Wow, you all sucked in reviewing for Chapter 5. You're all very lucky that I still love you or I wouldn't be posting this now.
Chapter 6
The second the ship left the atmosphere, Eriol kicked Syaoran out of the cockpit under the pretense that Syaoran needed to tend his wounds. And after that, Eriol flat out refused to leave the cock pit under any circumstances and all the magic in the world couldn't help anyone who suggested other wise. At one point he actually growled stunningly like a tiger and Syaoran went running. He hadn't been back since.
Syaoran occupied himself by doing repair work down in the engine room and all the cooking in the mess hall. Not that he liked it. But someone had to do it and Tomoyo didn't know the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon. She spent her first few hours wondering about the ship exploring.
It was a really small ship, two bedrooms, one bathroom, one mess hall/common room, the engine room, and the cockpit. Microscopic made the best description and for Tomoyo that lack of space captivated. But only for a very short amount of time, then she returned to her room bored.
"Damn it!" Syaoran's voice echoed through the ship. "'Not in the best of shape.' My ass!" The sounds of tools ricocheting off the walls echoed afterward. "Eriol! I can't get the confounded air pump to function at anything more then fifty percent!"
"Calm down Syaoran," Eriol called from his seat up above. "It's not critical at the moment!" He started fiddling with the navigations system.
Syaoran poked his head out of the floor and the engine room. "I could really use something to eat, how 'bout you?"
"Tomoyo just brought up some stuff. She's been practicing her domestic skills." He gestured to the plate of very nasty looking sandwiches. "Surprisingly, they're a lot better then they look."
"I'll take your word for it." Syaoran took a tentative bite and then shoved the whole thing in his mouth. "Where is she anyway? I haven't seen her in like two days."
"Down in her room, sleeping, I think." Eriol's eyes never left the screen in front of him. Every once in a while a star would appear or words would flash across. "Can you believe how old this thing is? This ship has to be from the Old Ages!"
"Yea," he said slowly. "I think, maybe, Tomoyo knows more about it then she's letting on…"
"What do you mean?" Eriol flipped a switch and began plugging in numbers on a tiny keypad.
"It's just when she first saw the ship she got all—I don't know—excited." Syaoran shoved another sandwich in his mouth. "It was just weird."
"I noticed that too." Eriol continued the conversation half-heartedly, more concerned with the ship beneath his hands. "Wow! Look at this!" He whistled.
Syaoran shook his head a little annoyed but also amused. "I think I'll go talk to Tomoyo." He muttered knowing Eriol wouldn't hear or notice his absence.
"I don't believe this! How Awesome!" Eriol's voice boomed through the hall.
No lights were on in the hall and shadows danced across the wall, created by the limited light from the cockpit. The floor creaked in that breakable way of a floor that's about to cave in as Syaoran made his way to Tomoyo's room. "Umm, Tomoyo?" He knocked uncertainly on the metal door. "We need to talk."
She tentatively opened the door and stepped out into the hall. "Yes?"
"What do you know about this ship?" As always direct and straight to the point.
Tomoyo looked him in the eye and considered lying, before she realized he wouldn't leave until he heard the truth. "I studied history and had a professor who loved the Old Age. From what I can tell, this ship has to date back at least to the Fire. Magic reigned supreme in during that time and only sorcerers could really handle big technology like this ship. Magic was built into the wires and metal; this ship essentially functions because of magic. The old man could have named any price and still he wouldn't have asked anywhere close to the actually worth!"
Syaoran stared at her. "We're riding in a grade A antique, a thing that shouldn't even exist. That's what you got all excited about?"
"We're traveling in lost technology." Tomoyo hesitated and then shook her head. "You of all people should know this ship can only help you get to the Egg as they come from the same era. Sorcerers and Dragon Tamers, all of this around us comes from legend!"
He stared, at a loss for words and unsure as to what she wanted to tell him. "Let's get one thing straight, I'm here for only one thing, to get Sal Bet. He wants you, the wants this treasure, and to get my revenge I'm going to get it first."
"That's a very selfish thing to say." She told him flatly. "Good luck finding what you want." She slammed the door in his face.
From there Syaoran wondered about the ship trying to block out Tomoyo's words. No one had ever called him selfish before, a jerk, yes, crazy, yes, even flat out insane, but never selfish. Many called him kind, generous, a saint instead.
But the words still haunted him; they refused to leave no matter how he argued against them and paced the hall. Eventually, Syaoran found himself in the very small cargo hold. He had yet to explore this room and at first glance it didn't look like much. Boxes filled with fuel and food at one end with tubs of rusty tools at the other.
"The Dragon Tamer, feh. What does she know about them?" He plopped down on a dusty crate. "She never met one, never saw the agony in his face as his wife and daughters were killed." Syaoran looked at his sword gently caressing the blade. "She doesn't know the horrors behind the legend and this sword. Dragon Tamers, Sorcerers, Princesses, for anyone else it's just a fairy tale, but I have to live it."
He carefully sharpened the blade, holding the memories at bay, but only just.
For the next two days, the occupants of the ship had little to do with one another. Not that they realized they were avoiding each other. Eriol remained in the cockpit "bonding" with the ship and showering it with obsessive attention. Tomoyo hid in her room, or occasionally pots and pans could be heard banging about the kitchen. Often she screamed at those cooking utensils, utterly disgusted with her culinary skills. And Syaoran, he reminisced over childhood memories holding his sword close to scare off the worst of the demons.
