the reviews which you will find at the bottom of the page if you scroll down.
Winged Guardian: And no, CCS still does not belong to me. *in a pained voice*
Note:
"..." stands for speech
[...] stands for thoughts
{...} stands for author's comments
'...' stands for the chapter's title
Battle of the Two Arch-Rivals
By Winged Guardian
Chapter Thirteen: 'Skilled Magician'
King Fujitaka stood at the window, his grayish brown eyes looking over the distance at
something unseen. A smile came to his lips and he closed his eyes in contentment.
He knew he could trust Sakura to Syaoran.
In his late forties, the king was still an attractive man and a prominent
figure with his
white-streaked brown hair and intelligent hazel eyes that saw beyond appearances.
The
corners of his mouth were littered with laugh-lines and although he was quick
to appear
stern, King Fujitaka was even quicker to smile. Despite his age, he still showed
no signs
of balding.
King Fujitaka ruled the kingdom fairly with a wisdom beyond ordinary men.
The people
came to love the king who saw things in different lights, and shared his grief
of the loss
of their kind and beautiful queen.
The loss of his wife had apparently been hard on him. As husband and wife,
he and
Nadeshiko had been always seen together, whether during formal or informal occasions.
Those soft brown eyes that used to twinkle in merriment grew aged and weary.
Smiles
that used to constantly light up his face before his wife passed away were now
rarely seen.
Now, the only few people that could bring genuine smiles to his lips were his
children.
His children had eased some of his pain. And now, it was time to see that
in their futures,
his children would both find their happiness.
The path given to Sakura to walk was a hard and rocky one; and he worried
for her. But,
he had faith in his daughter and would always believe in her.
He smiled. [Love would ease her path; and Syaoran would play a big role in
her life.]
He chuckled as he thought of his daughter's defiance and mule-headed stubbornness
[whether she likes it or not.]
A voice spoke up behind him, "Are you sure it is wise to send our children
across the
boundaries?"
"Where our ancestors failed, it is them whom would succeed." Fujitaka replied calmly.
Yelan was deep in thought. "What about Sakura's training for the
preparation in the
battle against the Black Star?"
A mysterious smile appeared on his face, and at that moment, he bore an uncanny
resemblance to the great sorcerer, Clow Reed.
"They would learn a lot in that journey, and there would be plenty of
opportunities for
them to hone their fighting skills. It is The Boundaries we are talking about,
Yelan."
The Queen of the Li Kingdom continued to study him intently for a while; and
a smile
of acceptance broke across her normally stern features.
"Yes, you are right."
Frail and tiny snowflakes swirled in the air, whirling and spinning in a mysterious
dance
unknown to man as the gentle wind whispered softly in a forgotten language,
roaming the
earth freely.
*^*^*^*^*
Syaoran was down on his knees, begging desperately for the enraged princess
to calm
down and listen to his explanation.
"What is there to explain?!" Sakura turned on him, dark green eyes flashing dangerously.
"You took advantage of me in my weakest and most vulnerable state! What
kind of
warrior are you?! You have no sense of honor!" she cried vehemently, voice
filled with
contempt and scorn, "How low can you stoop, Syaoran Li?!"
"Sakura, please, listen to me, let me explain!" pleaded Syaoran,
all pride forgotten as he
realized that his worst fears were coming true.
He was losing the one he loved most.
"There is nothing to explain." she repeated emotionlessly, her
voice so cold that it sent a
wave of icicles crashing into his heart.
For a split second, something in her dark jade eyes flickered; and at that
brief moment,
Syaoran could have sworn that he saw a painful emotion so familiar to his eyes.
His heart wrenched. His sub-consciousness knew what was happening; but his
brain just
could not accept it.
And she simply gazed wordlessly at his handsome features with her quiet emerald
eyes
as if she was looking at him for the first and the last time.
At that moment, the realization that he would never see her again finally dawned on him.
Syaoran had no idea how he knew, but the hard and agonizing knowledge was
imprinted
firmly in his brain with such a dead certainty that he would have done anything
to reject
it.
Sakura would have denied that she showed any form of emotions immediately,
had
anyone dared to suggest it; but the deep aching sadness was plainly there to
see.
It was as clear to him as broad daylight and ripped his heart apart savagely.
He could only watch on helplessly as she slowly turned her back to him.
"Goodbye Li." she whispered, willing the stinging sensation in her eyes to go away.
This was the point of no return. Her mind was set.
Everything Syaoran knew shattered in that one short moment when she spoke
that two
simple words that could carry such a deep meaning.
"No..." he whispered, his throat suddenly dry. Sakura couldn't
even address him by his
first name...
A teardrop splattered on a fallen leaf on the dark rich soil and little droplets
of salt water
flew in several different directions; And for the third and last time in his
life, Syaoran
watched as Sakura walked away from him.
