Chibi Ijin here. So people, here's the next chapter. As I said earlier,
this will be short. But it will satisfy you, I hope. Thank you so much for
the reviews and for understanding my current position. So wish me luck in
my battles and ON WITH THE STORY!
PS why the heck do I bother, but CCS does not belong to me.
And PPS this chapter will have a lot of what I call unnecessary scenes but its all for reason...
Syaoran's POV
"What the hell did you say?!" I yelled at Eriol. No, this could not be happening. This was worse than that 'playing along' I'd done with Sakura. Kinomoto. I meant Kinomoto. No, don't run off with the wrong idea. I meant Kinomoto. sure he did, right guys? "Chill it Syaoran" Daidouji said, filing her nails against the doorframe. Urgh, females. I hope some piece of wood gets stuck in that hand of hers. "Everywhere else is absolutely full, Syaoran" Eriol stated calmly. "Can't we put five men in a room?" I asked resentfully. "Unless you want the men to be living in unhygienic conditions and start a mutiny against us, there is no way" he declared. Oh bummer. I could not believe we had to actually share a room with those girls. Share a room. The next thing you'd know we'd be sharing half our lives with them! "Hey, we get separate beds, don't we?" Daidouji asked. Eriol choked and spluttered . "I'll take that as a yes" she replied blandly. Sakura, who was busy looking somewhere away from me, looked up, almost glaring at her friend. "Mou, Tomoyo what d'you think?!" she whispered, her hands fidgeting with a bit of her dress. She hesitantly glanced up at me. I stared. There seemed to be nothing else I could do. "If-If it's okay with you, we'll share a room. Or we can find a different solution" she said quietly, before tinting red and ducking her head again. Then it suddenly hit me. She Liked me. I could have laughed. It was so funny. But I chose to fool around with that later. For now, we had a problem to solve. And I could understand that she was directing the question to me as I was the only one who was objecting.
"Fine. But separate beds. And no crossing the boundaries. And no two to a bed" I said resolutely, glaring pointedly at Eriol and Daidouji, who looked a bit wordless. Sakura nodded what seemed like a billion times a second, answering for the three of them. Well, that seemed to settle the issue.
As Daidouji pushed open the door and Eriol stepped in after her, I knew it was now or never. It was time to corner the little cherry blossom...
Third Person POV
Sakura made it to trail Eriol. She couldn't stand being alone more than necessary with Syaoran. After what had just happened, she'd rather spend time alone. Syaoran's hand materialized out of nowhere and bound her arm in a martial grip. Spinning her around to face him, Syaoran smirked as Sakura let an almost inaudible cry escape her lips. Not again...
He felt good. Knowing that she could not defend herself, seeing he had so much power over her, seeing she didn't or couldn't resist him. Shoving her violently against the wall, he placed himself in front of her. There was hardly any air between them. Because space was too good. There was no need for it. "You owe me something, wench" Syaoran said breaking the silence. Sakura bent her head down. "Nande?" she asked delicately, staring resolutely downwards, never breaking her gaze at the wooden base. Syaoran almost closed the gap between them. "You owe me your life, Kinomoto" he said placidly. Her position remained non-shifting. Sakura nodded her head to show she understood she was indebted to him. Syaoran placed a knuckle under her chin and lifted her head up, in level with his eyes. The beautiful pair of emerald orbs glittered under his fierce gaze. It made him feel foolish that he was doing this. And a little scared to see the look of sheer terror in her eyes. "I also happen to notice that you blush a lot" he said, letting his hand drop while she jolted unexpectedly. Syaoran leaned forward. "You're sweet on me, aren't you?" He asked in an amused tone. Sakura looked up, frightened by the sudden development. She began to blush. "I..." she began. "You're not the first one" he said breezily. Sakura's hackles rose swiftly. "I do not like you more than a friend, sou?!" she almost screamed. Syaoran looked slightly taken aback. She sighed. "Gomen Syaoran. I've had a lot on my mind lately... I didn't mean to burst out on you like that" she muttered expressing her regret. He waved a hand carelessly. "That's cool then" he said. Suddenly without so much as a warning, his hand snaked down the side of her face, brushing past her almost bare shoulders, enfolding them in a passionate grip. Sakura took a shuddering breath, feeling her knees almost turn into jelly at the feel of his hands on her bare skin, hating her dress for revealing so much of her. Pushing her closer to him, he leaned forward and whispered "You also owe me a kiss, for saving you." Sakura seemed unable to move, unable to speak, unable to think. He inched forward, closing the space that was still in between them. As he bent down, Sakura's eyes fluttered half closed. But the touch never came. She opened her eyes. Syaoran's face was still inches away from hers. She noticed the smirk on his lips and her eyes widened. But instead of kissing her, he rubbed his nose against hers and let go, receding a step or two. Smiling slightly at the confused look on her face, he said "Like I told you, I won't steal your first kiss." Leaving the baffled girl in the same position he'd last placed her, Syaoran turned and retreated to the deck.
As the last of his resounding footsteps died away, Sakura slowly, almost painfully, regained her senses and automatically turned to her left to enter their new quarters. Thinking that her best friend would still be there, she walked in, talking loudly to her non-existent friend. "Tomoyo, do you like it..." she started to ask but found that there was noone there "...here?!" She looked around at the empty room.
She'd seen Eriol and Tomoyo go in earlier and she didn't think that they'd passed her on the way out; she would have seen them...
Knowing it was better to stay where she was other than run around and get lost or worse, get captured, she slumped onto one of the four beds in the room. Sighing deeply, Sakura threw herself back and stared at the ceiling. There were a few inscriptions engraved into the wood. Squinting her eyes, she tried to read them. They certainly did seem like English, but the letters were a bit more stylized and the ends were longer. She gave up all hope of reading it when a layer of dust landed on her. Someone seemed to have walked above her and the tremors detached the filth from the ceiling. Sakura rubbed her watering eyes with her knuckles. "Oh man" she moaned, tears still leaking from her eyes. "Hey, what's up?" a masculine voice inquired. Sakura pried her eyes open a mite and saw Eriol standing there near the door. "Hey Eriol, is there water anywhere nearby? I need to wash my eyes..." Eriol led her to a wash basin already filled with water and there, she gladly rinsed the dust from her eyes.
