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 --------------------------
I'm ever so sorry for delaying so much, I'm aware that months have passed, but it seems like I'm stuck in this story with an endless conflict. High school has been such a drag, and life has started to get much more difficult. I don't know if you readers are satisfied with this story... I have undoubtedly many ideas for many more, and I have the option to shorten chapters, which will turn into faster updating.
And right now, I loved the offer of having a beta reader, but I think it would make matters worse to have somebody waiting for my slow updating. I've also noticed this thing about C2 Community; I've got to update myself nowadays.
Here is yet another chapter, and I know I've failed my promises, but I will really try to write more. It is a passion that I have and it pains me to not continue because of other priorities. I will not give up on it!
AN EMORMOUS THANKS to:
Ann, HyEcHaN, Emily, kit, Eri21, AnonymousT, Di, PiNk CeLeStIaL, Pink Hana, unknown, Hikaru Ayumi, azn-phoenix29, magiabruxa, Linky-chan, Silver Wolf Gurl, Lilangel, restless-soul63, AnimeObssesionFantasy, Cherry Jade, ClassicElfRyoko, cute-cleo, Adrianne, crimson angel, FireBringer, cutekawaii, Dragons Maiden, Bex Drake, Rosie, lilqtazn35, kawaiitenshisakura, oxox obsession, Wolf Jade, Awai-umi, SweetBabyGurl, Bold Eyes, Zuki Kari, sherina.
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CHAPTER 5 --- Meet the partner ---
The sun's rays illuminated the road as it gently rose from the horizon. Through the window of a bus, Sakura saw the beauty of a day's awakening. Syaoran however was tired from the same old orange-red sky with pink hues scattered across the clouds. He had become silent when he sat down, and she could easily see how his mind was loaded with thoughts. Thanking her luck for choosing the side next to the window, she stared at the pure-white snow.
"Excuse me miss, could you please tell me the time?"
A little girl stopped by their seats. Sakura by instinct raised her left arm and found her watch to be missing. Damn, I must have forgotten it. She instead turned to Syaoran who hadn't even flinched.
"Quarter to seven."
"Thank you, miss." The little girl smiled and ran to the back of the bus.
It was difficult to think she was already four hours away from home. She had left her father sick, her best friend Tomoyo, and her crazy aunt. But, what was going to happen next? Was she ever going to know Syaoran's secret?
Sakura's eyes trailed over Syaoran's figure and then the rest of the bus. It was fair and had blue seats with over twenty people occupying each of them. A mixture of loners, lovers, and families had one goal in mind: to get away from Tomoeda. But to her dismay, she couldn't seem to fit in any of the mentioned groups, and her destination still remained unknown.
Man, I should have brought a book or something. I didn't know it'd be this boring.
Sakura had expected something else; explosions, running, intense moments, treachery... The adventure written on books filled with countless experiences and breathtaking moments.
Syaoran, on the other side, wanted his journey to end. Through closed eyes, he could only picture his only motivation waiting. He knew he was being a pawn in a game where no one would win and lives would be finished. With limited power, he was only capable of fighting ahead. In a twisted poem his memory recalled a year had passed since they hadn't seen each other. The promise of bringing her back was to remain unbroken.
Suddenly the bus came to a harsh stop, and everyone on board started complaining. Syaoran's eyes focused, and Sakura gasped. Red and blue lights flashed. Footsteps were heard, and eventually two figures stepped inside. They murmured to the driver out of eavesdrops, and after receiving a satisfactory nod, both went ahead to pursue their inquiry. Everyone inside calmed down as they made their way. One was holding two pictures in his hand, while the other was asking questions.
"Have you've seen this boy or girl? We've been searching for them. An assassin named Li Syaoran who seems to have captured Kinomoto Sakura..."
Undeniably the search had begun and to Syaoran's failed attempts, they had remembered to check every means of transportation that exited town. What were they going to do? They couldn't run away and get caught; and they certainly couldn't stay and get recognized. Less than half a minute remained.
"Excuse me sir, do you recognize any of the lads?"
People kept on shaking their heads to Syaoran's advantage. The people hadn't really paid attention to the rest of the passengers. But what was he going to do? Sakura didn't have anything to cover her face, unlike him. Then an idea came to life. He made her sink further into the seats as he took of his coat and inaudibly whispered, "Pretend to sleep."
