Ice Jayden: I own nothing. (Well, the plot is mine, and I suppose a few of the character are/will be mine. None of 'my' characters have names in this story, yet.)
Thanks to all those who reviewed
WizaDanU: Hope you patience lasted till now, and if not, well... here's the next chapter anyways.
Serenia-sd: If you thought that was ending evil, well I guess I was only beginning to show my true colors. This is another cliffie.
Kittyfaerie3000: Glad you like, took me longer than I wanted. Had a family get together and couldn't work on it for a little while.
SakK: I feel so happy, you like my writing!!!
Smiles: The next chapter is here, I leave it hanging again. Thanks for the smile : )
Tzuky: I like this story too. I updated as quickly as I could.
Me101: You Smiled!!! Thanks so much.
Cast In Stone
Dungeon Dilemma
Sakura listened intently as Eriol talked to the young man. She watched him closely, observing how his face moved as he talked around the subject. He did not give information about himself easily. She was very correct in her observance, he is very stubborn.
"I saw the Chinese Kingdom fall from the frontlines."
"Hoe!?" She was halfway surprised and halfway pleased that she had indeed recognized the style of his clothes. But what did he mean by frontlines? What side was he on? Sakura recalled the dream she had of all the stoned people in their last moments of life, his had been a battle; the one where China fell? Unfortunately her dream was hazy and she had forgotten it almost completely and so she had no clue what side he was on, just that he had fought against greater numbers and used magic.
Before Eriol could continue his interrogation, a familiar whine broke into Sakura's thoughts. "Sakura! I'm hungry and wasting away. I NEED food!" Kero flew around her head anxiously while eyeing the bread she still held in her hand. He preferred cakes and loved pudding, but out in the wilderness they carried a limited variety of food and none of it was sweets.
"Hey, umm, don't mind him. He's always like this." She said while looking into the boy's amber eyes. Kero took note of her talking to the boy and puffed up his chest proudly and introduced himself, "I am the Mighty Keroberos, Sun Guardian of the Sakura Cards and their Mistress, Sakura."
"You're pretty high and mighty for a stuffed animal." Kero growled angrily at the boy who insulted him. While they glared at each other Kero yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'm NOT a Stuffed Animal! You Gaki!!!"
Eriol smiled serenely as though he had not been in the process of interrogating anyone moments before. The sun glinted eerily off of his glasses as he watched the 'prisoner' fight with Kero.
Sakura watched in dismay as the boy, who she still did not have a name for, swapped insults with Kero. Kero was flying around above the boy's head in agitation and he kneeled there with his hands tied behind his back glaring daggers at the little guardian beast. It was a funny sight and Sakura let out a giggle at their childish display. Not to mention the boy seemed to have forgotten that he was not really in a position to be throwing insults.
At the sound of Sakura's laughter, both of them stopped their insults and looked at her. Kero raised an eyebrow at her while the boy turned his head away from her so that she could not see his face.
Slightly embarrassed, Sakura stifled her laughter. It was then that she remembered the reason why she had called for Eriol in the first place. Well, now the boy was at least talking to them so maybe now she'd be able to convince him to eat. They could continue the interrogation after he had eaten. It was almost evening and the only thing he had consumed thus far was the medicine they had stuffed down his throat that morning.
"Will you please eat?" Sakura pleaded. He did not even look at her while Kero nearly popped a vessel in agitation. "Sakura, I'm hungry!"
The boy turned to look at Sakura in the eyes. "I'll eat if you untie me and let me feed myself. And if you promise that I will remain untied I will remove the cuffs."
"Hoe?! You know how to remove the cuffs?" Hope at being free from the accursed cuffs blossomed within Sakura. She noticed that Eriol seemed to look at the boy with renewed interest. Unfortunately they were soon interrupted.
Before he could respond a loud crashing noise took their attention. At the southern edge of the camp a troop of soldiers and a few sorcerers emerged. They immediately began attacking and Sakura could only watch as her brother along with most of the rebels began fighting back.
Eriol raced to where the fighting was taking place since he is the only sorcerer available to defend the camp with the help of his guardians. Sakura's guardians were stuck in their false forms indefinitely. Until the magic repressor is removed from Sakura, they can't use their powers for they rely on hers.