Syaoran's eyes flew open, wide and glazed over, unfocused.
His back was against the wall, his head lowered as he took in huge gulps of
air, his chest
heaving and his breathing ragged.
He closed his eyes again, using the wall as support in a rare gesture of weakness,
as he
struggled to bring his thundering heart under control.
His emotions raged freely, a dead terror the most evident of them all.
He knew something he did not want to.
For the moment, everything was pushed aside as his world revolved around battling
for
self-control. He was a fierce fighter and renowned magic-wielder; and he wasn't
about to
ignore his years of training and let his emotions or his body's weaknesses
get the better of
him. He knew better than that.
When his breathing calmed and his pulse returned to a normal pace, Syaoran
pushed
away from the wall, swaying a little as his head spun with that slight movement.
He cursed mentally, gritted his teeth and stood his ground, refusing to move
his hand
back to the wall even though his brain was swirling and his thoughts unfocused;
as if he
was having a bad hangover.
He waited it out and was duly rewarded when his body obeyed his orders and
the fog in
his brain cleared a little.
Syaoran pushed a few locks of brown hair, darkened by sweat, from his eyes
and was
surprised to find that his hand was trembling slightly.
What on earth happened?
Frowning, he pushed back the strange overwhelming fear and the illogical numbness
of
his mind, searching for the answers he knew was somewhere in his brain.
...And he drew up a blank.
Nothing.
He couldn't remember a single thing.
Fighting back a great unease and blind panic hovering on the edge of hysteria,
Syaoran
tried again to remember the vision he had.
Nothing.
He growled in frustration, slamming a clenched fist into a wall of the cave vehemently.
Syaoran was a warrior. A soldier at heart. He liked things that made sense,
things that
were logical. Things were just so much simpler that way.
He didn't understand why he was feeling the way he was. It made him
feel so helpless,
vulnerable. He needed to know the cause of his raging emotions badly. Syaoran
hated the
powerless feeling inside him; and worse yet, he was unable to do anything.
Syaoran felt like exploding into a rage and hitting something and everything
to vent out
his frustration. He knew the vision must have been important but he just had
to forget it!
Burying his head in his hands, Syaoran groaned and cursed himself for the fool he was.
He closed his eyes and brought his body under control, forcibly shoving all
his thoughts
out of his mind.
He was a sorcerer too and his magical training would not allow his intuitive
mind-set to
get the better of him. Magic had taught him much.
No good would come out of losing his cool.
A soft groan from the back of the cave drew his attention to the pale shivering
girl he
had lain out on the mattress covered by a towel.
Seeing her pale delicate form, a sweet tenderness filled him, and the weight
on his heart
grew heavier simultaneously. It was as if a giant fist closed around his heart
and started
squeezing cruelly; And yet, the tenderness that went deep and emotions far surpassing
ordinary affection were so sweet. It was a strange sensation to have such conflicting
emotions mingle together.
It was then he knew that the vision must have appertained to Sakura.
A cold feeling of dread crept into his heart at that realization, and suddenly,
breathing
was so much more difficult.
Forcing himself to remain calm, Syaoran slowly released the tension in his
clenched
fists, callused fingers uncurling to reveal a dark crimson liquid dripping from
the shallow
cuts that the pressure from his fingernails digging into the skin of his palms
had exerted –
blood.
Syaoran barely noticed it. He would pay later for that, he knew; But for now,
he would
pay no heed to it. He had more pressing matters as of the moment – namely,
Sakura.
He reached Sakura's side in a few great steps and he knelt down beside her.
"Sakura..." he whispered, brushing back a few strands
of damp auburn hair to gaze at
her pallid and peaceful face. The healthy glow
to her cheeks was gone, replaced by an
unnatural white sheen, and her lips were
a dark shade of ruby, abnormally so.
Despite her condition, Sakura still looked beautiful
Unable to help himself any longer, he reached for her with the desperation
of one
needing to prove that a loved one was truly found after a great length of time
spent
futilely searching for someone he had thought was lost.
Gathering her into his arms, Syaoran pulled Sakura into a crushing embrace,
needing to
assure himself that she was real. He couldn't bear it if she got hurt
in any way.
After a length of time, Syaoran loosened his grip and gazed at the fragile girl in his arms.
Blushing, Syaoran tried to avert his eyes when he realized that having yet
to change her
out of her wet clothes, her garments were still more transparent than opaque.
He was still staring.
Syaoran swallowed hard. A strange fire had started to burn inside him, consuming
him
as his desire grew.
Using all of his willpower, he tore his eyes away from the sleeping girl. It
wasn't right.
He could not take advantage of her, not in this condition,
as much as he wanted to.
Sighing, Syaoran kept his eyes from roaming to Sakura's form as he took
out fresh
clothes from her backpack.
