Only Hope

Chapter Two—Setting Out

by: Mel

E-mail: LightofFaeries@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: Don't own CCS, enough said.

Little Author's Note: SORRY people!!!!! I know I took forever to get this chapter up, but it's all my school's fault!!! I've only touched computer the twice and that was to do homework and write a little of my other stories!! Please forgive me!! If someone could just maybe get rid of school…{looks around}…silence…okay, never mind. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Well, on with the story!

Silence reigned for a long moment. Sakura just sat, stunned. A loud cough erupted from the man, waking Sakura out of her daze. She jumped up, as if stung, dropping the red book which now lay open and empty before her.

"Wh-what was that?" she asked shakily, handing flying up to her necklace in her nervousness.

The man only looked at her and from his eyes, Sakura realized he was on his last breaths. Tears slid down her cheeks. Though she did not know him, she grieved for his inevitable death. He reminded her of her mother who had had the same look in her eyes when she breathed her last breaths. Her gentle and beautiful mother who had drawn Sakura close to her on her deathbed. Her mother, who had given her a little key necklace, whispering for Sakura to keep it safe. Her mother, who had looked beautiful even in death.

The man was speaking, his voice low and stuttering as he forced the words out, filled with urgency, blood flowing down his chin. "You must take the book and go to the Capital…" the man drew in a shuddering breath. "Find the King and tell him…tell him that the time has come. Go now! You must not delay! Do not go back to your home, they will find you there. You must not turn back…Don't bother burying me. Go directly to the King. Capture the Cards…" The man shuddered one last time and was still.

Sakura stood stock still, not knowing what to do. She believed the man. She didn't know why, but she just did. She knew she had to go to the capital city, Somwyal. But she had no clue where Somwyal was. She wasn't even sure who the king was anymore for the old King had died just a while back. And what about her family? They would be worried about her. She needed to tell them that she was fine.

Sakura stooped down and grabbed her basket. Placing her half-full bottle of water back in the basket, she scooped up the red book and placed it in along with the bottle, rearranging the cheese and bread around it. She then hooked the basket on her left arm.

Sakura looked down at the dead man, tears threatening to spill again. She would have to do something about his body. It looked wrong just leaving the body exposed and unburied.

'Go! Go! Forget about the body! You must flea!' Something yelled in her head. Startled, and frightened, Sakura wheeled around and ran, not knowing where she was going, pushed onward by some invisible force.

Just past noon, Sakura stopped and plopped down under a huge old sycamore, panting and sweating. Sunlight filtered down through the leaves, playing soft patterns upon her upturned face. Placing her basket on her lap, Sakura broke off a piece of bread and began to eat, wondering what to do next. The wind picked up, blowing thick strands of honey-colored hair into her eyes. Sakura waited for the wind to die down so she could eat her bread in peace. Instead of blowing itself out, the wind blew even more fiercely, until it howled between the trees, forcing Sakura to clutch her basket lest it flew away, and shut her eyes against the gale. The wind whistled loudly in her ear, and stung viciously at her eyes until they watered. Sakura grabbed for something, anything, to shield her face. Her hand found the red book and pulled it out, bringing it up to her face. In the process, the book was blown open. Immediately, the wind died down and the ghostly form of a woman appeared, looming over a petrified Sakura. The beautiful woman stared at Sakura for a long moment, then began to diminish in size, going into the red book like a genie returning to a lamp. Finally, she disappeared completely, and where she had been, was a large rectangular card fitting perfectly in the space of the book. Sakura slowly reached out and took the card out. She stared at it. There was a picture of the woman that Sakura had just seen and underneath her were the words 'the Windy'. Sakura just sat there, rigid with shock, for a long time.

It was nightfall and beginning to rain. Sakura had reached the edge of the forest, just north of her home. She had been lead there by a mysterious force. She had accepted the force just like the way she had accepted the incident with the 'card woman,' as Sakura had deemed it. She knew that everything that had happened that day all had to do with the man under the willow tree.

She now found herself on the outskirts of a village. Sakura knew she needed a place to sleep, but she had no money and had never slept anywhere outside the area of her father's property. Thinking about her father made Sakura long for her family and wonder if they were searching for her. She didn't want them to worry about her.

Sakura spotted a barn. She was weary and the rain was now coming down in torrents, a barn would have to do unless she wanted to sleep outside. She walked to the barn and eased the heavy door open. A cow mooed twice in her stall, but then quieted. Sakura closed the barn door, then turned around and saw a ladder leading up to the hayloft. Feeling guilty about trespassing on someone else's property, but with no other chose, Sakura climbed nimbly up the ladder, her basket banging her hip.