As Sakura looked up again, she found she was alone. "What the-" she mused. How could Eriol have left the room so quietly? Before taking leave of her? Shrugging her shoulders, she turned around. That was really strange, she thought to herself. It was spooky and she didn't like it one bit. Maybe it was a good idea to go and look for the guys, she reflected and was about to head for the door when a beam of green light behind her caught her gaze. "H- Hooeee!" she squealed, her heart beat quickening. A unforeseen, turbulent wind broke out through the room and her newly washed eyes almost popped out of her head as she watched the flame in the lamp flicker then come to life. Then it wavered again. And again. And again. It flickered lower. And lower... and lower. Then it went out. It was pitch black...
"Hoooeeee..." she muttered edging her way to the closed door, willing herself not to faint. The door burst open and a black figure stood silhouetted against the bright light outside. "WWHHHHOOOOOOO" it moaned, swaying a little. Sakura screamed. She heard the sound of chains as it dragged itself towards her. IT WAS A BLACK GHOST! "AHHH! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU HORRIBLE STINKY PHANTOM!" she screamed. The ghost rubbed its ears and then continued it's a-whooing. "I HAAAVVVVE COOOMMME TO HAAAUUUUNNTTT YUUOOOOO!" It wailed. Sakura shrieked stumbling backwards and fell headlong over a wooden box. Picking herself up, she strained her eyes in the darkness at the box. Realisation hit her. It wasn't just any old wooden crate- dear Kami-sama it was a...a? What was it?! Sakura suddenly looked blank and called for the script and the Ghost turned to glare at the narrarator me who had currently forgotten the name of that thing in which people are buried.
what's it called again? I really forgot. .;; No, this is not a joke. Oh yeah. Now I remember!
IT WAS A COFFIN! wow, amazing discovery. T.T
There was an eerie silence in the air. Even the Black Ghost seemed to have stopped its whooing although it did clank its chains from time to time. There was a nerve-racking creak! as the top of the coffin slowly swung open. Sakura drew a loud gasp of air. A white hand with long white nails, the ends dripping in a red liquid, emerged and gripped the side of the casket. Sakura screamed again. The thing, whatever it was, must have had quite a fright as it started causing the lid to fall on its fingers, jamming them. The thing yelled and swore in an unknown language. "Argh! That must be Transylvanian! It's Count Dracula! After my blood!!!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs, before scampering away from the hazardous box. Stumbling up on one of the beds, she seized a pillow and threw it at the Black Ghost. I doubt if I'll sleep tonight .; The pillow seemed to hurt the ghost and rather encouraged, Sakura threw the rest of the pillows on it as well. The ghost made a last weak attempt to rattle its chains before slumping over. "Yes!" Sakura did a little victory dance which resulted in her tripping and landing on her face. "Oh, fudge" she groaned. It was bad enough being embarrassed in front of the living, and now in front of the dead, well undead...
But the victory didn't last for long. The coffin lid was thrown open and a pale white figure stepped out all in black.
Gosh, I wonder who it is? The MIB?!
The form was in full black with a pale face and red rimmed eyes. The vampire waved its cloak aside and stepped out. Sakura stared and unexpectedly coughed and blushed. "Uh excuse me, Mr. Count, sir. Sorry about this... but you're not wearing any trousers" she looked away and pointed. Count Dracula looked down and saw it was true; no trousers, just a pair of green boxers. The Count went tomato red and hastily disappeared into the coffin for a moment. When he reappeared, he was wearing a pair of black trousers. "I want your blood..." he hissed, venturing forward, claws outstretched. "I-I-I do-don't think that's-s v-very n-n-nice! I t-told you when you weren't wearing yo-your t-trousers, d-didn't I?!" Sakura stammered, edging out of the Count's reach. "I don't CARE. I want your blood! I need your blood!" The Count hissed again. Sakura screamed in alarm as the vampire made a wild dash after her. Almost tripping over her legs, she dodged between the four beds in the room, the demon in black in hot pursuit. Sakura saw her life dwindle before her as he closed in slowly. No! She would not die in the hands of some evil git who forgets his trousers. She decided to act. Stopping abruptly, she turned around and faced her pursuer. The Count looked lost and growled a little, raising his arms over his head and wiggling his long fingernails. Sakura folded her hands in front of her and yawned. Behind her, the Ghost gurgled in his unconscious state. Sakura screwed up her face and let out a loud "HIIIIIII YAAAAA!!" She lashed out with her fists, nails and teeth. The vampire yelled in pain and stumbled backwards, apparently traumatized by the initial assault. Soon enough, though, the vampire dodged her attacks, though he did not attack himself. Maybe he might waste my blood by attacking me, she thought wryly. The Count had taken her moment of reminiscence to catch her flairing wrists and hold them in an unbreakable grasp. Pushing her roughly against himself, he whispered "I am going to drain your veins, suck your very life blood from you..." The white long teeth glistened in the light filtering in from the door. Sakura couldn't do anything but watch as he lazily tilted his head and bent it to a side. She felt the warm breath fall on her skin as he very nearly rested his head on her shoulder. She felt his lips touch her neck. They were soft and warm and... KAMI-SAMA, WE ARE DEALING WITH AN INHABITANT OF THE UNDERWORLD HERE, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! The lips tightened their hold on her neck and the arms tightened around her torso, though no cry of pain escaped her. And she fainted.
Not! As if that would ever happen! Well, it would, LIKE EVERY FIVE MINUTES OR SO! T.T;;
This is what really happened.
Sakura thought of all the evil fiends she'd fought off previously. Those pirates, the Ghost and of course, the seagulls, although she'd lost that one. How could a person who'd struggled through so much be exterminated by a single being? Thus thinking, she wrapped her hands around the vampire's neck and progressed to choke him to death. Which was pretty hard because he was already dead. Still, one can't die too many times. The vampire spluttered and choked, his tongue hanging out and his pale hands distraughtly clawing hers. At that point, Sakura realized that a criminal record wouldn't be very useful in her later life. So she decided to ...what's that word again? Oh yeah, she decided to amputate every part of him she could without actually taking his life ...ano...death.
