BLOODLINE By: nikki hiiragizawa
Author's Notes: Hey, I really apologize for taking too long with this fanfic. I intended to stop posting the stories here and post them in my site exclusively, but I am still struggling with the site, given my pathetic HTML skills. To all those who were waiting for so long, I give you my deepest apologies. Hopefully, the long wait will not lessen your interest for this story. Thank you for your reviews.
viper : thanks. I'm sorry I did not update soon enough ;;
Yumei-chan : I'm also sorry for leaving you hanging at the end of chapter 11. I promise to finish this fanfic whatever it takes.
Ukari-chan: Thanks for liking my story. Again, sorry to keep you waiting.
MorbidPhoenix: You're not hyper! Okay… I'm sorry you lost all your files when your computer crashed, but, a cleaned memory means more space to save new stuff in, right? ;;
PrincessSakuraTenshi12: Thanks. As always, you give me lots of encouragement. I would really love to read other CCS fics, and will try to when I have the time. Also, I decided not to use excessive original characters in this fic, so I have to use in-anime characters like Yukito.
NOnymOus : Sorry!
flitter bug: Thanks for reviewing as always . Etou…Yukito is not Sasuke, hehe…They aren't even related. And as for Touya discovering it…I don't know. Maybe Touya wouldn't be such a tattle-tale, now::tugs at Touya's leg: Heheh.
RequiemElise: Please don't be sad that Eriol and Tomoyo cannot be together. Cos if they won't be together, I won't write this fic ever!
Riona11: Oh my! I'm really sorry to be the cause of your...ermm…exploding. ;;; I am really sorry!
Pensively-drifting: Ehehe…thanks. Etou..forbidden relationships?
Clownsareevil and Darkshadowheartless: I am sorry you were displeased by the past chapter. I admit my writing is getting worse. Could it be because of all the mini-thesis I'm writing…sigh… I will repost an edited version of this, though only in my site. I am really sorry.
Furuuma: Yes, the story has a loophole, but for the meantime, they just wanted to go on with the flow.
Esmi: I'm sorry I wasn't able to email anyone when I updated. Usually, I update right before sleeping or right before leaving for school and I usually forget… TT Please forgive this forgetful insomniac.
thousandbirds: And I love you for reviewing me! Thanks!
KyteAura: Sigh. Thanks for giving me a long review and a slice of what's going on. I rarely go online nowadays (I go online mostly to update my site and upload scanlations) but I'm really happy I'm still somewhat…? Connected …
Winter Aquamarine : I have taken a liking for "Winter-y" stuff and I like your name. Thanks for reviewing.
Well, that's about it. Again, I hope this chapter I uploaded will suffice anything that had lacked in the past chapter (which is probably the crappiest one I've ever written…or second crappiest…whatever). Please read on.
CHAPTER 12: Inevitable ContactCLOW REED slowly turned on his bed, his eyes opening gradually. It had been almost a week since he had been ridden with a severe case of pneumonia, and the town doctor advised that he lie down for a while, or else they're going to witness a very powerful magician crumble to his death. Grumbling, the sorcerer followed the order, even though he still wanted to extend his search for the priestess towards the towns in the mountains.
How long had the week been! The moment he was placed in bed, Lady Hinalle came rushing to his side. She served him diligently, feeding him, helping him sweat out his fever, even lending him a bit of power in order to keep his body warm. All in all, Clow was thankful, but the memory of the reason why he and Arisa were drawn away from each other could not be simply washed over by small acts of kindness. No matter how the vampire sorceress would serve him, he can never find a space big enough for her in his heart.
"Ah, you're awake," came the familiar voice belonging to the one tending to him these past few days. Hina approached the bed and laid a hand on Clow's forehead. "Your fever's gone, but you still have to drink the cough potion I made."
Even though the woman had not said anything but kindness, the sorcerer felt anger bubbling up inside him. He wanted to drive the woman away, and make her bring Arisa back to his side. But, in his situation now, he could not. Grimacing at the pain when he tried to sit up, Clow turned to Hina. "Lady Hina…"
The woman looked up from the towel she was washing. "Yes? Do you need anything?"
"No…But why are you here?" Clow knew his question was as impulsive and meaningless as a child's inquiry, but the words just tumbled out of his mouth.
Hina, if offended by his question, did not show any emotion. Dropping the towel back in the basin, she sat by Clow's bedside. "Isn't it obvious that I had come to lend you my hands because you are so sick?" She sighed before looking away from the sorcerer's piercing glare. "Besides, I have to see if my triggered cure spell is working so that you won't be needing blood again."