She lay down with a sigh on the straw, closing her eyes. But sleep would not come. The straw was itchy and Sakura couldn't find a comfortable position.

Suddenly a face popped up at the edge of the hayloft. Sakura jumped, startled. It was a young man with black hair and eyes that were like arched lines, as if he was eternally smiling.

Sakura froze, thinking she was in trouble. Instead, the man just smiled gently said, "One of our cows is pregnant and I just came to check on her. I saw the muddy footprints on the floor and knew someone must have taken refuge in our hayloft. It happens once in awhile," the man paused. Sakura realized he must think she was a runaway, and she swallowed a bubble of hysterical laughter. She would have given anything to be back home.

"Well, why don't you come down and come into the house. My wife is cooking supper and you can join us if you like," the man offered.

Sakura nodded shakily, "Thank you, sir. I would like that very much."

The man nodded. Sakura waited for the man to climb down the ladder before descending herself. She followed him through the door that connected the barn to the house and stepped blinking into the well-lit house.

The man led Sakura into what had to be the kitchen and introduced her to a small, brown-haired woman. "Chiharu dear, we have a guest tonight."

The woman named Chiharu bowed and Sakura bowed in response, "Welcome. What is your name?"

"Sakura, Kinomoto Sakura."

"Welcome Sakura. I am Yamazaki Chiharu and this is my husband Yamazaki Takashi," Chiharu said, indicating with her hand.

Dinner had been satisfying. The Yamazakis were friendly and generous. They didn't press Sakura on anything she didn't want to talk about. Takashi had even offered a ride to Sakura as far as Taora, when he found out that Sakura was going to Somwyal, since he had business to do there. He told Sakura that Somywal was about eight days away on foot, but from Taora, it would only be about two. Sakura had agreed gratefully.

Sakura was now lying on a blanket upon the floor. Chiharu had offered their bed, but Sakura politely refused, she didn't want to deprive the couple of their bed. She drifted quickly off to sleep, not allowing herself to think about her family, knowing that if she did, she would never get to sleep.

It was dark, so very dark. Sakura waved her hands in front of her face in a vain attempt to see them. Suddenly, she heard footsteps and whirled around, only to find herself falling. She tried to scream, but only found it shoved back down her throat. Someone was laughing, the laugh echoing around her, amplifying until she had to cover her ears.

'So, little Cherry Blossom, they have managed to acquire you to their side first. But no matter, do they really think they can stand against me? The time has come. Give me the Book and the Key!' A booming voice demanded. Sakura found the area around her slightly lighten, until she could just make out a figure standing above her. The figure reached long, shadowy, hands, out towards her. Sakura felt her something tug at her neck, looking down, she saw her necklace stretched outward, towards the dark figure, the little key glowing pink. Suddenly, the red book appeared, flying swiftly towards the black hands. With a cry, Sakura reached out and grabbed it with one hand, clutching her necklace with the other. She clung onto them like a drowning person.

Suddenly, she was no longer falling, instead, entrapped in a beautiful, but deadly, glass web. Whenever she moved, a shard would cut into her or fall to lodge in the ground below which was already filled with spikes of glass shards. A spider was approaching, a huge, monstrous, spider. Sakura squirmed, trying to get away and ignoring the pain of the web, bleeding profusely. Without warning, the web gave way and Sakura found herself falling, falling to the spears of glass down below.

Author's Note: So, what do you think? Guess who's gonna be in Somwyal? hehehe, a lot of CCS characters actually. And don't worry, Kero is going to turn up soon, I couldn't possibly leave the little stuffed animal out (especially after finally being able to get my hands on the 6th CCS book and see Kero turn into such a cool lion with wings. Yue is cool too!) PLEASE REVIEW! I need a lot of feedback and I'll try to answer most questions in the chapters. Most of the CCS cast will be in this story, so don't worry about that. I'm sorry I haven't been able to e-mail reviewers back. It was the most I could do to get this chapter out. But if you would like to know when the next chapter is posted, please review and put it in your review.

Thank yous to Sakura's Angel of Mercy, lilova1105, anonymous (part of this chapter got out sooner because of your demands, hehe), shimi-mouse, Love s+s, Devil, Lucifer, and Cute1!!! Thanks you guys! Sorry, I took so long. Hope this chapter wasn't really disappointing. I'll try my best to get the next chapter out soon!

Thanks!

November 24, 2002

~Mel~