THE NAMELESS BLACKMAIL
WRITTEN BY ----- VIOLENT HAYES
RATING ---- PG13 (situations, violence, and language)
GENRES --- Action & Adv./ Romance/ Suspense
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AUTHOR'S COMMENT --------------------------[]
Yes, I know it's been slow… -.-; Blame it all on the stupid computer. takes out a huge hammer and whacks it That's why I gathered the strength to finish it even sooner. =) It's a wonder you guys still keep reviewing. I love you all! ;; So anyway, this truly is SS, and the girl… well, you'll find out soon. It's raining right now on Thursday, and I have a huge coffee mug right next to me ready to be devoured as I type, type, type…
On with the show!!!
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CHAPTER 4 ---Or maybe not---[]
Three sets of knocks were heard on the door. The first one faint, the second demanding, and the last one furious. Syaoran's eyes shot open as he lay still in his made-up bed. There was a numbing sensation that took over him as the seconds flew by. He took a glance toward Sakura and his eyes narrowed. She was currently drowned by her exquisite sleep like a delicate princess in her royal chamber. What a rock-headed girl. I bet that she could sleep peacefully through an earthquake and not even flinch.
Seeing he would have to take the matter into his own hands, he started thinking: Who on earth knocks on the door like that? Judging by the alarm clock – which read three in the morning- he noticed something was peculiar about the situation.
First of all, Who was insane enough to do it in the bare night? Oh, that's right… the crazy aunt would.
So the next issue to take care of was: What was he going to do? Answer, hide or simply let it go? What if the aunt decided to open the door and check on Sakura? This would get her into a whole new mess, which meant payback for him, yet at the same time revealing where he was.
Something was wrong though. Why was it silent? In only one day he had learned that out of all the things, Sakura's aunt was loud. She would have already been yelling for her.
A single bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Something's wrong here. Should I wake her up?
He quietly stood up and reached the door. His breathing stopped as he softly neared his ear, and waited a minute…
No presence.
Backing away, he stared at the wooden door, waiting for something… anything to pop out…
Nothing…
Yet the feeling would not dissipate.
Syaoran thought best to approach her. He stopped and watched her petite form being silvered by the demure rays from the moon. It seemed like a sin, but he had to wake her up. She shifted slightly as he tried to touch her shoulder, making him retreat as though he had been burned.
Why was he making such a fuzz about it? They had once been together, and nothing mattered back then… why now? Taking a small and quick breath he gently rubbed her shoulders. She moved again and her eyelids started blinking. Good. He thought, as a small smile crept on his face.
Sakura found herself saying, "What's going on?"
Damn. All of Syaoran's efforts had been in vain. He tried to shut her up, seeming there was still some hope. She tried to struggle in protest, but when Syaoran placed his finger on the middle of his lips, she stopped.
There was a while where not even a single breath could be taken. Sakura's eyes were wide with fear, uncertain of what was to be expected. As for Syaoran, he was intent on discovering who was on the other side of the door… if there was a person.
Suddenly, the door slowly creaked open…
Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine as the door made its way, while Syaoran got a hold on her hand.
The door stopped…a trigger was pulled.
An earsplitting sound echoed through the room, followed by several holes on the wall.
"What's going on?" She whispered from the bottom of the bed.
"Remember my friends? They all want to meet you…" He joked.
Whoever was at the door paused, and Syaoran noticed his traveling bag only a few meters away. If I could only get it…
Time wasn't showing mercy, the person started getting closer.
He didn't spot us. He realized, as they sounded slow and undetermined.
Glued to the floor, he started moving quietly toward the end of the bed. A diversion was needed, but he couldn't find any object within reach. What the hell was he going to do?
The guy-as it appeared-stopped and lightly chuckled. His foul-smelling boots could be seen from below.
Syaoran couldn't send Sakura. But what was he going to do? His brain clogged up.
A grunt was heard as the figure bent down and a black silhouette appeared in front of them. His hand stretched out, reaching for the bottom of the covers… ready to pull them up, and like little children they both couldn't help but watch, hypnotized by the tension of the situation…
"Sakura, darling? What just happened?! Is everything alright?" Came aunt Natsuko's yells.
The person hesitated just as Syaoran managed to grasp his bag.
A zipper was unfastened, and in a blink of an eye, Syaoran was out from under the bed with his sword.
The guy lifted his hands in defeat and turned around; a smirk spread across his thin lips.
"You always were good at surprising." The person replied with an unusual calm voice.
"Shows you've still got a lot to learn. Why the hell did you knock?" Syaoran asked.
"It seemed to add a little suspense… I like playing with my targets."
Sakura could only gape in wonder from the bottom as they continued their conversation. How could they be so calm or were they good at hiding their feelings? Syaoran's sexy voice came silk as satin, while the other reminded her of pudding: soft yet thick. They didn't seem to argue, yet for some reason, Sakura had the feeling they were ready to slaughter each other.