"Your acts were kind," Clow replied. "And your hands were steady that I nearly gained back my health in no time. But I cannot forget that this would not have occurred if you did not drive Arisa away from me. I'm sorry, but maybe it will be better if you would just leave me alone."
"Wh…What!" Arisa's brows furrowed. "I think you are being a bit ungrateful, Clow. When you fell sick, who was the one who took you back to your house and cared for you? Your priestess didn't even show a sign that she cared, didn't she? How can you search for such an ingrate?"
"I think you know the reason for her actions," Clow quietly replied before turning his back on the former student. "I think I can walk in a day or two. You can go back to your own home now, Lady."
Whatever the reaction Lady had on her face when she slammed the bedroom door closed, the sorcerer wasn't able to see it. He had his eyes already closed, trying to think about that time when the priestess was still with him. By all means, he had to get her back, even if it will mean serious harm to him.
Maybe it was because of his sickness, or because he was tired of thinking of his current state, but suddenly, he began feeling sleepy. As he slowly closed his eyes, he heard a familiar voice.
"Clow-sama…"
The sorcerer opened his eyes but so no one. However, he knew that voice well enough. "Arisa…where are you?"
"You were sick because of me," Arisa's voice said regretfully. "I am very sorry. Please stop worrying yourself and concentrate on your recuperation. I am living with very good people."
Clow concentrated on the source of the voice. She should be nearby, if she could let her voice travel with the wind sifting through his window. However, he did not know enough of the priestess' power to confirm this. "Why…why did you leave?" he asked, almost mournfully. "I…"
"We must never meet," the voice replied, soothing the sorcerer's nerves. "You know that curse is almost killing you, and I can never permit you any more harm."
"You…won't be coming back?"
The priestess grew quiet for a while. "I…I am currently studying about my powers further. If I could, in any way, remove the curse from your body, I will return. I will find an alternative cure, no matter what the cost is. But in the meantime, we must part."
Clow Reed cannot disagree to that oath. Inhaling deeply, he agreed and bestowed his blessings and affection to the priestess before Arisa said goodbye. As soon as Arisa bid him farewell, deep sleep overcame him.
On the first floor of the house, Hina closed the curtains after watching the form of a young woman flit through the nearby meadow. As she went down the stairs a while ago, she heard Clow speak and she had learned the Light Priestess had somehow broken through the barrier she had set up over the house. Not only that, Arisa swore to find an alternative cure for Clow's curse.
Hina sat down by the fireplace. As far as she know, her curse is invincible…and if there is a cure, she will destroy anything and anyone who will try to get it in Clow's attention…
"Daidouji-san?"The amethyst-eyed girl looked up from the scroll she was reading. She found her generous hot, Tsukishiro Yukito, leaning on the doorframe of the library. Mumbling an apology, Tomoyo rolled the scroll she had been studying and placed it on a stack of other scrolls. "I'm sorry, Tsukishiro-san. Have you been standing there long?" She hastily combed her hair with her long fingers as she approached the young man.
"I was looking all over for you," Yukito said as he smiled and extended his hand towards her. "Dinner is ready." He held onto her hand and guided her towards the dining room.
Tomoyo blinked at the site of the setting sun, crimson in the horizon. She had been in the library too long. Today, upon coming home from her new school, she immediately immersed herself in the temple's large library. In the few days that she had explored the library, she had found the books in it extremely useful to her. Soon, she had mastered simple spells and summons.
"I am terribly sorry for troubling your library…again," Tomoyo told Yukito as they entered the dining room. The room was spacious and decorated, as expected in a temple's room. Although the dinner was simple, the ambiance of the room made it special. They sat down and blessed the food.
Yukito smiled at Tomoyo, who seemed to have grown hungry while reading the books in the temple library. "I don't mind. I've also borrowed this place anyway." Tomoyo smiled at him and they ate in silence.
"Anyway, Daidouji-san. Have you found what you are looking for?" Concern was apparent on the young man's face as he asked.
Tomoyo shook her head. "No. Although I easily said that I will find an alternative cure for a curse, I find it hard to find anything." She took a sip from her glass before continuing. "When I left Eriol, I never decided on giving up on him forever. I knew there must be some way to cure a person of a curse like that. There should be. However in order to research on my own, I have to leave him…" She turned the glass on her hands repeatedly.
"Is it because of that vision, where the priestess' plot was found out by Lady Hina?" Yukito asked. Tomoyo had told him of that foreboding dream a few days ago, and he knew it worried the girl very much.
