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Emptiness. . . That was all she could feel now... Those men... those evil, EVIL men had taken her family. No, not taken. They would never be so merciful as to simply take them... They'd slaughtered them in cold-blood. Cold-blood!
The little girl fell to her knees, her emerald eyes glazed over with tears as she took in the ugly massacre before her...Dead. Her whole family, save for a mere handful that was out when THEY came, was dead. Lost to her forever... And for what? A bitter feud that had gone on for centuries! What a waste... what an awful waste!
She started to chuckle low in her throat.
Yes... that's all it was... a waste that these men, women and children couldn't fight as well as the others and so had lost their lives for naught...
Laughter... Laughter bubbled out of her dainty little throat, choking away all the sobs that would have risen to the surface...
They would pay... Of that she had no doubt. Of course the ones who had done this would pay. They would pay heavily for what they had done to her family...
'At least...' she thought grimly, standing up and brushing away her tears, a smile on her face as she glanced at the people who were left. 'They have not taken all from me...' A flash of red caught her eye and she turned to her right where a woman with bright red wings tended to a man who was wounded.
'My clan will live and take revenge... As long as my grandmother lives there will be no retribution unless under her order... But as soon as she gives the throne to me... As she will have to for I am the only one of direct lineage left... I will take my revenge...'
An evil grin took over her face at her murderous thoughts... the grin was completely out of place on such a young girls' face and scared anyone who looked at her. The girl's grandmother turned around in time to see the grin and frowned.
"SAKURA!" she called, snapping the girl out of her trance. A sweet smile graced the girl's face as she jumped off the large Chinese style roof, her arms spread wide.
The people down below gasped, sure that they were going to witness her untimely death.
Just then, a pair of deep red wings pushed themselves out of the girl's back and she flapped them confidently, instinct giving her the knowledge she needed so as not to end up a nasty mess on the ground.
"You called, Grandmama?" she asked, touching the ground lightly with her toe before hovering again and closing her wings behind her back. She landed on her feet with hardly a sound at all, a smile directed at the ageing yet still very beautiful lady before her.
Her grandmother sighed and shook her head, smiling at her little imp of a granddaughter. Only SHE could make light of so dark a day...
"When did you get your wings, hatchling?" she asked, folding her own neatly behind her. Sakura shrugged, and flapped them twice, making debris fly around them.
"Just now..." she replied. Her grandmother was about to scold her for taking such a risk but was pre-empted by a shout.
"Lady Yukari! We found Toki still alive underneath a pile of corpses!" a man shouted, drawing all attention to himself. Sakura and Lady Yukari rushed over to him and the girl barely alive in his arms.
"I'm sorry, My Lady, that I could not defend our home more..." the girl rasped. Lady Yukari shook her head, taking hold of the young girl's mangled hand.
"I should be the one to apologise... It was I who left our home so defenceless."
"Oh no My Lady! You did not fail us! We-"a racking cough interrupted her and clawed it's way through her body, leaving her weak. Blood spattered onto Lady Yukari's dress yet she paid no heed.
"Forgive me. My Lady... I've ruined your beautiful dress as- as well..."
"Silly child... This is worthless. Tell me, did the Dragons take it up upon themselves to attack?"
"Y-yes My Lady... I s-saw only 2... it was the One with one of his underlings..."
"And you could tell that this Dragon was the One how?"
"H-his eyes, My Lady... T-They glowed gold! G-GOLD! A-and he turned into IT!"
"A Dragon! He turned into a Dragon HERE!"
"Y-yes, M-My Lady..."
"Thank you Toki... You have served us well but I do not have the means to save your life as it is..."
"That is a-alright, My Lady... I-"
"You did not let me finish child! I can save you, but not as you are... You would have to be changed into a Phoera, a fire-raider. Could you stand the pain it will bring you? Never dying? Watching as your loved ones died in your arms?"
Toki nodded, the black starting to creep into her vision. She would do anything, as long as she would still live...
Lady Yukari sighed and waved a hand over the dying girl's body. A red light covered it and then disappeared. The girl was gone. In her place was a beautiful woman with bright red hair, crimson eyes and deep red lips.
"You will guard the nest at all times... You need not sleep or food or drink. You are immortal and will only die if killed by a Phoenix or a Dragon. You may have children, but they will be turned over to us for training. Your mate is, of course, your choice."
Toki, the newest Phoera, bowed to her savior and jumped onto the roof, turning the highest tower into her nest.
Sakura looked at her grandmother with worried eyes. It took a lot out of a Phoenix such as herself to turn someone into a Phoera. And her Grandmama was not as young as she used to be...
