked" Masuki seemed to savour the words. "Yes, after all, she was my sister-" "And a traitor" Syaoran commented brutally.
Masuki didn't even hear what he'd said. His eyes were on Sakura and on Sakura alone he focused. "If you don't like her" Masuki began, still not taking his eyes for Sakura's fidgeting figure, "then why bother to keep her at all?" "She's here until mother transports her to her own time" Syaoran said loudly, catching a fleeting look from Sakura that she did not like the situation at all. Masuki's pale eyes landed on Syaoran again, his pale skin turning a delicate shade of pink near his cheeks. Eriol gaped as Syaoran looked behind at him, an eyebrow raised. "If you do not really care about her..." Masuki trailed off, tracing his thin lips with a finger. "Fine" Marching up to Eriol, he grabbed Sakura by her forearm. "What are you doing!?" She cried, breaking free of his grip. In response, he took her face in his hands roughly and stared into her frightened eyes. "Understand, sou?" he whispered, before letting go and gripping her arm. Taking a few paces towards Masuki, he almost threw her towards him.
Sakura's mind seemed to be jammed as she staggered and resumed her equilibrium. What the hell just happened? And what the hell did he mean by understand? Understand what? That she had to go with that creep? Or why he was doing this? Sakura looked back at Syaoran who was looking resolutely in another direction with Eriol breathing down his neck.
"Syaoran you-you can't do this" Eriol declared. "I just did" Syaoran said in an undertone. Eriol swelled ominously. "She's under your protection. She's not some-some slave to be sold to someone else! She has feelings. You can't degrade a girl like that!" "Watch me!" Syaoran snarled back. "Ever since she set foot on the ship, she's been nothing but trouble. She's eating me inside-out! I can't stand her and she can't stand me. The least we can do is send her back to her own time by finishing this deal-" "Deal?" Eriol yelled, his navy eyes flashing dangerously. "What deal? There isn't going to be any deal! Masuki has powerful magic. You think he'd give up Sakura without a fight. Yelan wouldn't expect that. She'd lose. We'd lose. And we'd lose...her. Sakura. She would be lost to us... to...to you" He finished softly.
Syaoran looked over at the almost naïve girl and Masuki. His eyes automatically narrowed into slits as he heard what he was saying.
Maskui walked towards Sakura with a hand extended and purred "Let me introduce myself, mon cherie. Edeki Masuki, at your service. "He swept into a bow, taking Sakura's hand. Sakura wrenched her hand and screamed "Get your filthy hands offa me, you-you moron!" Taking a couple of steps back, she hastily wiped her hands on her skirt. Masuki didn't give up. He continued to talk to her in soft, seductive tones. "I promise I won't hurt you" he held his hands out. "Fat chance" she retorted. "Come on, I wouldn't hurt you. I'm not heartless. Like Li over there..." Sakura cast another look. She had the fleeting impression that he'd been looking at them a few seconds ago.
"See. She hates him. Sakura would rather stay with us. And you know that, Li. You know that she wants to stay here until her time is over" Eriol glanced at Syaoran's expressionless face. He sighed and held out his hands in desperation. "All I'm asking is for you to see reason" Then he shrugged. "The rest is up to you..." Syaoran ran his hands through his hair. "You really know how to get the shit out of me, don't you?" Syaoran asked and Eriol smiled aware that there was a light smirk playing on his partner's lips. Eriol looked towards Sakura, who caught his gaze, and nodded.
"-You shall be my fair queen. We shall sail across the world and spread the message of Hope, Peace and Love" He looked at Sakura who had a really strange expression on her face. "I wouldn't be your 'queen' if I had the choice between you and a kumquat" she snapped and hurried over to the guys. Turning around she gave a sweet smile. "She stays, Masuki" Syaoran declared. They smirked causing Masuki to growl. "That's it!" Taking the glove off his left hand, he threw it in between the two parties.
"I challenge you to a duel!" Masuki said in a loud voice. Syaoran's smirk widened. "And I accept" He replied haughtily.