Purple eyes were momentarily hidden as Tomoyo hid her face with her hands. "I learned that vampirism is passed down from generations to generations, but I haven't found a cure for Eriol's case yet. Not even a single clue can be read."
Yukito smiled sadly. "It could be because people are usually turned to vampires when they are bitten by one, like what you said happened to you." The young man stood up to set his plate and cutlery in the dishwasher. "However, on your case, that vampire was cursed, that is why even though there are many cures for either vampirism or curses, finding a cure for both is rare."
Tomoyo sighed aloud as she followed Yukito towards the dishwasher. "I just wish that what I recently read about vampires was true…that vampires can sniff out their friends and foes by feeling their presences."
Yukito adjusted his glasses and laughed. "That is true, I can guarantee it." As Tomoyo made a face, he patted her shoulder. "But since you are in this temple, your presence is hidden by the holiness of the sanctuary. Vampires usually avoid overly-pure place, so you don't have to worry for a while."
"For a while, that is," the girl repeated. "Sooner or later they'll find out my location and I have to have the cure, fast…"
Yukito nodded and held her shoulder comfortingly as the dishwasher chugged away to wash their dishes.
The scarlet afternoon sun bathed three people sitting in the park with a light red light. Eriol, Sakura, and Syaoran sat silently on one of the park benches of Tomoeda Park, a place they frequented before Tomoyo left.
Syaoran sighed and cradle his head on his arms as he looked up to the sky. "After all that inquiring we did all over the school, in the end, none of them seemed to know where Tomoyo went. Even the school record does not say anything about her transfer." He sighed again, more deeply.
"I cannot think of any place where Tomoyo would be," Eriol said. "We have gone to her relatives' place, but none of them seemed to know about the incident. We have asked her friends, acquaintances…even business partners of her mom." He sat up straight and fixed his stare at the king Penguin, a large statue of a penguin that serves as a slide and playhouse for the children. "Come to think of it, even her mother doesn't know about Tomoyo's leave when Sakura-san called her."
Sakura looked at the two young men, feeling helpless herself. Somewhere, at the back of her mind, she knew where Tomoyo had gone too, but she cannot retrieve that information and share it to the others. But she remember what Tomoyo had tol her about the spell.
"You will only be able to contact me or give out the information about me when Eriol or any of you is in grave trouble – a matter of life and death," Tomoyo had said after she had placed the binding spell on Sakura.
The brown-haired girl shook her head. There was no way she could tell Syaoran this! What if they use drastic measures and put themselves in trouble, just so she will remember where Tomoyo is? Surely, her friend must have had some good reasons why she would like to keep her location disclosed, aside from the fact that she wanted Eriol to be well.
"What's wrong Sakura…-san?" Syaoran pronounce he name quite hesitantly. They agree to call each other by their first names. After all, they are all in this predicament together.
Sakura shook her head, her green eyes trying their best to look honest. "I'm just…sorry that I could not give out any information, to think that I was the last person Tomoyo talked to."
"It's alright, Sakura-san," Eriol assured her. "We cannot do anything with Tomoyo's spell. However, something has been puzzling me."
Syaoran heaved himself up and paced around the bench. "What is it?"
The young man adjusted his glasses. "A spell always has some weakness – a secret that will reveal itself upon incantation of a certain spell, use of a special object, or triggering of a certain event. But, we cannot find what the weakness in Tomoyo's spell is."
"Maybe she has mastered the technique?" Syaoran reasoned out but Eriol shook his head. "I should ask my mother, then," the former guardian resolved.
Sakura bit her lip. Should she tell them the way to undo Tomoyo's spell? Should she? Tomoyo might become mad at her, but at least, this feeling of unease will disappear. Maybe Tomoyo just left in a hurry an did not consider talking to Eriol about undoing the curse on the young man. Maybe they should just talk with each other and unravel any misunderstanding among them…
Before Sakura could speak up, a shadow appeared near the park entrance and starte running towards them.
"Who's that?" Eriol wanted to know.
Syaoran froze from his pacing, and before he could answer, he was engulfed in female arms hugging him.
"Syaoran-kun! I found you!"
Sakura and Eriol stood up, shocked.
However, Syaoran was even more so. "Me…Mei Ling!"
TBC…
Nikki: Okay, I know this chapter does not do justice to the time I spent writing it. It's short and uninteresting and wth has Mei Ling got to do with this fic anyway? '''
Well, we shall see…okay? '''