Author's Notes: Okay, so I updated late again ;; But it's still earlier than the past one cough Anyway, here's my responses to your reviews. And it's very long, so please bear with me. I assure you the story is there, just below the reviews ;;;;
Araanaz : Thanks for reviewing. It's better late then never, right?
KyteAura: I really miss talking to you at Y!M. A job probably has its drawbacks, too, ne? Hope I can talk to you as soon as sembreak here starts. And yeah, I can't reply to your reviews enough...since they're very long and we might start a very healthy argument going for a while because of that..heheh.
Clownsareevil and Darkshadowheartless: Hmm…since I started the fic with all the characters OOC…I can't really do some drastic adjustments to make them in character suddenly. ; Sorry about that, I am trying though, but 2 years of not rewatching CCS is rusting my mind. Sorry bout Sakura's eyes. I know they're green. I must have mixed them up with Li's...or someone else's sigh I am happy you still enjoy the fic, though.
flitter bug: Thanks for the enthusiastic remarks. Anyway, Tomoyo and the gang are, yes, 18 well, the wine I used in the story is supposedly "tame" and can be drunk like red wine in special occasions, so no harm done except for the fact that they drank too much xD. And regarding Kaho, well, there's your answer. Hehehe.
Fuuruma: Well, Eriol helped Tomoyo remember the kiss so she actually knew about it.
cyjj: I'm sorry I didn't update sooner Sorry. Kaho being good, hmm...we'll see about that...maybe I should make a poll…
Kakeru: I love you for loving my fic .
Sasayaku: Waa, don't hold on to Syaoran too tightly, he's bound to have an important part in this fic xD. And yeah, Eriol and Tomoyo are legal, I assure you.
Nebula Moon: takes Cheez-its away xD Hmm, sorry for not making your days for two months. Anyway, I'll try to make your day at least twice a month, then. ;
Not applicable: The suspense thing…if there is such a thing in my fics, is a good thing. I used to make fics that are really straightforward and well, I read them now and they look…stupid. ;;; But everyone's writing style develops and I'm happy I'm a much better writer now! tears of joy Thanks for waiting, ne?
Pinboo: Thanks! And I plan on ending this fic, don't worry. Thanks for the testimonial in Friendster BTW
Flaming Ball of Death: Yes, I'm a sucker for romance, too. ;;;;;;;;
Serenity Japan: Although it's very late, I still continued the fanfic. Thanks for reading!
PrincessSakuraTenshi12: I reckon you have read my other stories? Thanks for reading and reviewing this one, too. I really appreciate it.
Magiabruxa: Thanks. I'll try to update faster .
WoLfePaWs: Thanks! Yeah, I know about the grammatical and spelling errors. Since I dun have MSWord or a beta reader to edit my stuff, well, they happen Sorry about that. Yes, I am a budding Anne Rice fan, as everyone might have noticed. ;;
Sailor-helios: You seem to have found my interests through my fics. Yes, Hina Lle is something from RO (RO addict - me xD). And I also used Mikagami's sword.
LilAngel123: Thanks for reviewing. Err…this is what happened next…
Midnight blue: Erm, Kaho is the incarnate of evil…wahaha..no…kidding! ;; She's really going to be very very very very…erm..kind in this fic. ;;; You'll see
Pensieve000: Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm glad the suspense is really…suspenseful (still trying out that style of writing).
Chuujitsu: Thanks for reviewing. And yeah..I'll try updating really soon.
Amethyst sweet angel: Wow, a pretty insightful review there. Hmm..Kaho=evil..maybe that's going to work here, maybe it's not. You'll see. And Sakura knows who Syaoran really is. She just enjoys bugging him. XD
Blue angel: I intend to finish this fic, it just might take a bit long.
Nirada: Thanks! I'm glad lots of people like my fics sob
RuroKenFan: New fan! Thank you!
Princess cythera: Of course, where's the conflict in ExT without Kaho, ne? evil laugh
Waaahh so many. I really thank you guys a lot. Please forgive the short delay, but here's chapter 8. Please enjoy!