Masuki snapped his fingers and two men removed his coat for him. He unsheathed his sword and threw the scabbard in a corner. Syaoran flung his coat in a corner, listening to Sakura jabber nervously to Eriol. "I didn't know they'd be dueling. I-I never mean for all this to happen. I'll never forgive myself-" Eriol patted her on the head like a little kid. "No sweat. This duel had to take place sometime soon. It's just taking place now cause of you-" At this, Sakura burst into tears. "So it is my fault! It is cos of me they're dueling! If Syaoran dies-" "Syaoran is not gonna die" Syaoran said walking up to them. Sakura squealed. "What would you do without me, huh?" he asked sarcastically, making her blush and sniffle. Syaoran turned to Eriol. "Can I borrow your sword? Mine's lost and I can't risk using this" he patted his shirt front where the chi bead was hidden. Eriol handed him a lightweight katakana or two hand sword while Syaoran leaned near Sakura's ear and whispered "If I die, you can have all my stuff..." Sakura started crying again as Syaoran shouldered the sword and went off, smirking.
"If you're quite ready, Syaoran..." Masuki didn't look up at him but continued to trace the edge of the blade with his finger. Syaoran raised the sword vertically , the blade flat against one palm, a fist holding the hilt strongly. "Bring it on, small fry!"
Masuki made the first move, thrashing out with his sword. The blades made contact and broke away. Syaoran twisted his body, avoiding the point as Masuki began another assault. Masuki lost balance and Sayoran took this opportunity to force his blade into the wooden floor. Masuki's eyes widened as he stared at the sword then at Syaoran. Syaoran charged with a wild cry, swinging the sword treacherously close to his opponent. Masuki did a couple of backflips, then got into combat position again, slowly moving his head from right to left. Quickly, dodging the butterfly cut that Syaoran had vented out, he reached his sword and gave it another unfruitful tug, a second before a dart skimmed the air and landed neatly a quarter of a centimeter away from his skin. Sensing he was nearby, Masuki threw a high kick which hit Syaoran on the shoulder, sending the foil in his hand overboard.
"You missed me with that dart" Masuki informed him calmly. Syaoran just smirked. "I meant to give you another chance" "Oh how nice" Masuki gave an insipid smile. "So that I could torture you longer" Masuki's thin smile faded and was replaced by a dark scowl. "Hand to hand combat now" Syaoran said, almost crouching down to get into his battle position. But just as he launched a punch, Masuki did a dirty move. Reaching swiftly into his boot, he pulled out a small hand knife and flung it. Syaoran winched as he examined the wound the flying knife had caused. He'd be okay. Though the cut was large, the damage done wasn't too deep. "That hurt, didn't it?" Masuki interrogated. "Not as much as you think" Syaoran breathed before resuming his attack. Right fist, left fist, right fist again, Syaoran became a whirlwind of fists. That was all that went through his mind; kill Masuki. Snake hand strike, counter, crane strike just below the second rib. Masuki stumbled away, clutching his chest.
"Give me an S, give me a Y, give me an A, O, R...Give me an A, give me an N. So what does it spell? SYAORAN!" Both the duelers went dotty-eyed and sweatdropped. They very slowly turned to view Sakura... And whoa, what a change! She was dressed in a white top and short yellow skirt that showed off her slim legs. Her hair was done in pigtails and she was waving white and yellow pom-poms. Eriol looked rather guilty about something. "I had to do it, mate" he yelled to Syaoran. "There was no other way." Syaoran sighed and yelled back "You just had to give her that sugar cane juice, didn't you?".
Ditto last night, Sakura dived overboard again and Eriol went after her. Syaoran hung his head and sweatdropped again.
But his expression hardened as he turned back to Masuki, who he found to his utter disgust, to be floating, with hearts coming out of his eyes in la- la land and drooling. "Ahem" he coughed. No effect whatsoever from Masuki who was still on invisible wings. "I said AHEM" Syaoran coughed louder. No reply to that too. A drop of drool fell on his head. "That's it" he mumbled, grossed out.
He give a vigorous pull and Masuki landed in a pile next to him. He got up speedily, his fist clenched in front of him and two blue viens popping out of his forehead. "DON"T" he punched out but Syaoran evaded. "EVER" he stuck out his leg tripping his adversery. "DO" he tried to kick Syaoran but he'd side rolled out of harm's way just in time. "THAT" He punched again and Syaoran shielded himself. "WHEN" Syaoran took advantage and kicked his shin, tripping him. "I'M HANYAN!" Masuki groaned as he got kneed. Standing up, he smiled a little sinisterly. "Very well, Li. No more games. Why don't I-" his smile widened "-speed things up a bit?"
