"Three Jewels Enchanted: Separated"
by Seventh Faythes
Seventh Faythes: Dundundundun!
Jezareth: Uh-oh! The dreaded separation has come!
Lenny: You guys make it sound like such a big deal.
Xiu Ying: Uh, Len, it IS a big deal! Duh!
Lenny: Alright, alright! I get the idea!
Jezareth: While my beloved cousins keep on bantering, let me thank those who helped us achieve the over-40 review mark! We can't believe that so many reviews have been made before we even reached the tenth chapter!
Xiu Ying: And, Lupinelightning, if you are reading this, please continue that story! You know, Jobs, jobs and more jobs? It's uber-cool!
Jezareth: Sorry for the delay! It's just because the internet totally crashed down on us! Oh man! And we weren't able to update quickly coz school's comin' and we're kinda being held up right now by all our preparations.
Xiu Ying: But we're certainly doing our best to update quickly. For now…
Disclaimer: Seventh Faythes do not own any CCS characters that all belong to marvelous CLAMP ladies. Though Jeza and I agree that owning Syaoran would be quite a dream….This fic is also based on the uber-cool tele-fantasya (television Fantasy show) here in the Philippines, Encantadia, which, by the way, is sweeping us by storm.
Seventh Faythes: On with the fic!
+Separated+
Sakura could not believe her eyes.
She was home.
She rubbed her eyes at least a dozen times before she truly confirmed that she was back in her room. She was sitting on her bed, wearing the same clothes she had before she left. And she was holding her mother's book. There was almost no sign that Syaoran and Senritsumon were there. Well, except maybe the fact that Syaoran had left a few specks of blood on the floor when she had dragged him in. And the bloody cloth was still there too.
"The time…how long have I been gone? Father and Touya must be looking for me!"
Sakura rushed down the stairs, leaving the book on her bed. There was no one else in the house, just like when she left. The sink was still a little bloody. She stared at the wall clock and her jaw dropped.
"Four-thirty? That was the time I left! Then…no time had passed by after I went to Fantasya? How did that happen?"
She spent the next ten minutes scampering around the house, looking at everything and making sure that everything was how she left it before she was gone.
"This is unreal! Was all of that a dream?"
KRIIINNGG! KRIIINNGG!
Sakura hurried to the phone and picked up the receiver. Her hands were shaking, and her heart was beating quite fast.
"H-hello? K-kinomoto…residence…"
"Hey kaijuu! I'm going home late today! But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't prepare my supper! Just leave it out so I can reheat it! AND don't put any poison on it!"
"T-touya?"
"Yeah! It's me. What's wrong with you today? Are you down with the flu or something?"
"N-no! Okay, I'll cook your dinner. B-bye!"
Sakura put down the phone and withdrew her hands as if the phone repelled it. "Well, I guess that means I was gone for only a second…but I wonder what they're doing…back in Fantasya…"
+meanwhile+
SBLAM!
"Your highness-!" Cherrypink pleaded as the king of faeries barged into Sakura's empty room.
He did not heed her, though. He learned about Sakura's disappearance from Tomoyo, who had entered her locked room earlier that day, bringing breakfast. After seeing that Sakura was not there, Tomoyo had rushed to tell Eriol, which was coincidentally with Syaoran. Once he heard, he rushed immediately to Sakura's room.
Her room was obviously vacant. The bed was fixed up, the curtains were all drawn over the windows and the clothes were back in her dresser.
Syaoran trudged into Sakura's room, his cape flowing freely behind him. He looked around the whole room, messing it up just to really be sure that she was gone. After ransacking the whole place, Syaoran noticed her basket. He picked it up and emptied it. The contents spilled off onto her bed. Syaoran picked up the silk cloth and spread it out. Inwardly, he was astounded by the beautiful handiwork and design. Then he saw the note that was with the scarf. He grabbed it and hastily opened it.
Dear Syaoran,
Don't bother looking for me. I went back to my own dimension. Lupinelightning had regained her powers, and we both went home. I really liked staying in Fantasya with you. You have been a very good friend, and for that I want to thank you. I made this scarf for you. I am hoping that you'd like it.
Congratulations and best wishes on your wedding. I really wish I can be there to see it.
---Sakura---
P.S.: I think I'm
'What does she mean by this?' Syaoran asked himself, staring at the erased last line. 'It does not matter anymore…she has gone. And here I was thinking she might be different from the others…'
"I am sorry, your highness. It is just that everyone has beeen busy preparing for your wedding to notice her absence and-"
Syaoran did not bother to listen to Cherrypink's explanation. He stormed out of the room, his mind in whirls. He walked to nowhere exactly, blotting out all the noise around him.