I'm kinda hyper at the moment. I laughed my head off during the whole paragraph. And I haven't stopped. ;;
Aiming for his nose, Sakura swung a fist with all her might and only succeeded in getting blocked by his arm. She thought quickly and kicked his shin. The vampire yelled in pain and landed in a heap on the floor. "Arrrggghhhhh!!!" Sakura threw herself on top of the vampire as he pushed his hand in her face, covering it completely. She aimed a few swipes blindly, her arms flaring pointlessly. "Muih mun uhoinh moo miull muoi uoyinkh mughunrh!" she puffed into his hand. Dracula removed his hand, looking slightly confused. "What?!" "I said, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU COUNT DRACULA!" she repeated. "Oh." Count Dracula rolled from underneath her, breaking a jar of honey on a nearby night table and Sakura landed in that wet puddle of honey. "EEEWWWW!" she squealed, scooping off the mess from one side of her face. Tomoyo suddenly appeared on the bed next to her. "Well Sakura, looks like you're in a sticky situation. Get it? Sticky situation!" and she started laughing her head off, rolling from side to side. Sakura and the Count exchanged confused expression. And to make things more complicated, a dark haired man in a blue blazer, holding a microphone, stepped into the scenario, closely tailed by a cameraman.
"We interrupt this program for a special report" he gave a large, fake toothy smile at a camera. "Kinomoto Sakura, who fell into a pool of honey, has been quoted to be in a 'sticky situation'." The guy then completely lost it too and started laughing. He bent down on all fours, tears of mirth leaking out, and banged his fist on the floor. He stopped laughing as quickly as he began and looked mildly puzzled. "I don't get it." He said, scratching his head. Then donning his phony smile again he said "That's all for tonight. Good night folks" and they both left.
"What was all that about?" Dracula asked her. Sakura shrugged, absentmindedly wiping the honey from her hair. THEN, they both remembered that they were supposed to be fighting. Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs and threw a kick at the seated vampire. It hit him squarely on the shoulder. He went down and that was all she needed. Sakura knew that her one attack wouldn't hurt anyone, so she piled a heap of punches, bites and scratching all in one go, the Count yelling at the top of his lungs. "Sakura stop! STOP! That's not a vampire, THAT'S SYAORAN!" Tomoyo screamed, materializing suddenly. Sakura's hands fell limply to her sides as she looked down at the alarmingly tattered figure in front of her. "Syaoran?" she repeated softly. Syaoran just groaned. "Oh my gosh" she whispered, looking round at Tomoyo who was supporting the Ghost. "And that's...Eriol?!" she asked quietly. Tomoyo grimly nodded. "Oh my gosh" she whispered again, turning her attention back to Syaoran.
"S-Syaoran?" she stared at him. "Syaoran, please, get up. Onegai..." He didn't stir. She got onto her knees and rolled him to face her. Now that she had a closer look at him, she saw the big mistake she had made. Parts of his face that weren't painted white or injured showed some of his tanned skin and one of his fake nails were hanging off. She looked around for something that might help him... anything. Chewing her bottom lip in frustration, Sakura looked down at all the bite-marks and the scratches that she'd rendered upon him.
A few unbidden tears leaked out, dropping silently on the floor and on the hem of the cloak. She heard Tomoyo heave Eriol, now out of his costume onto a bed and bent lower. She could at least make him comfortable.
Wiping her tears hastily, she slid off his cloak, the black jacket and the waistcoat, leaving him with a thin white shirt that was buttonless, and tucked into his black trousers, the flaps crossing over each other. Sakura, despite the fact that she was still tearful, blushed as she saw a little forest green chi bead rise and fall on his hard, bare chest. Small, jade green swirls seemed to be floating inside it, once in a while displaying a dark shade of maroon here and there. Intrigued, she reached out a hand to touch it. As her hand neared the proximity of the bead, Syaoran's eyebrows gave an involuntary switch and headed towards the center in a small frown. Sakura's eyes glittered under her wet lashes as her petite fingers touched the hard stone. She bent her head to one side, gazing at the ball with child-like interest whilst all the time, Syaoran's slight frown deepened. Sakura failed to notice the changes on his face however and remained in her kneeling position, delicately running her fingers over it, feeling its coolness under her skin. The swirls of dark green lightened considerably before giving way to a new, yellowish green shade. "Sakura, I'm gonna get some fresh water, sou? Don't go anywhere!" Tomoyo called from the door. "Hai" she called back before stooping over Syaoran again as the door was banged shut. This time, before she could lay a finger on the bead, his hands lashed out, one holding her wrist and the other around her mouth, preventing her from making any surprised noises. Syaoran's eyes opened; his whole face was etched with weariness but his eyes were alert. He gave her a tight, cold look, taking in every single detail about her, from the tear of her gown near her belly button to the many droplets of tears still clinging onto her eyelashes from underneath which her green eyes were looking frightened, lost and pleadingly at him. He released her, although his gaze didn't waver for a moment. "Don't" Syaoran's voice sounded hoarse "touch my chi bead, sou? You're not worth it."
Even though these words hurt her no end, Sakura knew not to argue with him and nodded her head silently, looking at a spot a little to his left. Syaoran sat up, drawing one knee to his chest. Feeling the pains of remorse was just starting, she simply sat there until a nice, sensible voice in her head reminded her she had honey in her hair. She instantly grasped the idea as an excuse to leave him. Sakura stood up quickly while Syaoran looked up at her, a little confused. "Where are you going?" he asked, sounding off- handed. "I have to shower. I-I'll see you later maybe." And without further ado, she practically raced out of the room.
Syaoran banged his fist on the floor. Idiot idiot IDIOT! He yelled inside his head. Why the hell had he hurt her like that? He'd caught sight of them. Of her eyes, as soon as he said it. It was as if the light had gone from them. Why?! Because she had no right to touch his chi bead, that's why! Had she asked his permission? NOOOO! All she does is goes ahead and touches the bead. HOW DARE SHE!!! Syaoran glared at the opposite wall and punched the floor again. Darn it all, but he shouldn't have just burst out on her like that. She didn't know it was so precious to him. He knew it as much as he didn't want to admit it. It wasn't her fault. It was his. He crawled up on the nearest bed and lay there, listening to the sounds of Eriol's regular breathing. Oh well, there was always time to make amends...