It was easily identifiable, being pink and decorated with tiny cherry blossom
petals at the
edges.
A ghost of a smile appeared on his face and his mood lightened considerably.
Frowning, Syaoran returned to the situation at hand. How was he going to undress
Sakura?
Gods, he knew he would not be able to keep his control, feeling her incredibly
soft skin
beneath his hand. Just the lightest touch would make him yearn for her, and
he shuddered
to think of what would happen if he had to remove her clothes. Which he had
to.
Groaning, Syaoran starting listing the possible solutions to his dilemma and
rejecting
them one by one.
[Can't I use my magic?] thought Syaoran hopefully.
Searching within himself, Syaoran sighed. His hopes were dashed when he found
that
he did not have enough magic leftover to do so. He would have to wait for at
least a day
for his magic to return to their fullest powers.
Spotting a long and thick piece of black cloth, an idea occurred to him.
[How about I blindfold myself?]
[And grope around blindly for her? Lord knows where I'll touch...] Syaoran
berated
himself, blushing madly.
[Then, what should I do? It's obvious that I can't leave her like
this...] Syaoran was on
the brink of desperation as he brainstormed for solutions, but to no avail.
Then, inspiration struck him.
If he could sense Sakura's aura, then why couldn't he 'See' it?
Taking the black cloth, Syaoran folded it into a long strip and tied it securely
around his
head, making sure that it covered his eyes completely.
Syaoran adjusted to the darkness rapidly and he took in deep and even breaths,
steadying
his heartbeats as he settled himself into a trance-like state, his other senses
heightening
over the temporary disabling of his sight.
Slowly, he emptied his mind of all thoughts and concentrated on his magical senses, opening his mind to his surroundings.
Instantly, many different sensations assaulted him – the cold grace
as the snowflakes
floated to the earth, the tiny sliver of the crescent moon hidden behind the
dissipating
storm clouds, the cheerful gurgling of a nearby stream, the great oaks of the
ancient forest
whispering among themselves, the little diamond-shaped sparks set high in the
clearing
sky so far from reach. And Sakura.
Syaoran smiled in spite of himself as the gentle misty pink aura reached out
tendrils to
caress his own green aura.
As a peaceful quietness wash over him, Syaoran pushed half-formed thoughts
away and
concentrated on the exquisite light pink as he envisioned Sakura in his mind,
wrapping
his forest green aura around the image and her aura with unnecessary gentleness
as he
took care not to startle or disturb either.
The image was gradually enveloped warmly in pink and there was a rush of wind
in his
ears, a curious but pleasant feeling of tinkling silver-bells and the sweet
aroma of a
thousand types of wildflowers and there was a sharp intake of breath from Syaoran
as
amazement engulfed him.
There was a fiery mass of dark pink flames in roughly the shape of Sakura
and he noted
that the fire was the darkest and the richest at the center and lightened into
a pretty light
cherry blossom pink as it spread outwards.
The dark glitter of the pink must be the core of her magic.
He smiled.
Syaoran 'looked' down at himself and raised a hand of seething
green fire and raised an
eyebrow, slightly impressed.
Then, he 'looked' straight at where Sakura was supposed to be.
It was strange, he mused, he ought to have been blinded by the brightness
and the
intensity of the pink flames, but he was not.
Ah well, what magic could do...
A growing grin spread across his features, illuminated by the dancing pink
flames,
invisible but to those of magic heritage.
Deciding to experiment and see the extent of what his magic could do, Syaoran
concentrated again, getting the hang of it easily.
This time, Syaoran focused on Sakura, putting more emphasis on her shape than
her
aura; and the pink flames folded inwards leisurely, becoming more contained
as a blurred
outline appeared.
Encouraged by his success, Syaoran continued directing his magic at Sakura's
vague
shape and her outline became more visible.
Looking at himself again, Syaoran was surprised to find a difference between the appearance of their auras.
Sakura's aura, though more tame, still blazed wildly. However, Syaoran's
aura was
contained within his skin, green fire flowing smoothly inside him, occasionally
flickering
as if from an unseen wind.
Syaoran laughed as he realized what it meant.
Sakura's magic was wild and she had only a portion of her magic under
control whilst
Syaoran's magic was trained and disciplined.
Unable to suppress his smirk, Syaoran started changing her wet clothes for
fresh and dry
ones.
Wait till Sakura heard about this...She would be furious to find that he was
more skilled
than she was, despite her status as Card Mistress and her remarkable power...
=====================================================================================
Winged Guardian:
You didn't seriously think that I would do that to Syaoran, did you?
(referring to Syaoran's vision) *smirks*
Winged Guardian:
As evil as I may be, there must always be a line drawn; Besides I
value my life and lord knows what you crazy S+S fans would do to
me if I actually made Sakura leave him permanently in this fic.