Syaoran's eyes widened as he heard the words escape from Masuki's mouth:
"Here my plea, oh guardian of time,
Let the day shed its light,
And become as black as night,
And the moon as yellow as slime."
Well, what else rhymes with time but slime. I tried lime and dime, but not that good
Something did not make sense, Syaoran thought, watching Masuki glare at the skies. Suddenly, the pair of silver eyes focused on him as Masuki advanced slowly. "D'you know what tonight is?" he asked in a voice of deadly calm. Syaoran looked thoughtful. "Un, really dark?" he suggested. "NO!" Masuki pulled at his hair. "Tonight is a full moon" he went on. "And d'you know what happens to a werewolf on a full moon night?" His voice was becoming strangely hoarse. In the background, the sun set at an alarming speed and night began to creep in. "HE BECOMES THE MOST INVINCIBLE CREATURE ON THE PLANET" Masuki roared, and he did literally roar. His pale skin turned a soft brown before sprouting hair and becoming a burgundy brown. His eyes turned red and his teeth a sick yellow and grew three inches long. As he began to grow, his clothes tattered and tore in a few places to accommodate the larger body.
Syaoran backed off until he collided with something soft which turned out to be Eriol. Sakura had, thankfully, changed into mare decent clothes. "Take Sakura and go below deck or somewhere safe. NOW!" he hissed. He felt the two leave and turned back to see a fully morphed werewolf, staring down his hairy snout at him. "Masuki, now you're proving that you're an animal" Syaoran voiced, though he felt churlish and his mouth, dry. Masuki let out a long, low howl before fixing his beady red eyes on him.
With another howl, he launched himself on all fours at Syaoran who jumped out of the way just in time. The werewolf lunged at him again, sending them both rolling. Masuki had the advantage, being on the top, and scratched him on the chest, leaving three red lines, oozing with droplets of blood. Syaoran kicked out with both feet sending him flying a few feet and landing in an unceremonious pile.
Syaoran sat up and looked down at his tattered shirt which was a mixture of red, beige and brown.
"GGGGGRRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWW!" The werewolf was too powerful to be knocked out by a single blow. Swinging himself to his feet and taking a running start, Syaoran hit the animal with a round kick followed by a deep punch in the jaw. Jumping off as soon as he felt unsafe, he began to jog. All of a sudden he was seized in a tight bear hug that was sure to break his bones. Syaoran elbowed him twice then bit the hairy limb. Masuki roared in pain and let go, sauntering backwards. Still spitting out wolf hair and quickly wiping his mouth on his shoulder, Syaoran ran to confront the beast. Taking hold of his large, dog-like ears, he head butted him. Going slightly cross- eyed, Syaoran released him rubbing his temples hard. Masuki lurched backwards and tripped over some dead guy and fell down. Syaoran moved forward, holding his neck tightly in a scissors grip before he stopped struggling and groaned. "SYAORAN, THE CHAIR! GIVE HIM THE CHAIR!" he heard a voice shout. He looked around quickly and spotted a metal chair nearby and banged it on his back twice before throwing it away. A tiny referee appeared out of nowhere and squeaked "One... two...three!", thumping his fist on the deck with every count.
Ding! ding! ding! "AND YOOOUUU'RREE OUT!" a voice drawled into a microphone. "What the...?" A few guys came out of nowhere, presented him with a broad black belt with a silver plate in the middle. They left as abruptly as they came. "What was all that about?" he asked the ship at large.
The galleon suddenly tipped dangerously and he remembered that they had been cannoned that morning. "Oh crap!" He yelled before shouting for Eriol. "What is it?" He asked, coming out of the shadows. "The ship was hit this morning. We've got to abandon it..." "I'll go tell the men" Eriol waved as he went off. A few minutes later, his cries of "ABANDON SHIP!" rang throughout the galleon as well as the steady sound of rowing and shifting of materials. Eriol came back half an hour later informing him that all the arrangements had been made and half the crew was already onboard the other vessel investigating it. "What about Sakura? And Daidouji?" he asked. "They're still here"
"Well, get them off this ship instantly!" he yelled as he saw Masuki stirring.