Several hours after lunch, Eriol went in search of breakfast. The ship was oddly silent, even for them, as he grabbed a meal bar and marched back into the cockpit.
"Well, Angel, I guess I better check on your stomach too." He chuckled and went down into the engine room. "What the?"
Tools neatly lined the work bench for easy access, the exact opposite of the chaotic mess Eriol had left them in that morning. And each part of the engine gleamed with cleanliness.
Out of the shadows stepped Sakura. "Hello Eriol."
"Syaoran!" He screamed. "Tomoyo! Get down to the engine room now!"
In seconds both had scurried down the hatch and were greeted with an almost identical greeting.
"Sakura!" Syaoran glared angrily. "What are you doing here?"
She raised her chin definitely. "I came to help."
"Help!" Syaoran kicked the tools. "You sneaked onto this ship, hid from us, did only who knows what, and all to help! Oh no, you're the girl who doesn't exist so when I ask you what you're doing on this ship you'd better give me a straight answer! Now, what are you doing here?"
Sakura casually looked everyone over; her gaze lingered on Tomoyo as she spoke. "I have come to protect Princess Tomoyo. She once protected me and I wish to repay her every kindness." She looked at Syaoran and smiled. "Besides, none of you can cook."
Eriol's stomach growled loudly. "She's got us there. Anyway, what should we do with her? Lock her in the cargo hold? Drop her on the nearest planet? That would be Aisha and then we might as well keep her around."
The two men looked up and saw Tomoyo giving Sakura a harsh lecture. "I told you Sakura, you don't owe me anything, and anyone else would have down the same!"
"You're wrong Tomoyo. Most people wouldn't accept the truth as you did. Besides I want to do this!"
A large shock rocked the ship sending all four of them crashing onto the floor in a big pile.
"Was that an attack?" Eriol asked slightly dazed from the fall.
"Eriol, you get in the cockpit with Tomoyo, shut the doors and leave that other ship behind. I'm going to defend the border." Syaoran jumped up pulling out his sword and completely forgetting about Sakura. He took about two steps into the hall, turned, and saw Sakura standing at his elbow. "What?"
"I told you, I came to help."
"What about Tomoyo?"
"I can't protect her is I can't fight." She activated her own sword.
"Tell me Sakura, have you ever fought or killed a man?" He turned an icy stare on her. "Because if there is any doubt in your mind about killing, then you had better get back in that cockpit right now."
She returned the glare. "I can handle it."
Syaoran turned back towards the cargo hold and tensed, holding his blade in the customary guard stance. Sakura merely stood at ease, her face impassive and arms limp. Curses and the sounds of someone hacking at the door reached their ears and Syaoran bowed slightly to his enemies.
As the door slowly gave way, five pirates dashed daringly in ready for battle. Swinging his blade, Syaoran moved fluidly into the fray, stabbing one man in the stomach as he went. Two of the pirates danced out of his reach and ran for Sakura.
Sakura calmly regarded them as she brought her sword up in defense. Both pirates glanced at her, maniac grins on their faces, and simultaneously charged. One feigned left and the other took a swipe at her side. She stepped forward and parried the blow to her right, the ring of metal vibrating through her arms.
At the other end of the hall Syaoran had less trouble with his attackers and dispatched the second one quickly while pushing the third back into the cargo hold. He fenced lightly, hardly breaking a sweat as he traded blows with his opponent. With a tight flip of his wrist he sent the pirate's sword clanging across the room and in the same smooth movement stabbed him through the heart.
At the same time Sakura pushed her opponents back as well. A scream tore through the hall as she dogged attack after attack. The two men had her spinning in circles trying to ward off each one. One sword bit deeply into her left arm and she dropped her weapon.
Syaoran charged up the stairs and stormed passed Sakura decapitating one and piercing the other through his stomach. When he turned around, Sakura had disappeared.
"Let's go Eriol!" He shouted tearing the edge of his shirt for a bandage.
Eriol pushed the ship to full speed. "I found the register for the ship that attacked us; it's Sal's." He said quietly.
"Damn it!" Syaoran hastily wrapped the cloth around his lower arm. "This is starting to get to be really annoying shit!"
"Where's Sakura?" Tomoyo asked softly.
"Just get us to Aisha." Syaoran stood up and marched to the door. Tomoyo opened her mouth. "I saw Sakura last in the cargo hold. Let's go get her." They walked down the hall together, Tomoyo fighting her fear at seeing all the blood on the floor.
"You're not going into the cargo hold." Syaoran commanded softly and she nodded.
In the hold, he saw the bodies, the blood, but no Sakura, not a sign of her. He approached the hatch where the pirates had entered and turned away. Through the corner of his eye, Syaoran saw a few strands of hair pinched in the door, hair that looked like Sakura's.
"Eriol! We got a problem!" Syaoran ran into the cock pit, Tomoyo trailing behind. "Sakura's gone! I found her hair in the hatchway door."
"Bad? Good? Are we going after her or on the Aisha? Eriol never once looked away from the screen. "We can still catch them."
"Let's keep them in sight, but don't get to close. We need to figure out whose side she's on."
Now, please all be good readers and hit that little button down there...I really don't like not getting any reveiws for a chapter...it makes me wonder if you like the story at all...