Kero flew above her shoulder while she sat near the winged boy. Tomoyo and a few of the other non-fighters of the group joined her. Sakura felt like a big burden without her powers.
That train of thought brought back what the boy she was sitting next to had just said. She looked at him and then asked, "If I untie you, will you remove the cuffs immediately and help me ward off these soldiers?"
He took a quick glance at Kero, which slightly confused Sakura before looking at her in the eyes again. He then said a quick "hai" before looking away again.
Sakura, with the help of Tomoyo, began untying the young boy. In her rush she found it difficult to stop her fingers from quivering as she attempted to remove the knots in the ropes. Tomoyo was much better and faster at untying the knots. Her fingers were calm and loosened the binds with ease from years of practice with her sewing.
Tomoyo managed to untie his ankles and his wings, which had immediately spread out, while Sakura was still struggling to untie his wrists. Sakura saw out of the corner of her eye Tomoyo being lifted up and away by one of the soldiers.
Before she could truly react to her friend's predicament, Sakura felt herself being lifted up by someone. A moment later both of her hands were forced behind her back and she was carried away from her hope. She realized then that she was a prisoner of the Emperor once more.
Syaoran was almost free when a number of soldiers came and grabbed those who were avoiding the fight. The stuffed animal had been thrown into a bag while the girls were picked up or dragged off to where they were keeping their prisoners from the attack. Nearly everyone from the camp was already being tied up. Many of the fighters showed signs of having been taken out by a simple sleep spell.
The 'soldiers', at least that's what he figured they were, weren't paying him any attention. At least they weren't yet. He started to work on pulling his wrists free from his loosened bonds while keeping an eye on the soldiers. It didn't take long before he felt his wrists come free.
He quickly stood up, or at least he tried to. No sooner had he made it up to his knees than his muscles gave out and he fell to the ground. He saw soldiers started in his direction; they weren't ignoring his presence any more. Ignoring his stiff muscles, he managed to get on his feet. He stood leaning slightly forward to compensate for the foreign weight of the wings that adorned his back.
He could feel the muscles in his legs quacking at being used again after such a long time. While his mind did not feel the years, his body was still going through the shock of having been a statue for a millennium. He wasn't sure that he would be able to put up any fight with how his weak he was feeling.
He then also noticed that he was slightly dizzy and his vision was continuously swimming. He realized with a sinking sensation that he was more ill than he had realized. If it wasn't for those stupid wings he'd probably be okay and his body wouldn't be nearly as weak as it is.
Two soldiers were coming to bring him in with everyone else. As Syaoran moved slightly to prepare himself for a fight, they drew their swords from their sheaths. One started to sprint towards Syaoran, his sword raised in attack.
Syaoran managed to dodge his sword by jumping back slightly. His legs felt as though a thousand thorns were wedged into his skin and he had already begun to sweat. The first man turned back around and slashed at his legs while the second one lunged at his chest. Syaoran bent and jumped at the same instant, avoiding both swords.
As he twisted his body around, one of his wings slammed into the second guy's stomach knocking the wind out of him, causing him to collapse. Syaoran landed next to him and quickly took his sword. His back was throbbing even worse now from the strain of the wing impacting the man who was struggling to regain his breath.
The first man was more leery about approaching Syaoran now that it he had seen him fight a little. Of course, how he knocked the one guy out of the fight was pure accident, Syaoran had forgotten for a few seconds that he had huge wings sticking out of his back.
They slowly circled each other. Syaoran was tired and knew that he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. But he had to at least try, if he managed to completely free the Card Mistress they stood a good chance of turning this battle, if you could call it that, completely around.
Syaoran was the first to strike and the other soldier blocked. They matched each other blow for blow, neither gaining any obvious advantages. Syaoran glared and was careful to keep just how exhausted he truly was from his face.
Soon a crowd of soldiers formed around them to watch the fight. They cheered their comrade on and Syaoran knew that unless he got out of this fight quickly, there would be no chance of escaping. Straining tired muscles, he leapt out of the circle of soldiers who gawked at the sudden unexpected escape.
As he was landing he felt a strong pressure on his back before he found himself turned around and landing on his back rather than his feet. One of his wings had caught in a tree and flipped him mid jump. Pain shot threw him and his vision turned black. It took all of his concentration to keep breathing.