"Come, hatchling. Tis time to return to our nests..." Yukari told her gently. "The rest of you as well! Males will guard us tonight..." she said, turning to everyone else and, spotting a certain amethyst-eyed girl clutching a stuffed animal to her chest, motioned her to follow.
"Come, Tomoyo. You will nest in Sakura's chambers tonight..."
The girl bowed, and rushed to catch up.
'Good bye Mother...' she thought, looking back at the destruction. Her parents and nest mates were part of those killed in the raid. She, herself having only escaped certain death because of her role as the Heir's playmate and as such was out with the others at the time of the attack. Reluctantly, she turned her back on the carnage before her. It was a scene that no one should ever have had to witness and yet she had to be strong, reminding herself that the Heir, her Mistress, needed her to be so...
The Mistress and her family would now become HER family...
'I have a new family now... I will protect them with my life!' she vowed, eyes on the setting sun in the distance. A voice calling her name startled her from her grim thoughts.
"Tomoyo-chan! Are you coming or not?" Sakura called, a huge smile on her face. Tomoyo grinned at her closest friend, and ran to her side.
"Hai hai, Mistress!" she said happily. Sakura scowled, and Tomoyo had to duck so as not to be hit with her swinging fist.
"I told you not to call me that!" Sakura growled, dragging her friend behind her to her chambers.
"Hai Mistress!"
Sakura sighed. It was no use... the girl would always call her that. As would the rest of them out there. It was her destiny to lead their clan to greatness... For she was the last female of direct decent from the very first Phoenix. Which meant, her once great line's... ultimate death...
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"And so, the Egyptians built the pyramids to house the bodies of their dead rulers, the Pharaohs. They worshipped many gods, including the god of the underworld which they called Anubis."
A sigh filled the air. Boredom was settling in quickly in the large room that served for lessons. The teacher's dull voice kept on droning about some foreigners and yet the boy being taught could not understand WHY it was so important for him to learn all of these seemingly unimportant things.
Irritably, he brushed his chocolate bangs out of his face and turned his amber eyes outside. Such a beautiful day and yet he had to be cooped up inside like some... chicken. Yes, and the lessons he was taught were the feeds fattening him up before they would eat him alive, tearing through his giz-
"Li, Syaoran!"
The loud voice jolted him back to the present and his infinitely boring teacher with his boring subjects and lessons to teach. Honestly! Sword fighting, hand to hand combat and even ETIQUETTE lessons he could understand... but foreigners who built monuments for their dead leader's tombs! What use would that knowledge be to him?
Still, he answered respectfully as he was taught.
"Yes Fujitaka-sensei?"
"Master Li, it seems that it is hard for you to concentrate on an admittedly boring lecture on such a concept far removed from our own daily experiences. Perhaps we should adjourn to the kitchens for a little sustenance?" his teacher suggested, smiling broadly.
The little boy jumped up with glee and ran out the door as fast as his tiny feet could carry him. Fujitaka stayed behind, contemplating the boy that was known to many outside the intimate family circle, and himself of course, as the Heir.
He was to be the next ruler of the clan and, as such, was being trained properly beginning at a very young age.
'The boy can't be more than 5 summers old and already he has more manners than the lair's many guards...' he thought, gathering his papers in an attempt to put them in some semblance of order.
'Yet many are envious of his position. Amazing really, that none have tried to take it.'
Going to the window beside his work table, he spied his young charge running happily in the rolling grounds of the Dragon's lair. In the distance he could see the hunting party returning, the boy's father in the lead.
Syaoran ran straight to him and jumped into his arms, no matter that the man was covered in armor and dripping blood that was probably not his own.
And the teacher was reminded of WHY exactly the others in line could not take the throne away from the boy. They had not the Dragon slumbering deep within their souls, demanding to kill and murder and most of all... succeed.
'And I will forever be thankful to the Heavens that it is simply not possible for any of them to EVER have that Dragon,' he thought, sitting on the ledge offered by the open window. 'And yet regret that a burden such as that be placed on such a young child. Hopefully they did not kill ALL of the Phoenix Clan... And yet I wonder when one of them will ultimately come to claim their rightful revenge...'
For all the planning and killing the Elders did, Fujitaka knew that there would always be at least one survivor. The legends and prophesies ALONE dictated such... not to mention their fierce tenacity to take life firmly in hand. There were more immortals in their ranks then in the Dragon's, owing to their softness when it came to life.
But immortals were out of the question... They would die if slain by either clan's head or heir. Still, there was the problem that the Dragon Lord killed as many Phoenix as possible. But always... ALWAYS would that one little girl with fiery red wings in his dreams haunt him. For once a Phoenix has decided, there was no changing their minds.
And you could be sure that the last one left would be wanting revenge for blood spilt...