It was only then that Syaoran realized that he might not make it. The werewolf charged again. And this time there was no escape. Syaoran braced himself for the impact. Masuki took two swipes at his arms leaving them lined with blood. Syaoran punched him on the jaw and got ready for a spinning kick. But Masuki had him this time. As he made contact, he grabbed his foot and twisted it, making Syaoran yell in pain. Willing himself not to die in the hands er, claws of this monster, he twisted his whole body so that his other leg slammed into the creature's face. Dropping catlike on the floor inspite of the pain, he looked sideways to see Sakura stand there with a mildly detached expression of some one who was likely to faint. "What are you doing here?!" Syaoran asked, incredulously. "Waiting to get off this ship" she replied faintly, eyeing the monster's weak efforts to stand up. "Where's Eriol" he asked, taking a step in her direction. "Dunno. He told me to wait till you were done." she shrugged. "What?! Is he crazy?!" That was all he could say for the moment as Masuki had recovered and was standing groggily to fight till the end. Syaoran did a final round kick and Masuki went down and stayed down.
Breathing a little hard from the effort, he turned around and walked up to Sakura. "Where's Eriol?" He asked her again. "The last time I saw him, he was carrying Tomoyo" Sakura replied unhelpfully. There was a low growl. Syaoran closed his eyes and breathed out slowly before turning towards Masuki. Holding his wrists together, he mumbled "Firey, come to my aid!" A bright beam of light made Sakura shield her eyes and a few second later, she saw him reflect a glowing ball of ember. "Come on, we have to get out of here" he said, gazing around for an escape route which did not involve swimming. The warm glow behind them intensified. "Shit" she heard him swear.
"Now what?" she asked. There was no way out. Syaoran ducked his head under a mass of low hanging rope and re staked the whole deck. "Nope. No boats, no ladders, no nothing" he said almost cheerfully. "We are gonna diiee..." Sakura wailed. Syaoran simply shook his head. Then he happened to glance upward. The rope... He pulled it, testing his weight against it. It didn't budge. "Hey I've found our escape route" he yelled. Sakura hurried over. "Where?" She looked around. The heat intensified until they were sure to get skin cancer if they didn't leave right away. "Let's hope I never do this again" Syaoran murmured before grasping Sakura's waist and jumping off the ship. "Hoooeee!! What the hell are you doing, you wannabe Tarzan?!" she squealed, grasping onto the front of his shirt like her life depended on it.
Which it did.
As the explosion occurred, the orange and yellow glow silhouetted two people landing on board the nearby ship. As the roar of the gigantic fire died down, Eriol joined the soot covered two at the rails. Suddenly everything seemed twice as funny. They'd made it. "We made it !" Sakura screamed joyfully, rushing up and down the deck until she fell flat on her face. Syaoran smiled softly before turning away from the furnace and taking a bucket of water to clean his wounds. Setting down the bucket and sitting Indian style on the floor, he unwound the cloth on his hand and dipped it in the water. "That was scary, ya know" Sakura said conversationally. "What was scary?" he asked, still cleaning the cuts on his arm. "Me, Masuki, the fight, the flight or you falling flat on your face?" Sakura looked at him with a pained expression. "How can you joke around when half your body's been torn by a werewolf?" she cried emotionally. "Simple" he replied blandly. "Ignore the cuts, the bruises and the bites." There was silence.
"Is it really over? I mean, is he dead?" Sakura asked, looking at the burning ship. "Nah" Syaoran shook his head, applying the cool of the water on his nape. "Can't kill a were-wolf or any other part-human with Elementals..." Sakura looked around at the ship. It was smaller than theirs, but more powerfully built.
"You know, I reckon Masuki was really interested in you" Syaoran unexpectedly chipped in. "Stop right there, Li. He was an unhuman creep who almost stole my first kiss, sou?! Besides, you never told me about his sister being your-" Sakura trailed off as he sighed. "What does it matter?" he sought, almost sadly. Sakura was worried. "Are you okay, Syaoran?" she asked quietly. "Yeah, I'm fine" he replied. "I know you hate my bugging you but how do I know that you're okay?" she placed her hands on her hips.
"If I wasn't okay, I wouldn't do this..." he tipped all the water in the bucket over her head. Moving closer, he sprayed the last few drops on her face. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut at the coolness and then let out an unexpected sneeze. Her meek emerald eyes opened to find a pair of almost concerned amber ones. "Daijoubu?" he asked and she nodded slightly. "It's a cold night tonight. Better go inside and get dried" he looked up at the sky, a few of his hairs brushing her cheek in the process. Sakura took a step back. Squelch. Syaoran's gaze immediately fastened on her. "What?!" she asked irritably. Squelch. Squelch. Syaoran couldn't hold it in. he let out a great 'ha' and cascaded into laughter. "Wha...what's so funny?" she whined.