'I had almost forgotten. It is because of this damned wedding that they were not able to notice her. This wedding has not brought anything for me except plenty of stress and difficulties. I wonder if Bathala truly wanted me to go through all of this.'
'What is the matter, young one?'
'Shi Sakura ey alwa a'n (Sakura is gone). She left Fantasya.'
'Is this the reason of your anger? Or rather, your anguish?'
'You know well that it is, Luna. She has been the only person that I have opened to. I believed that she was a friend, who would stay here with me, make me smile, see past my curse…'
'I snese regret in you,young one. What is it for?'
'Regret? Ah, yes…I regret that…' Syaoran stopped walking and stared at his feet. Then he found himself staring out the same window once again. It was where he met the red butterfly. 'I regret that I did not let her know…what I truly feel…'
+back in the world of mortals+
Sakura was currently cooking their dinner when she felt some sort of pain in her chest. It was not a physical pain, but rather a different one. It came from in side her heart.
She dropped her ladle when she felt it. She clutched her chest.
'This pain…I-it's not mine…but…I feel it…'
Sakura felt a tear go down her right cheek. She wiped it off in surprise. She did not want to cry, and yet, here was a tear from her eye. Right that moment, only one name passed her mind.
'Syaoran…'
"I'm feeling his pain…am I still linked to his world?"
+back to Fantasya+
Syaoran glared silently as he watched everyone scurry around the throne room, setting up the decorations for the wedding. Jenith stood beside the throne. She had decided to stay with her brother during this time, for he had shot a death glare at every servant who went near him to ask about the wedding preparations.
"Sei'rih, what type of flowers should we use?" one of the servants asked, kneeling before the throne. Syaoran only glared coldly at him.
"Uhm…Make it Silver Moonlights. There should be flowers on each corner of the throne room. There should be flowers as well on each table. And…"
Syaoran watched his sister continue on. She knew Silver Moonlights were his favorite flowers, but somehow, seeing it did not liven up his spirits anymore. When Sakura had left him, he found himself feeling more alone than ever. Sakura was the one who brought life into his…well, pathetic little existence. For the first time, someone had shown him sympathy, and concern. And probably, even love.
Syaoran mentally sighed. He could not get her out of his mind. Her smile…her eyes…her face…her whole being.
He knew what he felt. He kept denying it for a long time. He wanted to confirm-or rather, hide it. But now that denial has him in a sea of regret. He regretted denying it just because she was a mortal. He regretted putting off confirming his feelings. He regretted not telling her.
That he loved her.
He just had to see that after she left. And now there was no way he could say that to her. Syaoran felt like a part of him died. The only person he had ever truly loved was gone, and he did nothing to prevent her from doing so.
He hated himself for not saying anything. He had every chance he needed. And yet he let them pass right under his nose.
' What is behind this provocation, young one? I could sense your unseen tears.'
'I beg of you, Luna…I would very much like to be alone right now…'
'Regret fills your heart. It is slowly tearing you away from who you once were.'
'Then that would be quite good. I never liked who I was. Cold, unfeeling…But Sakura was the one who changed that. She gave me something I never had since Agate put that curse on me. She was kind, and not just because I was king. She was the first friend I ever had. And now I've lost her.'
'Do not dwell in the past, young one. It is time to face the sunrise, and leave the shadows behind.'
'Luna, would you believe me if I said that I had been staring at the shadows all my life? When Sakura came, it was the first time I had glanced at the sun. Now she is gone and I…'
"Your highness?"
Syaoran snapped out of his mental conversation with his stone spirit. He turned to the speaker and saw Meilin, staring concernedly at him. Syaoran merely turned away from her and walked out of the room.
"Have I done something wrong?" Meilin asked Jenith, who shook her head.
"My brother is just bothered by Lady Sakura's disappearance. She was…a close acquaintance to him.
"Oh. I see…"
+Sakura+
"Sakura, why are you crying?"
"What do you mean, dad?"
Fujitaka looked worriedly at his daughter. "You have tears in your eyes."
Sakura looked like she was as surprised as he was. She immediately wiped away her tears and looked at them.
"What's wrong?"
"I…really don't know, dad…"
'It's happening again. Is Syaoran crying…'
Sakura stood up. "Dad, please excuse me. I think I have to do something." She rushed up the stairs and locked herself up n her room. She plopped down on her bed and stared at her mother's book. She reread it again, but Lupinelightning did not appear anymore. She tried calling her a dozen times, but the book did not glow anymore.
Sakura tried erasing the memories of Syaoran from her mind, but failed. She buried her head under her pillow and closed her eyes.
+Sakura's dream+
She woke up in the middle of a dark field. She recognized it as a field that belonged to Lunaea. There was a sudden roar of thunder, and everything turned black and gloomy. Bodies were everywhere. Sakura screamed.