But by the time Sakura and Tomoyo had returned, Tomoyo in a cream night gown and Sakura in a pair of blue shorts and tank top, Syaoran was fast asleep. "Time to turn in at last" she heard Tomoyo sigh. Sakura looked over at Syaoran. There was still a considerable amount of make-up that needed to be cleaned off and the wounds weren't dressed yet. "Tomoyo-chan, you go to sleep. Syaoran needs some medical attention" she said, her eyes traveling to her best friend's face. Tomoyo simply nodded, for once not making any comments on her love life. "Just take that lamp with you. I can't sleep with so much light..."
Sakura carefully lifted the lamp by its holder and took it with her to the side of his bed. There was already a bottle of antiseptic on the table and a pitcher of water. Hunting around, she found what looked like a spare piece of cloth and proceeded to wipe the paint off his face, humming to herself. As she squeezed the water out of the cloth, he groaned. Sakura made soft shushing noises, cradling him to sleep like a baby. She soaked the cloth in the antiseptic and moved it over the bite marks on his forearm. She began to hum again. The gash began to sting and Syaoran woke up, though keeping his eyes closed. Sakura was beginning to form soft words, as she applied the medication on his wrist, careful not to sing too loud.
"...I miss those ways
And I miss those days
When I got lost in fantasies
In a cartoon land of mysteries"
Sakura checked under his sleeve for any bruises and satisfied, she moved over to the deep slashes on his stomach, Syaoran listening behind his closed eyelids the whole while.
"...In a place you won't grow old
In a place you won't feel cold
Dadadadadadadada
Seems I'm lost in my reflection"
After dealing with the cuts on his stomach, Sakura threw her weight across his chest, reaching for his other arm. Syaoran felt an uncomfortable heat travel up his neck and squeezed his eyes forcefully, keeping them shut against his own will. She started on his other arm, after dabbing more of the lotion on her cloth.
"...Find a star for my direction
For that little girl inside
Who won't just hide"
Sakura peered under his sleeve, dabbing some lotion there too and withdrew, looking at his face, searching it for any signs of being hurt. Finding none, she put the cloth and bottle on the table and looked back at him again.
"...Let me see mistakes and lies
Let me keep my faith and innocent eyes"
Sakura bent down and smoothed back his hair from his brow. She blushed at the thought of what he would do if he knew. Syaoran, on the other hand, was on the verge of exploding with shock, but restrained himself barely. His curiosity for the events to come were much more dominant. Sakura knelt beside him.
"...and my innocent eyes"
She dropped a soothing, tender kiss on his fore head before whipping around, and taking the lamp by its holder.
"...and my innocent eyes."
Sakura made her way back to her bed, turning down the flame once she'd seated herself on the cold sheets. After a rather complicated struggle with the blankets, she settled in peacefully and closed her eyes. The minutes seemed to tick past. There was no sound except the gentle slush of the sea against the side of the ship. Sakura sensed rather than felt or heard a slight movement beside her. She turned to her side and curled up under the blanket. The movement was repeated. Thinking that one of the guys were having a nightmare or something, she opened her eyes. Only to be met with Syaoran's. Before she could shriek her shock, his hand closed over her mouth. "Shhh. Everyone's asleep. You'll wake them" he whispered. "And I do not want to explain to Eriol how I came by your bed in the dead of the night." Sakura looked at him confusedly, making no effort to get up. Syaoran drew his hand away and knelt more comfortably on the floor. Her first thought was that he'd come to put spiders under her sheets or something of the kind. But then she remembered almost clawing him to death.
"Syaoran" she began, looking at him meekly, not knowing where to begin. Gosh, it felt so bad. He protected her from that creep Masuki and here she was repaying him by almost shredding him to pieces. "I'm really, really sorry for clawing you back there." She looked a little to his right. "It wasn't a very good way to repay you for defending me..." she stopped and blushed as she felt his finger against her lips. "All shall be accounted for in the future, Kinomoto" he said, letting his finger fall away but not before grazing her bare shoulders for a minute. Sakura drew her blanket around her more tightly, and gazed at him in the semi-darkness. "Meanwhile, I do not like being in debt to anyone. So I think I owe you something..." he drew close to her. "You will not mind, I am sure" he whispered, before sliding one hand to the back of her neck, bringing her head forward. Syaoran's eyes wandered across her features, finally resting on her lips. He seemed almost as nervous as her. Without much more ado, he lunged forward and met her lips in a feverish kiss, his hand tightening behind her hair fervently. Sakura's mind seemed numbed as one of her hands which was still outside the warmth of her covers, slowly made its way to his shirt and gripped it, pulling him towards her even when there wasn't even a minuscule distance between them. Syaoran's other hand reached up and brushed down the side of her face, coming to a stop at her bare arms. A small smile played on his lips as he felt her kiss his upper lip with equal vehemence.
Suddenly, other thoughts, other feelings, other objections, other dedications, other promises entered his mind. Shaking his head, he broke free.
"You can't..." he said quietly. Sakura looked fearful. Her first kiss. It was lost. Syaoran's eyes widened from some unknown apprehension. "You can't..." he repeated, his arms tightening their grip. There was something akin to fear swimming in his eyes. "You mustn't..." Syaoran, bent down, letting his lips graze hers, holding both his hands against her face, before turning away. "Sakura..." he seemed at a lost what to say. "Sakura, your life is in danger."
Eh. I don't know what it is with me and death tolls. But I like them. Yeah, I am the prophet of doom. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Whatever.
Anyways, hope you liked it. I'm kinda in a hurry right now. We're barreling off to Tibet. Don't know why though. .;; So new school. New friends. And new surroundings. I don't know how my grades are gonna keep up. So it might take a while for the next chapter to be up. But when it is, it is. I'm forgetting something...
Oh yeah. That song was Innocent eyes by Delta Goodrem. It was actually my last piano recital piece too. .