In a blink of an eye, Sakura got pulled toward Syaoran's chest. Her auburn bangs reached her nose while his left arm along with the coat drew her even closer. As soon as she shut them tight, her cheeks started burning. What am I doing here? This isn't right... She could feel his heart beating at a quick pace, yet his hand however stood still and gentle, reassuring her to not worry. She finally relaxed.
After a few seconds, the policemen approached. "Sir, have you seen them before?"
"No, I can't say I have." She heard him answer, his grip tightening slightly.
The cop still didn't move. "My, is your..."
"Fianc" Syaoran managed to complete.
"Well, is she alright?" A hint of worry masked the suspicion in the question.
A chuckle escaped his lips. "Just a sleeping spell. You know how women can't live without their beauty sleep."
The men laughed and moved on.
Thank god this is over. Sakura softly sighed when Syaoran's grip loosened. She still couldn't move however, not until the cops left the bus. Deep inside she knew she yearned to be close to him ... but recalling all that had happened made the feeling disappear.
"Miss! I know miss! She's the one who told me the hour!"
Oh no. The little girl. Sakura realized the terrible mistake and sensed Syaoran's penetrating glare on top of her. But there was no time left on his hands to get mad. He immediately rose up to his feet pushing Sakura forward, aiming for her hand. Sakura turned around and saw the little girl pointing happily as if she had just won a prize. The men, much to their surprise, followed the hand to find the two youths already running.
"How could you let that girl see you?" Syaoran's tone was more than infuriated.
And he was meditating? "For your information, I was just telling her the hour. I didn't know it would reveal our identities! I bet you would have done the same if you hadn't been busy snoozing off."
Even though she knew it wasn't true, she still thought of it as an excuse out of the mess. He made no attempt to argue at that moment, not when he had to figure out what to do next. They made their way down the small stairs and into the cold and doughy ground.
"Hold it."
Surprisingly, a third cop had been waiting at the entrance of the bus with a gun already pointing toward them. Syaoran was forced to stop, and the other two caught up.
"You thought you could get away, huh? Thought you could outsmart "us" cops. Hand over the innocent girl..."
An unexpected reaction appeared on Syaoran's face. His lips curved into an evil smirk, his tongue circling them as he unsheathed his sword. He pulled Sakura into a hazardous grip with the edge of his blade kissing her throat. The two men took a step backward as the air grew thick with gasps and screams; the passengers were watching.
"I dare you to take another step, officer."
Sakura's eyes widened as his grip tightened. He's kidding, right?
"Leave the girl alone..." The one at the entrance attempted to say with the gun between shaking hands.
It only made Syaoran chuckle. "Or what, you'll fire the gun? If you do decide to kill me, then it's only fair that my victim shares the same fate. I'm sure you wouldn't want that, would you? Now be good boys and drop all of your weapons."
The officer reluctantly followed his order as well as the others.
"See? It wasn't hard now, was it? Any sudden movement and I'll kill the girl."
Sakura didn't know what to do. It all seemed so real; the way his breath tingled her spine, the way his hands almost gripped her to death... Her face was showing fear.
"Now get out of the way!" Syaoran barked. The man moved aside, and Syaoran spotted his exit. He started walking backwards until he merged into the forest.
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"Hiroshi, he's taken her away."
From the car outside Sakura's home, the blond-haired officer cursed under his breath. He slumped against the side and closed his eyes. Still he could catch the noise created from the conceited aunt. There was to be, in the afternoon, a broadcast announcing Sakura's disappearance. But where could such a sweet girl be? He couldn't imagine how she could be involved in a murder, especially with a highly dangerous assassin.
He slowly regained his composure and entered the house once again. He reached her room and tried to picture her inside it. The smell of cherry blossoms bewitched him. Getting confused, he sat down on the bed trying to clear his mind. From the open window, a breeze gently flowed through, carrying with it some papers on the desk.
Hiroshi picked them up, eyeing from time to time the neat and cute handwriting that apparently belonged to Sakura. A letter, some homework, a to-do list... Nothing appeared out of the ordinary until he grasped a piece of paper.