BLOODLINE CHAPTER 8: The DescendantClow Reed watched as the doctor checked for Arisa's pulse. He nodded, gesturing that the priestess was alright. "Just let her take all the rest she can take and she will recuperate in about 4-5 days." The sorcerer thanked the doctor and guided him towards the door.
Clow sat by Arisa's bedside. "Arisa-sama," he murmured, cradling the priestess' hands in his. Arisa was pretty much injured when Hina suddenly attacked her while returning home from the town library. Clow was not around, and the maids just reported that the lady had not returned home before dark just as she had promised.
Worried, Clow searched for the priestess and found her lying unconscious on a road near the woods, her dress soaked in blood. Panicking, the sorcerer quickly took her home to have her treated.
Arisa's eyes slowly fluttered open. Clow quickly grasped her hand. "Arisa-sama?"
"C…Clow…" Arisa's face showed remorse. "You found…me…"
"Yes…"
The priestess looked away from the sorcerer. "I'm sorry. I couldn't match against Hina…"
"Don't speak now…" Clow stroked her hair. "It's time for resting and not worrying."
Arisa shook her head. "No…I wasn't strong enough. It seems that…" she smiled, "I am the one being protected, unlike what I promised you I would do."
The sorcerer touched the priestess' cheek, making her look at him. "That is not true. I…"
"Yes?" Arisa's face was a mixture of question and expectation.
Clow closed his eyes as he bent down to whisper in the priestess ear. "I need you…"
Sakura and Syaoran knelt quietly before a low table, watching the clock on the wall chime the fourth hour. After school, both of them had skipped club to proceed to the Tsukimine Shrine to speak with Mizuki Kaho, a teacher in their school and a probable descendant of Lady Hina.
Hundreds of years ago, Lady Hina, a woman who sold her soul to become a vampire, brought a curse upon Clow Reed, a great sorcerer in order to turn him into a vampire, too. The curse continued to persist up to the present, invading the blood of one of Clow Reed's descendant every fifty years. This time, it had unfortunately nestled in the blood of Hiiragizawa Eriol, Sakura and Syaoran's classmate.
Eriol, desiring to free himself of the thirst of blood so as not to harm other people, sought the aid of a descendant of the Light Priestess Arisa, who was known to have sealed the cursed blood in Clow Reed before. Sakura's friend, Daidouji Tomoyo, have been discovered to be a direct descendant of the Light Priestess. Thus, the two of them were trying everything to lift the curse.
The brown-haired girl sighed. The story seemed outrageous. However, the look on their faces, when they told Sakura the story, made the girl realize that they were really in a dire situation. She leaned towards her left and met Syaoran's eyes. The young man quickly turned red and looked away.
'Sou ka,' Sakura inwardly smiled. She had not forgotten Li Syaoran, the reincarnation of a wolf from the other world who supposedly helped Clow and Arisa seal the vampire blood. He had apparently contributed a lot to this situation, especially when he helped Tomoyo tame her blood when she was accidentally and temporarily turned into a vampire.
Syaoran turned his head and found Sakura smiling at him. Blushing for some reason, he frowned at her. "W…what are you looking at?"
"Nothing." Sakura grinned to herself. Although Syaoran's really dependable and all that, he really is bad at holding his temper.
The young man gritted his teeth and looked away. "Mi…Mizuki-sensei is taking too long."
"Don't worry, I hear the padding of footsteps coming this way," the brown-haired girl replied as she rose to her feet.
True enough, the schoolteacher entered the room. Mizuki Kaho was a woman in her mid-twenties. Her long straight hair, fiery red in color, reached down to her waist. Her eyes of the same color look as if so many secrets were kept beneath them. She bade the students to sit down.
"Kinomoto-san, Li-kun," her kind voice said. "I am sorry to keep you waiting. The temple guardian said there were visitors, but I couldn't leave early because of so many prayer requests handed to me a while ago."