*sweatdrops as I envision myself being trampled underfoot by an
angry mob of readers*
Anyway
Review!!! *grins*
Thanks for all the reviews and hope you enjoyed reading my fanfic!
*^*^*^*^*
To
Angel-wings:
Thanks. ^-^ Nice to see that some people appreciate me instead of threatening
me, ne? =P
Druken Little Monkey:
Hmm...as much as I want to drop a comment about the story, I'm not giving anything
away. *crosses arms and smirks*
Beanysnake:
Now, where would the fun be if I don't stop at crucial points like these, hmm?
*grins* And sure, I'll update if you update your
fics soon. *evil grin* All of them. I wanna read!!!! ^-^
Sakura-chan:
Sadly, I can't let Sakura get sick at this point of time, for the sake of the
journey...but I never said anything about other times.
*innocently* I hope you're not disappointed by the drop in the fluff level.
I need to get on with the story though it'll be fun to
trap them there forever. Ah well, what can I say? Sakura's out cold... Don't
worry , they'll have their chance.
Patience, my friend. *snickers*
SaKuRa LoVa:
Well, Eriol is very useful... *sinister laughter*
Dear me, am I scaring you?
Shinigami Clara:
Well, like I'd said to Sakura-Chan *points upwards*, I need the story to move
on...so...you'll just have to wait and see.
*grins*
Iris:
Well...*evil grin* just wait and see... And as for updates... *laughs nervously*
well, continue hoping, okay? *disappears*
Aejavu:
Oops, I was about to tell you what's going to happen...must be careful not to
let things slip... Thanks for reviewing and
continue to R&R, 'kay? ^-^
KuTiExAzNxAnGeL:
I updated. ^-^ Gee, you sound like the way I do - I always end off reviews with
"Update soon!", sometimes adding threats
behind, not that they work well... *mournfully*
Lunemagelus:
Bet this wasn't what you expected, hmm? *grins* Things are gonna get serious.
Hanamaru285:
Uh, can this be considered soon? *sweatdrops*
Crystal-chan:
Aww... Syaoran's too honorable to do so. Too bad that won't stop him from attempting
to retrieve his sword from my
possession. Oops...aheheheheheh...I said nothing, ne?
SweetBabyGurl:
Thanks. ^-^ As for updates, I can only say I'll try. *cheerfully*
Sally:
Thanks. Here ya go, I updated. ^-^
Lexy Ann:
There's the saying: There's always tomorrow. Right? *starts to search for an
escape route*
Midnight Star24:
I'm typing... *goes swirly eyed at the long list of replies* Tell me, who had
the incredibly brilliant idea to start replying
to reviews? Wait, it's me. *groans* Ah well. *brightens up* Continue to R&R,
'kay? ^-^
Cheery-blossoms:
Well, don't worry, this fic is rated PG and will stay that way, unless I decide
to raise it to PG-13 someday and that's
the very highest I would go. As for being evil, well, I revel in it, but there
must always be a line drawn like I'd said earlier, ne?
Kura-chan:
*solemnly* The truth will set you free. *starts cracking up*
As for ladders, who wants ladders when I can fly? *innocently* *ducks tomatoes*
Califpinay3001:
Well, perhaps you are evil; BUT I'm even more so. =P
Usagi Tsukino:
Thanks. *smiles brightly*
The Dragon Guardian of the Sea:
You're right. What would Touya say, indeed? But we shan't tell him, shall we?
Maybe we would... *grins*
Silver Moonlight Maiden:
Thanks! ^-^
Sakura:
You actually found this on Google? @_@ You must have dug very deep then... *flushes
guiltily* Actually, I haven't been
working on my site for a while now. I've been meaning to change the layout and
fix up the mp3s. Thanks for the compliments.
I hope I can one day. Well, as for informing you when I update, sure! Just leave
your email address when you review. ^-^
Just make sure that your mailbox isn't full. I get that a lot of times when
trying to email people about updates. And of course
I would continue the story. They'll kill me if I don't *jerks thumb at the readers
behind* and you'll probably join in as well.
*sweatdrops* *shakes head sadly* Why do I have such violent acquaintances?
And oh, you may want to read Cold blooded Assassin too. ^-^
UrbanCinderella:
How soon is soon? *wonderingly* And speaking of which, update your fics soon!!
=P
J-squeegy-tikiman:
Well, read and see. *grins*
Crystal Jade:
Well, Syaoran is beginning to realize it, but Sakura is still denying what is
right in front of her nose and will continue doing
so until...No one knows but me. *grins*
Pink Sakura:
Yes, I totally agree with you. I like Syaoran well enough but who said we can't
enjoy watching him squirm? *grins*
Li Ying Fa:
Thanks. ^-^ Continue to R&R, alright?
Sorry if I missed out anyone! ^-^
~ Winged Guardian
~
Heart_given_Wings@hotmail.com