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Tall trees loomed out of every direction in what seemed to be a realm of sparkling white. Syaoran and Sakura got into the deepest and darkest part of the forest so they would confuse their chasers. The only failure in his plan was sharing the same consequence: ending astray.
"Li, what happened back there?" Sakura asked when they slowed down.
"What do you mean?"
"Back there... you were only acting, right?"
It took a while for him to answer. "We can't let the cops know you're my ally, it would ruin your life."
Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. She even perceived the sincerity in his eyes. He meant it as though he had already experienced it, and she was eternally grateful for caring. Her words finally came in a thank you.
However layers of humor soon covered the hint of sadness. "What did you expect? I had to clean up your mess for both of our sakes."
The comment triggered Sakura's anger. "It was an accident! How was I supposed to know?"
"You kicked us off the bus and got us lost. Need I say more?"
"Wait a minute, it's you who got us lost!"
"It's you who started it all."
Sakura felt like her head was going to pop, while the stress-free Syaoran smirked. He was always going to be ready to counteract. Seeing the statistics would not improve, she decided to cool off.
"Fine. Let's just figure out a way to get out of this place."
"Alright then."
And to think I could be back home safe and sound in an ordinary day... Sakura apathetically continued her journey through the forest. It was until now had she realized her stupid decision. She hadn't brought anything with her; she was freezing to death, and hanging out with an annoying boy. She was starting to wish the police had caught them both. Syaoran's sudden stop made her bump into him.
"What is it?"
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Hiroshi killed the engine of his car and slammed open the door. With weariness weighing him down, he went up the stairs and stepped inside the police department. Once he reached his desk, he sat down and closed his eyes for a while. His head hurt, his mind yearned to dream, but he had to stay awake. Instead of thinking of his dreaded thoughts, he decided to observe the paper lying in his desk.
When curiosity reached its peak, he read it. It revealed millions if not billions of words scrawled across the thin and printed-paper. It was a small and thin cursive handwriting, probably belonging to an introverted personality. It seemed odd how none of what was written made any sense.
Roafdheln glowess nietxit.
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Sakura could have sworn her heart skipped a beat when Syaoran took out his sword. He was ready to fight whoever his enemy was. Tired of walking, she had a feeling she wouldn't keep up if they had to run again. In absolute silence they both remained, not daring to take a single breath. She kept on looking at all directions, but all she could see was white and not a single trace of anybody who could have been following them. She wanted the uncertainty to end soon.
"Seriously Li, you've got to relax. Next thing you'll know, you're going to poke somebody's eye with that thing."
Sakura turned her back to find a guy wearing glasses. When Syaoran sheathed his sword, Sakura sighed from relief. Good. It's not another enemy we have to run from.
"Well you could at least make your entrances more noticeable, that is if you don't want me to confuse you for an enemy." Syaoran replied.
"I'll keep that in mind." The guy took a glance toward Sakura. "Aren't you going to introduce me to this lovely lady, Li?"
Sakura felt her cheeks slightly redden.
"Her name is Sakura Kinomoto, and she's coming along with us. Sakura, this is Eriol Hiragizawa, my partner."
"Pleased to meet you." The guy named Eriol politely bowed and gently gave her hand a small kiss. These only made her cheeks burn more. Syaoran rolled his eyes.
"To what do we owe the pleasure of having your presence join us?"
Syaoran slapped his forehead in disgust.
Is he for real? From the silky black hair to the brightness of his brown shoes, he was the complete opposite of Syaoran. In every single way he shone, plus he was being polite, neat, and kept the smile fresh on his face. Sakura delightedly smiled. "Actually, it was all just a big mistake. I was forced to come along"
Syaoran felt a surge of outrage. "It was you who decided to come along! Don't blame me for all the mess you created!"
"Mess! Are you going to come up with those lame excuses again?" Sakura asked.
"Lame? Don't try to reduce the graveness of your actions. First the interference, then the night with Kero, now the bus..."
"Come on guys, peace. If we are going to travel together, we might as well get along."
"We?"
"I already told you, he's my partner." Syaoran stated.
The tone bugged Sakura. "I heard, but define partner."
"I currently work with Li, and we have the goal of sealing certain tasks. " By the look on Sakura's face, he continued, "Didn't Syaoran tell you anything about what's going on?"