That's all for now.
Ja matte minna-san.
Chibi Ijin
PS why the heck do I bother, but CCS does not belong to me.
And PPS this chapter will have a lot of what I call unnecessary scenes but its all for reason...
Syaoran's POV
"What the hell did you say?!" I yelled at Eriol. No, this could not be happening. This was worse than that 'playing along' I'd done with Sakura. Kinomoto. I meant Kinomoto. No, don't run off with the wrong idea. I meant Kinomoto. sure he did, right guys? "Chill it Syaoran" Daidouji said, filing her nails against the doorframe. Urgh, females. I hope some piece of wood gets stuck in that hand of hers. "Everywhere else is absolutely full, Syaoran" Eriol stated calmly. "Can't we put five men in a room?" I asked resentfully. "Unless you want the men to be living in unhygienic conditions and start a mutiny against us, there is no way" he declared. Oh bummer. I could not believe we had to actually share a room with those girls. Share a room. The next thing you'd know we'd be sharing half our lives with them! "Hey, we get separate beds, don't we?" Daidouji asked. Eriol choked and spluttered . "I'll take that as a yes" she replied blandly. Sakura, who was busy looking somewhere away from me, looked up, almost glaring at her friend. "Mou, Tomoyo what d'you think?!" she whispered, her hands fidgeting with a bit of her dress. She hesitantly glanced up at me. I stared. There seemed to be nothing else I could do. "If-If it's okay with you, we'll share a room. Or we can find a different solution" she said quietly, before tinting red and ducking her head again. Then it suddenly hit me. She Liked me. I could have laughed. It was so funny. But I chose to fool around with that later. For now, we had a problem to solve. And I could understand that she was directing the question to me as I was the only one who was objecting.
"Fine. But separate beds. And no crossing the boundaries. And no two to a bed" I said resolutely, glaring pointedly at Eriol and Daidouji, who looked a bit wordless. Sakura nodded what seemed like a billion times a second, answering for the three of them. Well, that seemed to settle the issue.
As Daidouji pushed open the door and Eriol stepped in after her, I knew it was now or never. It was time to corner the little cherry blossom...
Third Person POV
Sakura made it to trail Eriol. She couldn't stand being alone more than necessary with Syaoran. After what had just happened, she'd rather spend time alone. Syaoran's hand materialized out of nowhere and bound her arm in a martial grip. Spinning her around to face him, Syaoran smirked as Sakura let an almost inaudible cry escape her lips. Not again...
He felt good. Knowing that she could not defend herself, seeing he had so much power over her, seeing she didn't or couldn't resist him. Shoving her violently against the wall, he placed himself in front of her. There was hardly any air between them. Because space was too good. There was no need for it. "You owe me something, wench" Syaoran said breaking the silence. Sakura bent her head down. "Nande?" she asked delicately, staring resolutely downwards, never breaking her gaze at the wooden base. Syaoran almost closed the gap between them. "You owe me your life, Kinomoto" he said placidly. Her position remained non-shifting. Sakura nodded her head to show she understood she was indebted to him. Syaoran placed a knuckle under her chin and lifted her head up, in level with his eyes. The beautiful pair of emerald orbs glittered under his fierce gaze. It made him feel foolish that he was doing this. And a little scared to see the look of sheer terror in her eyes. "I also happen to notice that you blush a lot" he said, letting his hand drop while she jolted unexpectedly. Syaoran leaned forward. "You're sweet on me, aren't you?" He asked in an amused tone. Sakura looked up, frightened by the sudden development. She began to blush. "I..." she began. "You're not the first one" he said breezily. Sakura's hackles rose swiftly. "I do not like you more than a friend, sou?!" she almost screamed. Syaoran looked slightly taken aback. She sighed. "Gomen Syaoran. I've had a lot on my mind lately... I didn't mean to burst out on you like that" she muttered expressing her regret. He waved a hand carelessly. "That's cool then" he said. Suddenly without so much as a warning, his hand snaked down the side of her face, brushing past her almost bare shoulders, enfolding them in a passionate grip. Sakura took a shuddering breath, feeling her knees almost turn into jelly at the feel of his hands on her bare skin, hating her dress for revealing so much of her. Pushing her closer to him, he leaned forward and whispered "You also owe me a kiss, for saving you." Sakura seemed unable to move, unable to speak, unable to think. He inched forward, closing the space that was still in between them. As he bent down, Sakura's eyes fluttered half closed. But the touch never came. She opened her eyes. Syaoran's face was still inches away from hers. She noticed the smirk on his lips and her eyes widened. But instead of kissing her, he rubbed his nose against hers and let go, receding a step or two. Smiling slightly at the confused look on her face, he said "Like I told you, I won't steal your first kiss." Leaving the baffled girl in the same position he'd last placed her, Syaoran turned and retreated to the deck.
As the last of his resounding footsteps died away, Sakura slowly, almost painfully, regained her senses and automatically turned to her left to enter their new quarters. Thinking that her best friend would still be there, she walked in, talking loudly to her non-existent friend. "Tomoyo, do you like it..." she started to ask but found that there was noone there "...here?!" She looked around at the empty room.
She'd seen Eriol and Tomoyo go in earlier and she didn't think that they'd passed her on the way out; she would have seen them...
Knowing it was better to stay where she was other than run around and get lost or worse, get captured, she slumped onto one of the four beds in the room. Sighing deeply, Sakura threw herself back and stared at the ceiling. There were a few inscriptions engraved into the wood. Squinting her eyes, she tried to read them. They certainly did seem like English, but the letters were a bit more stylized and the ends were longer. She gave up all hope of reading it when a layer of dust landed on her. Someone seemed to have walked above her and the tremors detached the filth from the ceiling. Sakura rubbed her watering eyes with her knuckles. "Oh man" she moaned, tears still leaking from her eyes. "Hey, what's up?" a masculine voice inquired. Sakura pried her eyes open a mite and saw Eriol standing there near the door. "Hey Eriol, is there water anywhere nearby? I need to wash my eyes..." Eriol led her to a wash basin already filled with water and there, she gladly rinsed the dust from her eyes.