Sakura shook her head and beamed at the teacher. Talking to Mizuki-sensei always made her feel light. "We might be the ones in the way of your schedule, Sensei."
The teacher smiled. "So what brought you here? Schoolwork? Club?"
The green-eyed girl looked at Syaoran, who swallowed before answering. Laying his palms flat on his knees, he began. "Sensei, we would like to ask some questions regarding the Tsukimine Shrine."
"This shrine?" Mizuki asked, confused. "What about Tsukimine?"
The young man leaned closer. "Well, we were wondering how long this shrine had been to your family's…care."
"I think we were living here for quite some time," the teacher answered. "My ancestors, who were very religious, built this temple due to the requests of the townspeople." She held a questioning glance on her face.
Sakura and Li looked at each other. "Then, Mizuki-sensei, you know about Lady Hina?"
"Hina." The teacher's smile faded. "What do you know about Hina?"
"So…you do know about her, Sensei?" Syaoran's face was solemn. He was sure something valuable will come out of this conversation.
Mizuki Kaho nodded. "Lady Hina is my ancestor. I am one of her few-living direct descendants."
"We should make this F minor. F major on this part sounds weird, no matter what Takahashi sensei says."
Eriol nodded and marked the paper according to Tomoyo's instruction. "What do you think they are doing now? Li-kun and Kinomoto-san, I mean." He turned towards the girl just in time to catch her in a haze, staring at the reddish sky outside the window.
She sighed deeply and looked at her friend. "Talking with Mizuki-sensei and getting results, I hope," she replied.
Both of them sighed. They weren't able to go with Sakura and Syaoran because of the upcoming concert for the school's foundation day. However, they thought was better if they didn't go. Tomoyo has a few remaining symptoms from her recent 'vampire-sickness' and Eriol felt he wouldn't be of any help and would just pressure Mizuki Kaho if he was the one to go.
"Do you think Sakura-chan and Li-kun will be able to find some answers with Mizuki-sensei?"
"Maybe," Eriol answered as he hit a random key on the piano. "Maybe if she is really Hina's descendant, then we could ask her to help us find a counter-curse for me."
Tomoyo stood near the window, quiet for a long time. No one spoke then, until Tomoyo finally skipped away from the window onto a nearby seat. "Yes, that would definitely be good ne?"
"What would be good?"
The girl made a face at the bespectacled boy. "It would be good if Mizuki-sensei's a descendant of Lady Hina. Then you could find a cure to your curse and go back to your family." She lowered her voice. "I'm sure…your family will accept you at that time."
Eriol nodded as he stared at the keys. Somehow, the idea of going back to his family in England was not as pleasant as he thought of before. The reason why eluded him, yet he could feel his heart sinking as they talked about it. He was so into it that he did not hear what Tomoyo said next. "What did you say?"
"I said, I'm sorry." Tomoyo repeated for him with a sigh. "Sorry for myself, that is." She laughed briefly, though her face was riddled with seriousness and regret. "I thought I could…I mean I tried helping you, but I guess I'm no good." She sighed once more. "Maybe I am not even a descendant of the Hikari no Miko in the first place."
"No…that is…" Eriol solemnly eyed Tomoyo, who looked away and was busily adjusting her ponytail. He wanted to tell her everything…how he felt upon seeing Tomoyo for the first place. He wanted to let her know how his blood skipped at the sight of her. He wanted to show her how the curse has drawn them together. Yet, he cannot explain it. When he started thinking about saying these to her made him nervous…almost speechless.
"Maybe you should have asked for my mother's help before," Tomoyo was saying. "She knows more of these things than I do. I remember last time I made big magic, I flunked it." She gave a giggle. "I didn't think I could go so far…Eriol?"
The young man laid a hand on her shoulder. "Tomoyo-san…that is…what you said earlier…it's not true."
The purple-eyed girl gazed at him with questions. "Which one? The part when I said I am utterly useless?" She laughed. "Now, don't be modest, Eriol. You know that I didn't do anything to contribute to your counter-curse." She looked away. "I didn't do anything…I'm sorry."