He didn't even feel the soldiers as they grabbed him to retie him. He lost all consciousness within a few seconds.
Sakura felt horrible. Not only is she once more a captive of that horrendous Emperor, but now her friends and brother are too. She was tied up next to Tomoyo and Chiharu. Her brother was tied up next to Eriol, whose hands were cuffed behind his back with the magic repressing kind, across the small clearing. Nakaru and Spinel were forced back into their false forms. Spinel had been placed in the same bag as Kero and Nakaru was tied up just like everyone else.
The young winged boy was deposited in another spot where he was retied. He wasn't conscious and Sakura worried at what might have happened to him. She was tied up with her back to where he had been.
It was also infuriating, she had been free for barely more than a full day, and not completely free for that time either. How she wished she had been faster at untying those ropes, then he would have completely freed her and she would have been able to save her friends from the suffering they were bound to be forced to endure soon.
It was late and it looked as though the Imperials were going to be staying here the night. They already had a couple of guards positioned to watch the camp as well as their captives. The only nice thing is that no one is dead. The Emperor must have wanted them all taken alive. Why, she wasn't sure.
As the night slowly drug on, Sakura was unable to resist sleep and so by the time the sun rose she was resting peacefully. She was roughly awoken by one of the soldiers. All of the prisoners were forced to stand up and then were shackled to each other in a line. After they were all secured the soldiers started them marching to the Imperial palace where their fates would be decided. The walk was long and hard.
As they were walking through some thick brush on the fading trail they were suddenly stopped. Sakura watched as a bunch of soldiers looked to a place along the line behind her. Turning around she saw what they were watching so intently.
The winged boy had fallen down and was apparently unconscious once more. He was removed from the line and thrown onto the back of a horse in front of a sorcerer. She noted that his wings had been tied again and he looked extremely pale and a bit feverish. With the problem solved she was forced to turn around and continue on her trek to the palace once again.
It took two days of traveling before they reached the palace. The young boy had been tied to a horse and led by a sorcerer on the second day even though he had woken up. He was looking even worse and Sakura found herself worrying that he would not survive to tomorrow.
They were all placed in separate cells in the dungeon of the castle. Sakura could see Tomoyo across the hall from her. That night a servant brought them all some bread and water. The bread was stale and partially burnt while the water was murky. Overwhelming hunger forced Sakura to endure the awful meal.
It was a full two days of agonizing boredom and nasty meals before the Emperor sauntered in. He took one look at Sakura and started to smirk. "So, you now know just how futile it is to try to leave me. You are mine, now and forever."
Sakura was nonplused by his little speech and looked into his cold, dark eyes without fear. Agitation at having been cooped up for too long seeped into her voice, "I have said it before and I will say it again, 'I will NEVER be yours!'"
"Tisk tisk, a young lady like you really ought not to raise her voice in such an undignified manner, especially in such a pointless protest." Sakura watched him as he looked down the dungeon hall, "that is, if you want your brother to live."
"HOE!!! You can't do that."
"Why not, I am the Emperor and he kidnapped my bride to be, stole a horse along with our favorite garden statue. That is more than enough reason to..."
"He did not kidnap me, he rescued me!" Sakura snapped at the top of her voice, cutting him off, outraged that he could accuse her brother of such a ridiculous crime.
"... put him to death. I am being generous to let him live at all." He was completely unfazed by Sakura's accusation. His eyes then narrowed at her. "So, where is your other cuff? And just what did your brother do to my statue?"
Sakura felt her eyes widen in shock, did he not realize that the 'statue' was currently one of the prisoners in the dungeon? She kept her thought silent and refused to answer him. As long as he didn't realize where the other cuff is located, he can't move her in more than a 50 meter radius from wherever the boy is.
Don't know if you noticed, but I will occasionally use a Japanese word, simply because it fits better in what I feel the character is saying than the English translation. But I will not use suffixes on names because I really don't understand all the rules and don't feel like doing it all wrong. What can I say, I'm an American who enjoyed watching the subtitled version of CCS. (The dubbed was all messed up and I don't like Li as a first name, and Madison is just wrong for Tomoyo's name.)
Hey, don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what is good and what could be improved. I shall try to get the next chapter up soon, but I can't make any guaranties.