As Sakura looked up again, she found she was alone. "What the-" she mused. How could Eriol have left the room so quietly? Before taking leave of her? Shrugging her shoulders, she turned around. That was really strange, she thought to herself. It was spooky and she didn't like it one bit. Maybe it was a good idea to go and look for the guys, she reflected and was about to head for the door when a beam of green light behind her caught her gaze. "H- Hooeee!" she squealed, her heart beat quickening. A unforeseen, turbulent wind broke out through the room and her newly washed eyes almost popped out of her head as she watched the flame in the lamp flicker then come to life. Then it wavered again. And again. And again. It flickered lower. And lower... and lower. Then it went out. It was pitch black...
"Hoooeeee..." she muttered edging her way to the closed door, willing herself not to faint. The door burst open and a black figure stood silhouetted against the bright light outside. "WWHHHHOOOOOOO" it moaned, swaying a little. Sakura screamed. She heard the sound of chains as it dragged itself towards her. IT WAS A BLACK GHOST! "AHHH! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU HORRIBLE STINKY PHANTOM!" she screamed. The ghost rubbed its ears and then continued it's a-whooing. "I HAAAVVVVE COOOMMME TO HAAAUUUUNNTTT YUUOOOOO!" It wailed. Sakura shrieked stumbling backwards and fell headlong over a wooden box. Picking herself up, she strained her eyes in the darkness at the box. Realisation hit her. It wasn't just any old wooden crate- dear Kami-sama it was a...a? What was it?! Sakura suddenly looked blank and called for the script and the Ghost turned to glare at the narrarator me who had currently forgotten the name of that thing in which people are buried.
what's it called again? I really forgot. .;; No, this is not a joke. Oh yeah. Now I remember!
IT WAS A COFFIN! wow, amazing discovery. T.T
There was an eerie silence in the air. Even the Black Ghost seemed to have stopped its whooing although it did clank its chains from time to time. There was a nerve-racking creak! as the top of the coffin slowly swung open. Sakura drew a loud gasp of air. A white hand with long white nails, the ends dripping in a red liquid, emerged and gripped the side of the casket. Sakura screamed again. The thing, whatever it was, must have had quite a fright as it started causing the lid to fall on its fingers, jamming them. The thing yelled and swore in an unknown language. "Argh! That must be Transylvanian! It's Count Dracula! After my blood!!!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs, before scampering away from the hazardous box. Stumbling up on one of the beds, she seized a pillow and threw it at the Black Ghost. I doubt if I'll sleep tonight .; The pillow seemed to hurt the ghost and rather encouraged, Sakura threw the rest of the pillows on it as well. The ghost made a last weak attempt to rattle its chains before slumping over. "Yes!" Sakura did a little victory dance which resulted in her tripping and landing on her face. "Oh, fudge" she groaned. It was bad enough being embarrassed in front of the living, and now in front of the dead, well undead...
But the victory didn't last for long. The coffin lid was thrown open and a pale white figure stepped out all in black.
Gosh, I wonder who it is? The MIB?!
The form was in full black with a pale face and red rimmed eyes. The vampire waved its cloak aside and stepped out. Sakura stared and unexpectedly coughed and blushed. "Uh excuse me, Mr. Count, sir. Sorry about this... but you're not wearing any trousers" she looked away and pointed. Count Dracula looked down and saw it was true; no trousers, just a pair of green boxers. The Count went tomato red and hastily disappeared into the coffin for a moment. When he reappeared, he was wearing a pair of black trousers. "I want your blood..." he hissed, venturing forward, claws outstretched. "I-I-I do-don't think that's-s v-very n-n-nice! I t-told you when you weren't wearing yo-your t-trousers, d-didn't I?!" Sakura stammered, edging out of the Count's reach. "I don't CARE. I want your blood! I need your blood!" The Count hissed again. Sakura screamed in alarm as the vampire made a wild dash after her. Almost tripping over her legs, she dodged between the four beds in the room, the demon in black in hot pursuit. Sakura saw her life dwindle before her as he closed in slowly. No! She would not die in the hands of some evil git who forgets his trousers. She decided to act. Stopping abruptly, she turned around and faced her pursuer. The Count looked lost and growled a little, raising his arms over his head and wiggling his long fingernails. Sakura folded her hands in front of her and yawned. Behind her, the Ghost gurgled in his unconscious state. Sakura screwed up her face and let out a loud "HIIIIIII YAAAAA!!" She lashed out with her fists, nails and teeth. The vampire yelled in pain and stumbled backwards, apparently traumatized by the initial assault. Soon enough, though, the vampire dodged her attacks, though he did not attack himself. Maybe he might waste my blood by attacking me, she thought wryly. The Count had taken her moment of reminiscence to catch her flairing wrists and hold them in an unbreakable grasp. Pushing her roughly against himself, he whispered "I am going to drain your veins, suck your very life blood from you..." The white long teeth glistened in the light filtering in from the door. Sakura couldn't do anything but watch as he lazily tilted his head and bent it to a side. She felt the warm breath fall on her skin as he very nearly rested his head on her shoulder. She felt his lips touch her neck. They were soft and warm and... KAMI-SAMA, WE ARE DEALING WITH AN INHABITANT OF THE UNDERWORLD HERE, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! The lips tightened their hold on her neck and the arms tightened around her torso, though no cry of pain escaped her. And she fainted.
Not! As if that would ever happen! Well, it would, LIKE EVERY FIVE MINUTES OR SO! T.T;;
This is what really happened.
Sakura thought of all the evil fiends she'd fought off previously. Those pirates, the Ghost and of course, the seagulls, although she'd lost that one. How could a person who'd struggled through so much be exterminated by a single being? Thus thinking, she wrapped her hands around the vampire's neck and progressed to choke him to death. Which was pretty hard because he was already dead. Still, one can't die too many times. The vampire spluttered and choked, his tongue hanging out and his pale hands distraughtly clawing hers. At that point, Sakura realized that a criminal record wouldn't be very useful in her later life. So she decided to ...what's that word again? Oh yeah, she decided to amputate every part of him she could without actually taking his life ...ano...death.