"You did many things for me!" Eriol argued. "If…if not for you, I would have given up all hope in finding a cure for my vampire blood. If not for you, we wouldn't have met Li-kun, who appears only in time of great need. If not for you…"
"Eriol…" Tomoyo gasped as Eriol gripped both of her shoulders.
The young man took a deep breath. "Remember this, you are not useless. You are the light priestess' descendant. Didn't you know? You have given me light. You have shown me hope. If not for you, I wouldn't have lived the most normal life that I had sine I was a child."
Tomoyo's eyes widened as she was embraced tightly. "Eriol…what are…" When the young man shook his head, she raised her hands to rest on Eriol's back.
"You…cannot leave like this, even if the teacher Li-kun and Kinomoto-san talked to have found a cure. You just cannot…" Eriol murmured.
The girl nodded. "I know. I can't leave you alone anyway." She sighed. "I'll be with you always until you have found the cure."
Eriol's embrace tightened, and he bent to whisper in Tomoyo's ear. "I need you…"
Syaoran and Sakura hurriedly walked towards the music room. "We just cannot tell them that Sensei is the descendant," Syaoran was saying as he opened the door to the music room. "They have to visit her for themselves…"
Eriol was red. "Ah, you're both back."
"So how did it go?" Tomoyo asked, her head slightly bowed.
Syaoran stared at them openmouthed.
Sakura eyed Eriol, and then Tomoyo. "Weren't you just hugging each other a while back?"
Eriol and Tomoyo shook their head frantically, and Sakura had no choice but to lay off the subject. "We met Mizuki Kaho-sensei."
"What did she say?" Tomoyo wanted to know.
Syaoran nodded. "She is a direct descendant of Lady Hina."
Eriol sat down on the piano seat, hands shaking. "You mean, she could help us find a cure?"
"Yes," Sakura answered. She walked towards the windows and closed the curtains. "However, you must first talk with her, she said."
"I will go now," Eriol announced. He picked up his bag and held a hand out to Tomoyo. "Let's go."
"Ah…" Sakura held Tomoyo's arm. "Mizuki-sensei said she would only talk to Eriol-kun."
Tomoyo's bright face upon hearing the good news fell suddenly. "Oh…Okay then." She picked up her bag, too. "I'm going home, Eriol." She was living in her own house, now that the vampire blood in her has quieted down. "Would you call me to update me on what happened?"
"I will, Tomoyo. Take care."
With parting words, Eriol and Tomoyo separated. Tomoyo went home with Sakura, while Eriol ran towards the Tsukimine Shrine.
"I heard you could, well, help me with the curse." Eriol knelt in front of Mizuki Kaho, Lady Hina's direct descendant.
Kaho sipped quietly from her teacup. "Yes, I said I will. Our clan has kept powerful spells for cursing and curing in ancient scrolls we use up to now. Although now, we use these spells for good will and for attracting good fortune. I know there is something in the scrolls that undoes a previous spell cast by our clan."
"Thank you," Eriol politely replied. "This is more than good news to me."
Kaho smiled at the young man. "Our clan was originally at peace with yours, Hiiragizawa Eriol," she said. "Of course, I would be willing to help." She pinned a lock of hair behind an ear. "However, though, you must do a little thing for me."
"What is it that I must do?"
The teacher eyed him. "It's a very simple thing, Eriol-kun. It wouldn't matter much."
Eriol fisted his hands on his knees. "No matter how easy or hard, I'll do it if it would make my normal blood return faster."
"Very well, then." Mizuki Kaho leaned closer. "In return for the cure, I want you to leave the descendant of the clan we were always at war with."
"What do you mean?" Eriol was confused.
"Daidouji Tomoyo, descendant of the Light Priestess. I want you to end any contacts with her."
TBC
Author's Notes:
For all those times I have said, "Kaho is not evil!" in my reviews….Hahahahahahahahaha! Well, not so evil ne! Please stay tuned and please review! Thanks