"Sakura…"
She spun around. The voice undoubtedly spoke, but she could recognize that tone any where.
"Syaoran? Syaoran! Where are you!"
"Sakura…help me…"
Sakura ran around the field, guided by the formless voice. At last she cam across a lone figure standing amongst all the corpses. He was clutching his side and limping. His mop of brown hair splattered across his face. With his other hand, he was reaching for something.
"Sakura…"
"My god…What happened to you, Syaoran?"
Their fingers had almost touched when he suddenly yelped in pain and fell to the ground. There, in his place, stood Agate. She was holding a bloody saber, dripping with blood that came from the gash it had torn on Syaoran's flesh.
"S-Syaoran!" Sakura knelt down and picked up the wounded king. Wounds were everywhere on him. Sakura brushed away the hair covering his face and held him close to her chest. She was not going to let Agate hurt him.
"It is his time to perish, mortal. After he is dead, I will gain power over all of Fantasya!"
"No!"
+End of the dream+
Sakura woke up damp with sweat and gasping for air. The nightmare she had was truly disturbing. Her eyes traveled over to the clock beside her bed.
"HOE! I'm late!
+Syaoran+
Syaoran shot up from his bed, sweating all over. He had just had a horrible nightmare. He dreamt of his own death. In the hands of Agate. And Sakura was there. She came to help him.
He got off the bed and walked over to the balcony to refresh himself. He looked over to his right and saw Sakura's balcony about five rooms away from his. Her image entered his mind once again.
"Your highness?"
Syaoran spun around and saw Cherrypink, carrying a gas lamp. "What is the matter? I suddenly sensed that you were awake."
Syaoran rolled his eyes. His mentor approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Your highness, I know that Sakura is the source of your sudden change of behavior. But it is time to set aside the things of the past. A ruler of Fantasya must set aside his personal affairs for the betterment of the whole population."
Syaoran merely nodded. She smiled and walked out the door.
Cherrypink smiled as she walked away from the king's chamber. She did not take the route to her room, and instead, walked to Meilin's room and went in. Three mirrors floated near the bed.
She threw away the gas lamp. Then she cast a spell upon herself. Black magic encircled her and changed her form.
Meilin.
She walked over to the three mirrors. Aside from Candifor and the true messenger, the third mirror now held Cherrypink captive. The prophetess sat silently in her prison, her eyes closed and her hands clasped together.
"Haha! That is what you can only do, Cherrypink! Pray! Pray that someone will be able to save you! But no one will! No one will be able to save you, because I will soon rule all of Fantasya!"
+Sakura+
Sakura was not able to focus clearly that day. She would often stare out the window while the teacher was discussing the lesson. She was reprimanded for at least a dozen times, from all her teachers except one. It was her math teacher.
Kaho Mizuki.
Thankfully, Miss Mizuki was her teacher for her last class. Miss Mizuki pardoned her, thinking that she was depressed about something.
KKKKRRRRRRRIIIINNNNNGGGGGGG!
The ending bell came. Sakura had never felt more thankful. She tried to ignore Madison and the others and headed straight out the school.
"Ah, Kinomoto."
She spun around and saw Miss Mizuki. Thinking that leaving and ignoring her would be rude. Sakura stopped. Mizuki caught up with her.
"Kinomoto, is something bothering you?"
"Well…yes…but I don't think you would understand…"
"Does this have something to do with your tale of faeries?"
Sakura nodded and they started walking. "Ah, Touya has always told me that you and your mother had a certain liking to faeries. You know, my sister likes faeries too."
"You have a sister."
"Yes. Her name is Faythe. She knows a lot about faeries. Heck, she even has this weird book about them. It had this label. I think it read…" Mizuki put her finger on her chin. "Oh! I remember now! It read Fantasya or something like that."
Sakura stopped walking. "F-fantasya? W-where did she get that book!"
"Truth is, we really don't know. You see, Faythe is a girl we found wandering near our home. Mom and Dad adopted her. She was carrying that book when they found her."
"C-can I talk to her?"
"Sure! Why not? She's at my apartment by now."
+Mizuki's apartment+
Mizuki opened her apartment and door and found the inside quite messy. Mizuki cleared the way for Sakura, apologizing about the mess.
"I-it's okay, Miss Mizuki. You don't have to do that."
"Well, you see, Faythe is a little reserved. She usually spends her time meditating in her room. She rarely comes out."
"Uhm…can I see her?"
"Of course! Her room's at the end of the hall. Don't bother knocking. She never answers."
Sakura nodded and walked off to the door at the end of the hall. She suddenly felt an unusual force overwhelming her as she touched the knob. But she braved the force and opened the door.