I'm kinda hyper at the moment. I laughed my head off during the whole paragraph. And I haven't stopped. ;;
Aiming for his nose, Sakura swung a fist with all her might and only succeeded in getting blocked by his arm. She thought quickly and kicked his shin. The vampire yelled in pain and landed in a heap on the floor. "Arrrggghhhhh!!!" Sakura threw herself on top of the vampire as he pushed his hand in her face, covering it completely. She aimed a few swipes blindly, her arms flaring pointlessly. "Muih mun uhoinh moo miull muoi uoyinkh mughunrh!" she puffed into his hand. Dracula removed his hand, looking slightly confused. "What?!" "I said, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU COUNT DRACULA!" she repeated. "Oh." Count Dracula rolled from underneath her, breaking a jar of honey on a nearby night table and Sakura landed in that wet puddle of honey. "EEEWWWW!" she squealed, scooping off the mess from one side of her face. Tomoyo suddenly appeared on the bed next to her. "Well Sakura, looks like you're in a sticky situation. Get it? Sticky situation!" and she started laughing her head off, rolling from side to side. Sakura and the Count exchanged confused expression. And to make things more complicated, a dark haired man in a blue blazer, holding a microphone, stepped into the scenario, closely tailed by a cameraman.
"We interrupt this program for a special report" he gave a large, fake toothy smile at a camera. "Kinomoto Sakura, who fell into a pool of honey, has been quoted to be in a 'sticky situation'." The guy then completely lost it too and started laughing. He bent down on all fours, tears of mirth leaking out, and banged his fist on the floor. He stopped laughing as quickly as he began and looked mildly puzzled. "I don't get it." He said, scratching his head. Then donning his phony smile again he said "That's all for tonight. Good night folks" and they both left.
"What was all that about?" Dracula asked her. Sakura shrugged, absentmindedly wiping the honey from her hair. THEN, they both remembered that they were supposed to be fighting. Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs and threw a kick at the seated vampire. It hit him squarely on the shoulder. He went down and that was all she needed. Sakura knew that her one attack wouldn't hurt anyone, so she piled a heap of punches, bites and scratching all in one go, the Count yelling at the top of his lungs. "Sakura stop! STOP! That's not a vampire, THAT'S SYAORAN!" Tomoyo screamed, materializing suddenly. Sakura's hands fell limply to her sides as she looked down at the alarmingly tattered figure in front of her. "Syaoran?" she repeated softly. Syaoran just groaned. "Oh my gosh" she whispered, looking round at Tomoyo who was supporting the Ghost. "And that's...Eriol?!" she asked quietly. Tomoyo grimly nodded. "Oh my gosh" she whispered again, turning her attention back to Syaoran.
"S-Syaoran?" she stared at him. "Syaoran, please, get up. Onegai..." He didn't stir. She got onto her knees and rolled him to face her. Now that she had a closer look at him, she saw the big mistake she had made. Parts of his face that weren't painted white or injured showed some of his tanned skin and one of his fake nails were hanging off. She looked around for something that might help him... anything. Chewing her bottom lip in frustration, Sakura looked down at all the bite-marks and the scratches that she'd rendered upon him.
A few unbidden tears leaked out, dropping silently on the floor and on the hem of the cloak. She heard Tomoyo heave Eriol, now out of his costume onto a bed and bent lower. She could at least make him comfortable.
Wiping her tears hastily, she slid off his cloak, the black jacket and the waistcoat, leaving him with a thin white shirt that was buttonless, and tucked into his black trousers, the flaps crossing over each other. Sakura, despite the fact that she was still tearful, blushed as she saw a little forest green chi bead rise and fall on his hard, bare chest. Small, jade green swirls seemed to be floating inside it, once in a while displaying a dark shade of maroon here and there. Intrigued, she reached out a hand to touch it. As her hand neared the proximity of the bead, Syaoran's eyebrows gave an involuntary switch and headed towards the center in a small frown. Sakura's eyes glittered under her wet lashes as her petite fingers touched the hard stone. She bent her head to one side, gazing at the ball with child-like interest whilst all the time, Syaoran's slight frown deepened. Sakura failed to notice the changes on his face however and remained in her kneeling position, delicately running her fingers over it, feeling its coolness under her skin. The swirls of dark green lightened considerably before giving way to a new, yellowish green shade. "Sakura, I'm gonna get some fresh water, sou? Don't go anywhere!" Tomoyo called from the door. "Hai" she called back before stooping over Syaoran again as the door was banged shut. This time, before she could lay a finger on the bead, his hands lashed out, one holding her wrist and the other around her mouth, preventing her from making any surprised noises. Syaoran's eyes opened; his whole face was etched with weariness but his eyes were alert. He gave her a tight, cold look, taking in every single detail about her, from the tear of her gown near her belly button to the many droplets of tears still clinging onto her eyelashes from underneath which her green eyes were looking frightened, lost and pleadingly at him. He released her, although his gaze didn't waver for a moment. "Don't" Syaoran's voice sounded hoarse "touch my chi bead, sou? You're not worth it."
Even though these words hurt her no end, Sakura knew not to argue with him and nodded her head silently, looking at a spot a little to his left. Syaoran sat up, drawing one knee to his chest. Feeling the pains of remorse was just starting, she simply sat there until a nice, sensible voice in her head reminded her she had honey in her hair. She instantly grasped the idea as an excuse to leave him. Sakura stood up quickly while Syaoran looked up at her, a little confused. "Where are you going?" he asked, sounding off- handed. "I have to shower. I-I'll see you later maybe." And without further ado, she practically raced out of the room.
Syaoran banged his fist on the floor. Idiot idiot IDIOT! He yelled inside his head. Why the hell had he hurt her like that? He'd caught sight of them. Of her eyes, as soon as he said it. It was as if the light had gone from them. Why?! Because she had no right to touch his chi bead, that's why! Had she asked his permission? NOOOO! All she does is goes ahead and touches the bead. HOW DARE SHE!!! Syaoran glared at the opposite wall and punched the floor again. Darn it all, but he shouldn't have just burst out on her like that. She didn't know it was so precious to him. He knew it as much as he didn't want to admit it. It wasn't her fault. It was his. He crawled up on the nearest bed and lay there, listening to the sounds of Eriol's regular breathing. Oh well, there was always time to make amends...