"Still carrying that rusty old sword of yours? I should have known…"
"I see you haven't changed either. Always with the newest weapons in store." Syaoran retorted.
"As always. By the way, you should tell that chick of yours to stop worrying. I know you've got extra company this time. Which makes me wonder… why would you pair up with a girl? Weren't you already partnered?"
Sakura -once again- astonished by the quick events, took the courage to leave her "secret" hideout. Without further hesitation she sided Syaoran, and once her breathing calmed down, she gawked.
The guy was as tall as Syaoran, probably a little older, also dressed in dark clothes. He seemed pretty built, and his right hand was holding a gun. His eyes, surprisingly, were as golden as the sun, glowing on their own against the darkness. His spiky hair was also the same color. Feeling Sakura's intrusive stare, he changed his view.
"She's not my partner. She just got involved in all of this…"
"And you're bringing her along for the ride? Proves you're an idiot…" The guy smirked.
"If she stays, she'll end up in her own grave."
"Why would it matter? You are designed to give death." Even though it was supposed to be a joke, his features didn't hide a frown. He also seemed to be talking to Syaoran as if he was some kind of android or robot, programmed to do whatever their master's orders.
Syaoran quieted down while the other chuckled.
"Listen." Syaoran whispered under his breath.
And sure enough faint footsteps were heard. It was aunt Natsuko again, going up the stairs.
"You know, you could have been dead tonight…" The guy remarked.
"Same goes for you."
"You only got a streak of luck. I could have sworn it was the girl. Keep in mind that I'll be tracking you down." With this he disappeared from the window.
"Sakura, honey?" The voice was almost at the end of the stairs.
Syaoran quietly locked the door. His voice was limited to a whisper. "Sakura, I have to take you with me."
"Don't call me by my name, and what's with all the fuss?"
He couldn't help but ignore her; the aunt was getting closer. He instantly sheathed his sword, threw it in the bag, and closed it. He then went for his clothes, and quickly started dressing.
"You have to leave this place or you'll end up dead. However, I can't guarantee you'll end up alive either..."
It all seemed so awkward. One day ago he was ready to kill Sakura, and the next he was trying to save her. And now he was giving her a chance to get away from home into an adventure. It could have been her fantasy because she soon found herself in her bathroom, and for once, she was glad she hadn't changed her clothes. But would that mean leaving his sick father alone? Leaving her aunt to die of worry? It was selfish to think only of her life, but she could as well have theirs endangered if she lived anywhere near them.
The knob on the door started turning. And soon after finding out it was closed, the aunt started banging on it. "Sakura!"
Sakura was all set when she put her coat on. She stood out from her bathroom, and sure enough Syaoran was still there. He could have gone if he had the time, but he was waiting. Did he still care for Sakura? Or was he guilty for ending whatever lives he had killed before? It didn't matter anymore. She was willing to go, though she didn't want to admit it.
"I'm only going because of my life, and the lives of my family. Not because of you," Sakura marked.
He seemed hurt, yet at the same time understood. "You got yourself into this mess. I'm only helping out."
She nodded. Syaoran got to the window with his bag hanging from his right shoulder. A great cherry blossom tree stood by the side, it's branches all bare from the cold weather. He landed on a strong one. By the time Sakura approached, Syaoran had his arms spread wide. Is he insane?
"You are going to have to jump." He stated.
"I can see that, and I'm not going to do it!"
"Don't worry. I'll make sure I catch you." He added.
The distance between them was starting to get longer. Sakura couldn't deny it; she had just found out she was afraid of heights. What if she did fell down?
"You have to trust me!"
There it was, the word 'trust'. It sounded so real, but then again, he had already asked a great deal of it back when they were together. Why was he so confident in saying it again?
Sakura's aunt was more than desperate, she was now trying to breach open the door by force.
It was either staying with her crazy aunt or leaving with the messed-up boy. Was there really a choice? She knew she didn't have time to list all the pros and cons; it was running out.
You've got to take risks sometimes…
She closed her eyes when her body made a leap toward the vast air. A piece of memory rushed through her brain. The ghosts had come to haunt her again.
It was summer; times when the sun toasted everyone in sight. Some were quite lucky getting a tan, but Sakura unfortunately suffered from pink hues which varied depending on days.
"You should come on in!" Syaoran invited, his eyes filled with joy as he neared the public pool. As always, he had a perfect brown tan on his body and blonde streaks on his messy hair.
Sakura found herself shaking her head and stopping. She didn't want for the world to see how ugly she felt when she got all pink. It even sounded dumb as she tried to explain it, but something was different from the expression on his handsome face. He seemed amused.
"What?" Sakura asked, her cheeks reddening even more.
