Ah! I finally got off my lazy bum and posted a new chapter! (Throws confetti) I'll blame my laziness on the fact that I am under fangirl distress... (cough)... Er, yeah. It's all CLAMP's fault that you didn't get a new chapter. My poor Syaoran-sama... yeah... That's it... (Looks around) Stop looking at me like that! Yah, Aldalote, don't give me the "Well, Skyklutz, you haven't updated your story in weeks and you only got Volume 5 of Tsubasa a couple of days ago!" speech! Ack! I am rambling to you people! Sorry!
Thank you sooooo much, yukyungtang, for picking out that mistake in chapter four! I fixed it right away! I am usually so careful with that sort of thing, too! Domo arigatou!
Thanks to Illusion Dragon for waiting paciently and not sending a pack of rabid wolves after me when I didn't update! ...Unless they were really cute wolves... with sweet personallities, and bows on their tails, and enjoy red tassles, and have big... brown... eyes... Erm... Sorry, fangirl took over. Fanfiction dot net needs warnings! DO NOT write fics about your fangirl obsession whilst in hanyaan mode!
The next evening, the guest maid got a bath ready as she pulled Syaoran's shirt off and led him to a warm jet of water inside a circular tub.
"Please sit still," she requested as she rubbed a smudge of dirt off his forehead. Once she was finished he was dressed in a fine navy blue shirt and jacket and was led to the main entrance.
"Now, don't be shy," she said as she pushed him gently into the room. In the center of the floor was Sakura in the most beautiful blue evening gown Syaoran had ever seen. It fit to her small form perfectly and seemed to make her bright green eyes stand out even more. At the sight of him, her cheeks pinked slightly and she turned away. Syaoran swam up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. Once she turned around, he bowed to the ground to say his apologies for the day before.
"Oh, Syaoran-kun," she said as she pulled him upright, "Don't worry about it, okay? It was the moment and you weren't thinking strait, I understand."
Syaoran smiled and nodded.
"Well, shall we go?" she asked as she held out her hand. He took it with a "Where are we going?" expression on his face.
"You'll see," Sakura said slyly as she led him outside to a waiting carriage.
The two of them entered a large hall, lit with captured bottom dwelling fish that gave off their own luminesence. At the sight of the princess, the entire hall broke out into applause as she bowed.
"I still don't think it was a good idea to let that brat come," mumbled Touya boredly as he ran his finger along the table cloth's pattern. Sakura led Syaoran to the royal table and sat down. He hesitated. While he was prince on land, they didn't know that.
"It's all right!" Sakura laughed as she stood back up to lead him to a chair next to hers, "You're with me!"
"It was Sakura's choice," Fujitaka replied to Touya quietly, "He may seem a bit strange, ill-educated even, but Sakura has the gift to see the heart underneath."
Touya folded his arms, "I just don't trust him, is all."
"He seems polite enough at least..."
"It's not that,"
As the evening rolled along, the guests had spent the time dancing gracefully across the floor. Syaoran was captivated, dances were never nearly as elaborate or beautiful on land. Nor was the music so light and cheerful. Flitty, like a small guppie paddling through a forest of kelp. In and out, up and down the music, and its dancers, went; nearly hypnotizing the human boy.
"Would you like to dance?" asked Sakura, smiling as she held out her hand. She suddenly frowned, "Or don't you know how?"
She looked temporarily dissapointed as he shook his head, but it turned into a grin, "Then I'll teach you how!"
Sakura pulled Syaoran to the dance floor as the dancers parted to give them room. The music started out slow as she took his hands in hers and held him close, "You don't mind a girl leading, do you?" she wondered. Syaoran shook his head, "Great! Then just follow my lead,"
Syaoran woke up the next morning to the sound of Sakura's cheerful laughter from the main entryway.
"I've decided, otousama!" he heard her voice say as he got ready for the day, "I was just sitting there and I realized that I love him!"
At those words Syaoran's heart did a flip as he rushed out of his room and was about to speed down the staircase when he saw she had her arm wrapped around another merman's. He was about Syaoran's age with blue-black hair that never wanted to lie flat like his did, even underwater. His eyes were almost the same color as Syaoran's only a few shades toward the grey side. Something about him was familiar somehow.
"And I want to marry him as soon as possible!" Sakura continued. Syaoran stared horror-struck as the words left her mouth, sealing his fate. Sliding down the wall, he listened in sorow.
"In four days at the least," added the merman she was clinging to. Syaoran looked back down the staircase at him, he knew that voice.
That's my voice!
The date was set. Syaoran had two days from that day to stop the wedding. In a normal situation he would have let the cerimony take place for Sakura's happiness. However, this wasn't a normal situation. Strange boys didn't just show up and all of a sudden, steal the princess's heart and use Syaoran's voice to do it. This was deffinetly the work of Tomoyo. He didn't have any allies down here. Unless... Syaoran swam as fast as possible to Sakura's bedroom and retrieved her thick book on humans, wasting no time as he swam back down to the kitchens. He slammed the book on the island countertop, making Meiling turn around.
"Ah, there you are! Don't have time to read you a story today. I'm preparing a meal the princess's fiancee." she mumbled bitterly, "Hmph some snobbish brat from... What's wrong, boy?"
Syaoran's face was determined and pleading. He put his hand on the cover of the book, and opened and closed his other hand like a mouth.
"You have to talk to me... about the book?"
Swimming up to kneel on the counter, Syaoran nodded as he opened it to a picture of a man walking along the coast.
"Humans. They're legends."
Syaoran shook his head and pointed to himself.
"What are you trying to say?"
He jabbed himself in the chest, then pointed to the picture again. Meiling chuckled.
"You're not human!"
Syaoran nodded.
"Are you..." she shook her head, "Stop joking around. Humans aren't real, and you aren't one." she shoved a large bowl of vegitables in his arms, "Now, help me cut these up, please."
Syaoran stared at her for a couple of seconds, swallowing the lump in his throat. With pain in his heart, he dropped the bowl and swam out of the kitchen. Even if he did tell anyone, they wouldn't believe him. He swam through the main entrance, past Sakura, and to the back stables, sitting on the floor as he rested his head on where his knees would have been.
"Syaoran-sama," said a voice from the stable door. He looked up to see Meiling as she swam over to kneel beside him, "That's what Sakura-hime said your name was."
Syaoran put his head back down and did not look at her.
"Look, I know you must be really frustrated. You always have to listen and can never express your opinion, and because of that, no one takes you seriously. No one seems to notice that you've got a heart and feelings, just like everyone else. When cruel things are spoken to you, it hurts, maybe even more than for normal people," she put her hand on his shoulder, "What can I do to help you?"
"Sabotage the princess's wedding?" asked Meiling as they watched the couple swim hand in hand down the street. Syaoran nodded.
"You have got to be really desperate for her to go that f... Now where did you go?"
Syaoran had already swam up to the princess and tapped her on the shoulder. When Sakura turned around he noticed how vacant her expression was, as if she were under some sort of trance.
"Oh, hello." she said dully before continuing on. Syaoran continued to swim along side her like an obediant puppy. She wasn't still mad at him, was she? No, this wasn't angry behavior. Syaoran examined her companion closer and noted the glass pendant around his neck. It looked like a miniature version of Tomoyo's mirror. It was attatched around his neck by a leather thong. Both were substances only found on land. This boy was human, just like him. Syaoran decided a confrontation was in order.