"Sakura? Syaoran?!" Sakura turned to meet Eriol's gaze. Squelch. Syaoran started crying with laughter behind her. "Ano, he's gone a bit funny, Eriol" she waved desperately at Syaoran. Eriol suddenly prostrated himself before her extolling "Teach me your ways, O Wet and Soggy One..."
"Eriol! Sakura! Un... I wonder where every one is... Ah! Sakura! Sa-Sakura?!" Tomoyo's voice faltered as she reached the scenerio. She looked disbelievingly at the snorting Syaoran and the worshipping Eriol. "Sa- Sakura, what happened here?" she asked weakly. Sakura looked down. "I...I don't know Tomoyo" she whispered softly. "And the battle?" Sakura looked up at her best friend. This time, however, a smile stretched across her lips. "We won, Tomoyo. We won."
As the foursome made their way below deck to inspect their new cabins, they suddenly heard voices. Eriol motioned for them to stop and the four put their heads together, listening hard. "Yeah" a brusque voice agreed stupidly. "All we have to do now is kill anyone loyal to that asshole of a captain still on this ship!" "And what about the enemies?" a new, more alerter voice, asked. "Ah, they won't even know we're here" a laid back voice supplied. "We'll get orf at the next port they halt at." There were a few grunts of approval. A panel of wood was thrown open in one of the corridors nearby. Syaoran signalled frantically to Eriol and Tomoyo who waved back before ducking into a nearby alcove.
"Come on" he whispered to Sakura as the loud voices came closer and closer...
"Syaoran, there's nowhere to hide" Sakura whimpered, distraughtly searching the area. She felt his hand unconsciously slip into hers and despite the gravity of the situation, blushed a strawberry red. "Wha-"she let out an unintelligible cry as he pulled her to the next corridor and into another little alcove. Her breath coming out in short rasps from the sudden sprint. He was still in front of her, peering stonily outside over his shoulder. Whirling to face her, Syaoran let out a shaky breath. "I've only managed to give us a head start" he said in an under tone. "They're bound to come this way sooner or later. So what we need now, is a plan..." "That captain came down here ages ago" a voice suddenly boomed. "Yeah, snooping kid. Where did ya think he's gone?" another nasally voice mused.
Syaoran's neck creaked as he turned to face Sakura. "It's too late" he said in a hoarse whisper. Sakura's mind went to work in an instant. There was only one thing that she could think of. Well, best put it into action... "There is a way" she said slowly. "What's that?"
As quick as anything, Sakura had placed her hands on his shoulders and whispered "Play along with me."
He looked doubtful. "Isn't there any other way?" he whined softly. Sakura sighed and let her arms fall away slightly.
"I wish there was" she answered, ruefully. Syaoran inched closer to her until she was so sure that her clumsy heart was on the verge of exploding. "You sure about this?" he asked, while through the corner of his eye he saw a shadow pass the light. "It's not like I'm gonna steal your first kiss, anyway" he said hastily. Sakura simply nodded. Syaoran felt the guy creep around and felt he needed to do this right in order to pass off as an innocent ::urgh:: smooching couple. Slowly sliding his hands to her slim waist, he could feel exhilaration run through his veins as well as his face get very hot. "You really sure about this?" Syaoran asked again. Sakura stared at him "Why?" she asked. Good question, he thought. "I don't know." He thought for a while unconsciously sliding his hands around her waist, bringing them even closer. "There's some one here. Two I think..." he heard a whisper. Leaning in slightly, he let his forehead rest against hers. Sakura could swear she was going to die any moment.
Syaoran's POV
I could feel her heart beat against my chest. She must be at least freaked out about this as I am. Darn Pirates. I could have cursed them into Oblivion, the way they hooked me up with her. Why couldn't she have gone with that other girl and why couldn't Eriol have come with me? But I must say, me kissing Eriol wouldn't have been a pretty sight. I'd rather be kissing Sakura any way... woot woot .