He took a hold of her hand, and started running toward the water.
"What are you doing? You're going to get our clothes soaked!" Sakura was surprised.
But he had already jumped dragging her along with him to splash in the cool water.
After they surfaced, Syaoran managed to speak, "Never take the fun out of anything, Sakura. If something is stopping you, you have to find another way. So what if they see your ugliness? I wouldn't want other guys to check on your true beauty…" He didn't let her talk. "Besides, I like it when you are pink. It makes you look cute."
Sakura couldn't deny the sense that was put into her. She always fell for his sparkling smile or his dazzling looks, but just now… he loved him even more. She caught him off guard when she landed in his arms. Nothing would break that special moment between them. She didn't want to let it go… Just to hold on tight.
"Kinomoto?"
"Huh?"
"Could you please let go?"
The weather changed from burning to freezing. The colors dimmed into gloominess… the feeling dissipated. Sakura hadn't realized she was still hanging on to him, even though they were already on the floor. She hastily broke the embrace ending with red-colored cheeks.
"Should we get going? Your aunt is bound to call the police…" He sounded anxious.
"Yeah. Let's go…"
Sakura took one last glance before she left her home. It was hard to adjust to reality, even in this crazy adventure she was going to take. Was she out of her mind? She was definitely not going because of him, she was going for the lives of her family. There was however a slight part of her conscience trying to beg her to stay, yet she didn't find the strength to fight it back.
This is going to be a long journey…
And so it began that way. Sakura always thought when it came to escaping, running was included with the package. Instead they were out in the cold, moving at the speed of an average turtle.
"Why are we walking so slow? Won't the police catch us?" A small puff of fog escaped from her lips.
"Sa- Kinomoto, you have a lot to learn about the life of a vague…"
"Murderer, criminal, prisoner?"
"That's not what I meant…" He sighed. "This is not a movie we're starring in; get back to reality, dream girl."
"Dream girl", that's a new one… She had never forgotten the nicknames he used to call her before.
He still continued talking, "…what if they see a man running down the streets at full speed? Doesn't it seem suspicious? An experienced thief just acts normal and hopes for the best…"
"Hopes for the best? What does it mean?"
"It means that sometimes you have to depend on your luck to survive rather than your skills."
"Oh."
They continued walking in full silence as the snow continued pouring down on them. There was something different about Syaoran; he had changed. Two years really made a difference. Either that or she just missed her old boyfriend's sparkle. And indeed, the light inside of him- which had somehow hypnotized her- was now flickering like a worn candle. It was as though someone had intentionally tried to burn it out, a piece from the mystery he held.
"So…Who was your friend?" Sakura wanted to talk about a different subject; to have something to talk about if they were going to be stuck together.
"A very good one, actually." He smirked, as though he had laughed at his own joke. "His name is Kero."
"And that's it?" Sakura was perplexed. "You are not going to tell me about his history? What got him mad at you? Who's he with?"
"He's part of my second enemy. That's all you need to hear right now…"
She grunted in protest, "Could you at least tell me who you're three enemies are?"
"You ask to much, dream girl."
"You haven't answered my question yet. And why do you call me that?"
"Well, first of all I couldn't call you by your last name, it just doesn't sound right."
"What's wrong with my last name?" Sakura took it as an insult.
He ignored her. "…and I can't call you by your first name either. And your old nicknames have no meaning anymore."
"But why dream girl?"
"You always seem to fantasize and snap out of it. Sometimes you need to get down to earth. Although, I'm starting to doubt if it truly fits you."
By this time Sakura had calmed down, and her questions were already drained. Syaoran was actually glad there would be peace and quite for a moment. Yet all he could really do was hope. Three enemies were on his back, and now Sakura was somehow his responsibility. How more whacked out could this trip be? It was going to be tough getting back to Hong Kong; back to his home. Back to where she was waiting. By now he hadn't realized Sakura was trying to talk to him.
"You didn't hear me, did you?" Sakura asked annoyed; her emeralds were narrowed.
He silently walked.
"What am I going to be named?"
"Named?" Syaoran asked with an odd expression on his face.
"Well, you're fake name is Yamato…"
"Oh. You mean besides dream girl…"
"Why do I get the feeling you're pretty bugged right now…" Sakura asked.
"You seem happy to be in this trip…"
"Hey, if we are stuck together then we have to make the best out of it." She smiled.
There was something about her smile that seemed to light up the situation, and Sakura could even see it in his eyes as he turned to see her.
"I got to warn you, you'll never know what'll happen next."
AUTHOR'S COMMENT --------------------------[]
Done! Oh I'm so happy! So, the trip is about to begin! The fun is about to start! The action will be soon to come! =) The next chapter is under construction, and I'll give my best to make sure it gets uploaded in a week. See ya later!