She shook her head.
He sighed in disapproval. "Still the same old Syaoran... Looks like it's up to me to fill you in all the details."
Realizing how much Syaoran kept on glaring at Eriol, Sakura wondered how two different personalities could ever be friends. How had they both met each other? What kept them together? Every time she took a step forward, more questions held her back, all waiting to be answered. Luckily for her, she now had a new friend who would tell her everything she wanted to know, plus a bonus: he knew the way out of the forest. They knew they had to be careful and often erased their footprints so the police wouldn't find them.
"So, my lady, what do you want to know?"
Finally, the chance that I've been waiting for! Sakura felt a rush of excitement boiling through her veins. "Tell me everything from start to beginning!"
"Whoa, take it easy." Eriol gave her a warm smile. "We've got a journey ahead of us. But since you insist so much, then let me start by giving you the basics."
Sakura nodded while Syaoran kept on glaring from the back.
"We both are partners in a business that's made up of finishing tasks. They give us a call and we do the job."
"They..."
"The people we work for."
Sakura still found it confusing. "What kind of jobs do they give you?"
Eriol's smile still remained; it was hard to read his emotions. "Anything."
"Even if it means killing someone?"
"Yes."
"You got hired murder?"
The answer came after a few seconds. "Yes."
"What kind of job is that? Why are you doing it?"
"We have no choice. We simply follow the rules and get paid."
It seemed absurd working for someone and following around orders. It turned out to be peculiar the way he had explained it, as if he were still hiding something from her. After a long period of silence, she finally asked:
"What about the three enemies you currently have?"
"Oh, well let's say there's a positive and negative side to what we do. On one face, we get paid and please the customer, on the other we get affected by the job's consequences."
"Basically you are doing all of the dirty work for others."
"That's another way of saying it." Admittedly, his smile grew sly. "However out of all the jobs we've gotten, this costumer is quite special. And since Syaoran made a mistake in the process, we've got our greatest enemy of all behind our tails: the police."
"What did you expect after committing a crime? That they would let you go off the hook?"
"They weren't supposed to know." Syaoran finally interrupted, his arms were crossed and he kept on hinting Sakura's spoiler.
"And here we go again! Why do you have to blame it all on me."
"Believe me, I do have my reason."
Reason. The word triggered a thought in Sakura's mind. They have a reason to do this, and it's not only money. Why do I have a feeling it's something profound? She was now determined to clear out the fog that surrounded Syaoran's mystery. A new and brighter surface was revealed from her adventure.
"I think that's enough for today, Sakura." Eriol said. "Little by little you'll start piecing everything together, just give it some time."
Sakura hid her disappointment. He was after all being nice to her, unlike Syaoran. It's just a matter of time. The words repeated in her head.
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Hiroshi tried to make sense out of the words that were scribbled down on the piece of paper, but nothing seemed to come through. He was mentally stuck, and even though his head still hurt, he wanted to at least get a clue on what to do next. He stared at the paper long and hard. He didn't formulate anything out of it, only more senseless words.
After a while, his eyes got unfocused, gaining the background of the paper a little bit more attention. The print had a crescent moon and some stars. He discovered it was part of a whole; probably the other half was missing. He drove his absorption to the details and flipped the paper.
Two words were all he needed to continue forward. They were part of the print of a sentence cut off, yet only two words remained. Both words so simple still hidden beneath layers of complexity.
The Clow.
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AUTHOR'S COMMENT------------------------------------
Let me just tell you it took a while to finally get my ideas in order. It's tough to choose from 100 options one that will lead you to a solid event. My ideas went crazy with this chapter, I wrote two thousand words that were useless, I took out part of the plot, I cut out several dialogues, I erased a character... In other words, it turned out to be a mess; the reason why it took so long to update. Hopefully now that everything is in order, I'll continued with the track that was clearly established. I plan on hurrying and finishing this story so I can continue to pursue my other ideas. Hopefully they won't remain stuck with the same conflict.
The next chapter will explain what Clow has to do with this story, and the jobs will begin. It's already in progress, and hopefully will come out soon. Plus, my semester is ending in one month, and on Christmas I'm finally getting my new laptop, which will mean more time to write.
Thank you for all your patience you guys, I won't let you down!