And I couldn't help asking her over and over again if she was okay with this. Who cares who it's okay with?! All we needed to do was act. I should be shuddering, dammit. Shuddering. No girl except Mihanga has ever come this close to me. Well, not even Mihanga, for a matter of speaking. Why in the world did she have to come up with this idea?! Although there is a possibility it might work... I know that this sounds strange, but maybe I do like her. Maybe I do want her to stay. Maybe... but I'm not certain. Just yesterday, I could have pledged that I hated her. But today, I'm not so sure...
As I leaned in, ready to make a good show of it while it lasted, I could hear her gasp softly. I chuckled. I couldn't help that, too. There seems to be a lot of thing that I can't help now a days. "You thought I'd kiss you, didn't you?" I whispered. Sakura shivered against me and I could feel someone's uninvited stare. Detaching one of my hands form her back, I brushed away a few strands of hair from her face, smoothing it behind her ear. And in the sudden light, I noticed she was blushing. Either that or she was very angry...
Sakura's POV
"Why in the name of kami-sama are you red?!" I heard him ask sarcastically. Kami-san, do I have to answer to that?! First I had thrown my hands around some one I haven't even known for a week, then I start blushing and wishing I was dead a thousand times over. I just don't understand Syaoran. But I could feel this thing in my heart which told me what I was doing seemed right. I was saving us, wasn't I? And that's a good deed. Wasn't it? Or was it something else?
Syaoran gazed at me, his amber eyes glowing even in the semi-darkness. "I-I feel hot" I whispered feverishly. Then I mentally slapped myself. Yeah, hot alright. His eyes twinkled in amusement and I could see he'd read my mind. I went, if possible, even redder. "And why are you shivering then?!" Syaoran really seemed to enjoy my uncomfortable position. Not fair. Fine, play it your way, I thought. "Well" I said in a breezy voice, allowing my hand to travel to the back of his neck. "I-I really don't think I like this plan..." I heard him mumble, and suppressed a giggle.
Disengaging my hands from his neck, I let it travel up sides of his face. I could feel a smirk. "Playing with my feelings, are we?" I heard him murmur into my ear, his lips tickling it. I didn't reply, sure as hell I was going down. Receding his forehead slightly, he turned ever so slightly to glimpse at the huddled group of buccaneers, who were still at the side of the slcove. Gods, I never so badly wanted them out of there. Looking back at me, he gave a sudden almost boyish grin. "They're still there" he whispered. Seeing one of them over peek over at us, I ran my hands over to his fore head and into his thick strands of hair. He half-closed his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. I knew, whatever he may say, that Syaoran was enjoying it. That I was enjoying it. And I didn't care if I threw away my first kiss for this guy, too. It's really strange. Yesterday I hated him and today, I like him?! My face went even more hotter at the image. But even as that thought crept into my head, I was scared of admitting it... Scared of admitting I was falling for him...
Syaoran's POV
I caught on rapidly, knowing she would only over act when some one was looking. I felt ...what? It felt good. That's all I could say. It felt right. Leaning in more, I gently rubbed my cheek against hers and could have sworn she liked it. The way she closed her eyes, I could tell she did. Abruptly, I felt her knees give way underneath her. "Whoa, steady there!" I whispered, holding her more tightly, feeling her skin grow hot. She mumbled something about being embarrassed. Gently pressing her cheek against mine, I froze. There were new foot steps. Almost like...
Normal POV
"Eriol" Sakura squealed in delight and Syaoran let go of her. "In the flesh" Eriol replied amiably stepping over the four men he'd knocked out. "What were you two doing in there?" "Making out-" "-alive." Syaoran finished for Sakura. Eriol raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Sakura. My cute descendant didn't try anything on you-" "ERIOL!" It was not two voices that shouted it but three. Though each with different reasons. "What took you so long?" Tomoyo asked. "Where's Sakura?"
"Sakura! Are you okay?! What happened? I was so worried about you! I was starting to think that they caught you guys..." Tomoyo raved on, releasing all her pent-up emotions in one go. Sakura who was still a little red, glanced at Syaoran who seemed to be avoiding her gaze. A little put out, she turned back to Tomoyo right on time to hear the last question. "So I suppose the battle has really been won, hasn't it?" she looked around at the group. "Yeah, its won" Syaoran agreed.