"Lady Sakura, I have been waiting for you," a mystical voice said from inside. Sakura looked around and saw a girl sitting on the floor parallel to the door. Sakura entered the room and closed the door.
At once her surroundings changed. The room turned into a place that looked like a fortuneteller's cavern and a forest put together. Magical butterflies of different colors fluttered around. Sakura turned back to the girl. She had changed. Her clothes turned into a gown that flowed down to the ground. Her curly black hair flowed down to the ground too and she wore a tiara on her head that somehow looked similar to Syaoran's.
"F-Faythe?" Sakura stuttered. The girl nodded. That was when Sakura noticed that she was already floating from the floor. She put her feet back on the ground and approached Sakura.
"Where are we? And who really are you?"
A strange magical force in the form of a silver translucent bubble surrounded Faythe's head as she spoke, telepathically.
"You are a person that has traveled to Fantasya. You are someone like me."
"What?"
"I sense that you hold the power of the savior. You are the destined girl that I have been waiting for."
"D-destined?"
"You have to go back to Fantasya. It is no mere coincidence that I gave your mother the second book of Fantasya."
"Y-you were the one who gave her the book?"
"I am an immortal. I am Clow Reed's sister, and I have been sent here to be the mediator of humans and faeries alike. I have been here since your mother was still a child, and it was me who sent her to Fantasya, to fulfill your destiny."
"W-what are you saying?"
"You must return to Fantasya. But I will not be the one to force you. Return here tomorrow, before the allotted time when you left yesterday, and I shall send you back."
Faythe eyed her. Her piercing gold cat eyes made Sakura shiver. "For now, I grant you one day to ponder on what shall be your actions. I shall expect you here. For I am now the only way you can return to Fantasya…and to King Syaoran. For now, I bid you goodbye."
Suddenly, Sakura's surroundings changed again, and the girl beside her was now a normal girl of fifteen, a year older than her. She had shoulder-length black hair tied back in a messy ponytail. Red-framed glasses hid her dark eyes. She was wearing a blue boys' shirt and a pair of boys' denim pants. Sakura turned around and saw Miss Mizuki staring at her from the opened door.
"I see you have gotten along well with Faythe, Kinomoto. Could it be because you share the same passion with faeries?"
"Probably, sis. She knows a lot about faeries. Glad you brought her along."
"W-what time is it?" Sakura asked.
The "normal" Faythe answered, "It's four-thirty. Man, we must be talking so good we did not notice the time!" She slapped Sakura on the back. The poor brown-haired girl staggered out of her room.
"F-four-thirty?"
'Thirty minutes just talking to her?'
Miss Mizuki tapped Sakura on the shoulder. "I should bring you home already. Touya must be worried sick about you. Just let me get my umbrella."
As Mizuki rummaged for her umbrella in the mess, Sakura stared at Faythe. The girl was smiling at her, but for a split second, she saw the mystical Faythe again. She reached out to her and sent another telepathic message. "Remember, you only have until four-thirty tomorrow to return. His fate, and his life, depends on you. Your decision decides his fate. Choose wisely, young one."
After that, Sakura found herself walking with Mizuki to her house. Her mind did not even register reaching her house and walking into her room, or even changing clothes. All she remembered was sitting at her desk, brushing her hair, and thinking about her meeting with Faythe.
"Four thirty…tomorrow…"
Sakura got the book and stared at it. "Should I really return…?"
+Wakas+
Xiao Lei: How about you guys? What do you think Sakura should do? Go back to her hitotsu dake or stay with her family. That's quite a tough choice!
Jezareth: It all depends on our supporters! What do you suppose?"
Xiu Ying: Again, sorry for the delayed post coz school is coming up and we need to prepare for it! We've also got another pending fantasy fic so please watch out for it! It's called "The Doll Guardian", and of course, it's S +S!
Lenny: Xiu Ying! You're spoiling the surprise!
Xiu Ying: No I'm not! I'm just spreading the word.
Jezareth: Pardon these two. We haven't had any decent sleep because of finishing this chapter so we're getting pretty cranky! But you're reviews manage to keep us awake! Arigatou gozaimasu minna-san!
Xiao Lei: Actually, all that's left to finish this fic is us four. Our big brothers have hit the hay. I can't believe they watched Star Wars without us!
Jezareth: Oh, don't worry! We'll watch it tomorrow!
Preview:
Meilin finally reveals who she is when Syaoran refuses to marry her. It is now time for the faeries to don their armor and fight. Meanwhile, Sakura has to fight her own feelings and decide. Will she return to Faythe, or will she turn down the offer in order to finally live in peace?
R & R