But by the time Sakura and Tomoyo had returned, Tomoyo in a cream night gown and Sakura in a pair of blue shorts and tank top, Syaoran was fast asleep. "Time to turn in at last" she heard Tomoyo sigh. Sakura looked over at Syaoran. There was still a considerable amount of make-up that needed to be cleaned off and the wounds weren't dressed yet. "Tomoyo-chan, you go to sleep. Syaoran needs some medical attention" she said, her eyes traveling to her best friend's face. Tomoyo simply nodded, for once not making any comments on her love life. "Just take that lamp with you. I can't sleep with so much light..."
Sakura carefully lifted the lamp by its holder and took it with her to the side of his bed. There was already a bottle of antiseptic on the table and a pitcher of water. Hunting around, she found what looked like a spare piece of cloth and proceeded to wipe the paint off his face, humming to herself. As she squeezed the water out of the cloth, he groaned. Sakura made soft shushing noises, cradling him to sleep like a baby. She soaked the cloth in the antiseptic and moved it over the bite marks on his forearm. She began to hum again. The gash began to sting and Syaoran woke up, though keeping his eyes closed. Sakura was beginning to form soft words, as she applied the medication on his wrist, careful not to sing too loud.
"...I miss those ways
And I miss those days
When I got lost in fantasies
In a cartoon land of mysteries"
Sakura checked under his sleeve for any bruises and satisfied, she moved over to the deep slashes on his stomach, Syaoran listening behind his closed eyelids the whole while.
"...In a place you won't grow old
In a place you won't feel cold
Dadadadadadadada
Seems I'm lost in my reflection"
After dealing with the cuts on his stomach, Sakura threw her weight across his chest, reaching for his other arm. Syaoran felt an uncomfortable heat travel up his neck and squeezed his eyes forcefully, keeping them shut against his own will. She started on his other arm, after dabbing more of the lotion on her cloth.
"...Find a star for my direction
For that little girl inside
Who won't just hide"
Sakura peered under his sleeve, dabbing some lotion there too and withdrew, looking at his face, searching it for any signs of being hurt. Finding none, she put the cloth and bottle on the table and looked back at him again.
"...Let me see mistakes and lies
Let me keep my faith and innocent eyes"
Sakura bent down and smoothed back his hair from his brow. She blushed at the thought of what he would do if he knew. Syaoran, on the other hand, was on the verge of exploding with shock, but restrained himself barely. His curiosity for the events to come were much more dominant. Sakura knelt beside him.
"...and my innocent eyes"
She dropped a soothing, tender kiss on his fore head before whipping around, and taking the lamp by its holder.
"...and my innocent eyes."
Sakura made her way back to her bed, turning down the flame once she'd seated herself on the cold sheets. After a rather complicated struggle with the blankets, she settled in peacefully and closed her eyes. The minutes seemed to tick past. There was no sound except the gentle slush of the sea against the side of the ship. Sakura sensed rather than felt or heard a slight movement beside her. She turned to her side and curled up under the blanket. The movement was repeated. Thinking that one of the guys were having a nightmare or something, she opened her eyes. Only to be met with Syaoran's. Before she could shriek her shock, his hand closed over her mouth. "Shhh. Everyone's asleep. You'll wake them" he whispered. "And I do not want to explain to Eriol how I came by your bed in the dead of the night." Sakura looked at him confusedly, making no effort to get up. Syaoran drew his hand away and knelt more comfortably on the floor. Her first thought was that he'd come to put spiders under her sheets or something of the kind. But then she remembered almost clawing him to death.
"Syaoran" she began, looking at him meekly, not knowing where to begin. Gosh, it felt so bad. He protected her from that creep Masuki and here she was repaying him by almost shredding him to pieces. "I'm really, really sorry for clawing you back there." She looked a little to his right. "It wasn't a very good way to repay you for defending me..." she stopped and blushed as she felt his finger against her lips. "All shall be accounted for in the future, Kinomoto" he said, letting his finger fall away but not before grazing her bare shoulders for a minute. Sakura drew her blanket around her more tightly, and gazed at him in the semi-darkness. "Meanwhile, I do not like being in debt to anyone. So I think I owe you something..." he drew close to her. "You will not mind, I am sure" he whispered, before sliding one hand to the back of her neck, bringing her head forward. Syaoran's eyes wandered across her features, finally resting on her lips. He seemed almost as nervous as her. Without much more ado, he lunged forward and met her lips in a feverish kiss, his hand tightening behind her hair fervently. Sakura's mind seemed numbed as one of her hands which was still outside the warmth of her covers, slowly made its way to his shirt and gripped it, pulling him towards her even when there wasn't even a minuscule distance between them. Syaoran's other hand reached up and brushed down the side of her face, coming to a stop at her bare arms. A small smile played on his lips as he felt her kiss his upper lip with equal vehemence.
Suddenly, other thoughts, other feelings, other objections, other dedications, other promises entered his mind. Shaking his head, he broke free.
"You can't..." he said quietly. Sakura looked fearful. Her first kiss. It was lost. Syaoran's eyes widened from some unknown apprehension. "You can't..." he repeated, his arms tightening their grip. There was something akin to fear swimming in his eyes. "You mustn't..." Syaoran, bent down, letting his lips graze hers, holding both his hands against her face, before turning away. "Sakura..." he seemed at a lost what to say. "Sakura, your life is in danger."
Eh. I don't know what it is with me and death tolls. But I like them. Yeah, I am the prophet of doom. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Whatever.
Anyways, hope you liked it. I'm kinda in a hurry right now. We're barreling off to Tibet. Don't know why though. .;; So new school. New friends. And new surroundings. I don't know how my grades are gonna keep up. So it might take a while for the next chapter to be up. But when it is, it is. I'm forgetting something...
Oh yeah. That song was Innocent eyes by Delta Goodrem. It was actually my last piano recital piece too. .
That's all for now.
Ja matte minna-san.
Chibi Ijin