"Nothing has been won yet!" a raucous voice shouted and they looked to see a lone pirate wielding a sword at them, looking frightened and lost. "You little..." Syaoran stepped forward but Eriol held him back. "Wait. You are not going to get anything from fighting us" he reasoned quietly. "Join us" he said. "Where-where are the others?" the man questioned shakily. "Gone" Tomoyo answered simply. The man let his arms fall to his sides and looked down. "We don't want to hurt you" Sakura put in softly. "Okay..." he said hesitantly after a moment. "Okay, I-I'll stay" he dropped the sword with a clang as Eriol seized his hand. "Come on. I'll introduce you to what's left of the crew..." Eriol lead the way to the deck while Sakura and Tomoyo followed him, Syaoran bringing up the rear with both his hands behind his head. "Syaoran," Sakura turned to look at him almost bumping into him. Syaoran looked around shiftily. "Look, I'm really sorry for what I had to do back there" she hung her head. "I mean, I didn't want you to get hurt fighting again" she looked up to see him a little red. "I know it wasn't the best of plans bu-" Syaoran put a hand up in air to stop her. "It wasn't for real, so I guess that's okay" he replied as she hung her head again. " And it's not like we're ever gonna do that again" Syaoran pointed out and Sakura nodded, stilled face down. She saw Syaoran's shoe take a step in her direction. "Plus I think it was brilliant plan" he said warmly. Sakura's head shot up. "Honto?" she asked delighted. "Hai" Syaoran replied. "Sakura!" Tomoyo's voice penetrated from the deck. "Coming!" Sakura yelled back. "Oh and Syaoran..." "Sakura..." Syaoran started at the same moment. She giggled. "COULD YOU PLEASE NOT MENTION THIS TO ANYONE!" They both chorused and nodded, before departing for the deck together, Sakura shrieking "Chotto! I don't know my way around this ship yet!"
So here ends a chapter filled with war, mixed feelings and agreements. What will the future hold for out heroes? If Masuki is not dead, where is he? And what about the new guy who's joined the crew? Is he as sincere as he looks? Why are Tomoyo and Eriol disappearing so often? Why is Syaoran so secretive? Why is Sakura so dense? What's with Eriol and Ballet? And what are those clothes Tomoyo is making for them? All these questions and more will be answered in the following chapter of Pirate's Treasure. I actually forgot the name of this story. It took me five minutes to write that last sentence. Spiffy, ne? .;;
Important stuff
D'you think the Battle's over? Huh? You think so? You really, really think so? Well, it is! Got your hopes up, didn't I? I'm in a very cheeky mood now. I just finished putting sand in Onni-chan's shoes. Wet sand caked together with a few bugs that I managed to coax this boy to stuff in, too. I am a genius... ::becoming serious:: But he deserves it... Anyways, the moment I get a modem, I'll read your reviews.
I actually did write a different ending to this chapter but it won't do... too sappy ::looks disgusted:: My friend gave me that idea...she's a romantic weirdo ... Like I told you before, there ain't any decent girls in my class. excluding me and I always hang out with the guys. Not as someone's girl but as a girl. And I guess you could say the guys respect me for that. - Not that this is a decent chapter... but they didn't kiss and that keeps me happy. -
And wait till I hit the ET. That'll be real soon, too. You'll never regret reading this story. I think Onni-chan's also writing a story... Not sure though. So if you see a new fic with anything to do with Spy Kids, Martial arts and Road maps, let me know, sou? I wonder where he get that extra time from...
Oh, and the martial arts bits? Did ya like 'em? I thought they were so flimsy. But a lot of people won't understand if I said Atemi wasa instead of vital point techniques and so forth. And I can't write good fights without resorting to technical terms, so gomen. I didn't mean to disappoint you.
REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT FACT! THERE WAS ACTUALLY A REAL LI FAMILY IN CHINA IN THE SICHUAN PROVINCE DURING THE 1850'S. THEY WERE TRAINERS IN MARTIAL ARTS TOO. THEIR TECHNIQUE WAS CALLED JIU LONG BAGUAZHANG AND THEY USED ELEMENTAL FEELINGS LIKE SOFT WAVES REPRESENTING WATER TO CONTROL THE BALANCE OF CHI FLOWING THROUGH THEIR BODY. MAYBE THAT'S WHERE CLAMP GOT THE IDEA.
Well, random fact for the day. See, the internet does help you learn!
That's all. Luv ya all.
For now, this is Chibi Ijin saying JA MATTE MINNA-SAN! =.=
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