Tears of Tyranny
Part One
To Flee the Fallen Flag
By Onyx Dawn
"."
Chapter Two
Flee What Comes
"Of course, sir, I understand. I'll be ready." With that she hung up the phone and stared at Sakura.
"We have to go," she said quietly.
Sakura reacted faster than the pacing of her heart. Tomoyo asked her to jump and Sakura didn't even ask how high. She just did it, and now, more than ever, she knew that was exactly what Tomoyo needed.
Sakura stood up straight and rushed to the table near the couch. She kneeled and grabbed a small green box underneath the table, opening it with a flick of her hand and yanking out a pair of green wire cutters. Tomoyo, meanwhile, was stuffing about three day's rations in a brown paper bag and frantically searching for anything else they might need. They'd been planning the escape for about two and a half years; but never before had they actually put it to action. But now…Now they had to.
They both stopped at the open doorway that led into a gloomy hallway and met each others' eyes. "It'll be alright," whispered Tomoyo softly, pulling Sakura into a tight embrace. "I love you," she whispered softly into Sakura's short brown hair. "I really do. If I get caught, you go through with the plan. You remember it, right?" She held Sakura at arm's length and shook her slightly. Sakura nodded, feeling tears well up in her eyes at the thought of agreeing to that. She could never leave Tomoyo behind, but she had long ago promised Tomoyo she would.
"You won't get left behind," she murmured, and Tomoyo gave an anguished sob and pulled Sakura into another hug.
"I love that you can hope, dear," she said, kissing Sakura's head. "Alright then, let's go." They pulled apart and stole into the corridor, fleeing down the stairs and bursting into the streets. Though her feet were bare, Sakura felt no pain because of the fact that the Minister made sure all the sidewalks in all the ghettos were paved to feel like wood floors. In that brief instant, Sakura saw the Minister's face in her mind; but instead of seeing the horrible man she had hated for four years, she saw kindly eyes and a laughing gait. Sakura shook her head of the image and ran down the street behind Tomoyo. The guards, surely, would see them soon. Sakura caught Tomoyo's eyes and Tomoyo nodded.
Together, the two slowed to a stop and started walking at a normal pace. Sakura put her head down, staring at the smooth pavement ahead of her, and listened intently for what she knew would come in only a few moments. And-ah, there it was. A man was speaking. "Miss, it's after hours. I'm going to have to take you to the Government Centre." Sakura could see, out of the corner of her eye, the man grabbing Tomoyo's elbow.
"Sir, I'm sorry." She glanced over at Sakura and winked at her. "Come along, Erika, you heard what the man said." Sakura nodded and followed the two down the street, counting the blocks they passed carefully so that she knew when to act. They passed the first guard tower from their apartment off to the north and started counting her steps instead. She made sure to make every step equal length without seeming suspicious. It wasn't too hard, really, because the guard always walked at an even pace and never expected those who followed him to catch up completely.
The moments passed slowly, too slowly, and Sakura felt that the time for her to act would never come. She knew that Tomoyo was counting her steps too, ready to fight if something went wrong. But it wouldn't, of course, because she and Sakura had been practicing this for almost two years. Three more steps, Sakura thought, two…one.
The guard didn't even have the chance to cry out in protest. Sakura produced the wire cutters from her skirt pockets and lunged at him, stabbing the back of his neck right where the spinal cord met the brain. He fell in a heap and blood oozed from the terrible wound. Sakura froze, horrified. She had not realized, until, what it might mean to kill a man. She could feel bile rising up her esophagus into her throat and she vomited on the road. Tomoyo was beside her instantly, rubbing her back and singing with her glorious voice.
"Hush," she said at last, casting a glance at the body. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She hugged Sakura close to her and kissed her head again. Sakura could have sworn that she felt tears sliding down her cheeks: tears that weren't her own. When Tomoyo pulled away, she wiped her eyes and tried to smile at Sakura. "It'll be alright. That's the last man you'll ever have to kill, I swear it." Her grin faded slightly. "Now let's go."
Sakura had to suppress her feelings and pretend as if she felt nothing in order to follow Tomoyo through the complicated maze they had mapped out together. Right…right…left…straight…right…left…left…straight…This walk was even longer than the trip with the guard, and it became harder and harder for Sakura not to react to the thought of killing the man. When the Food and Resource Centre came into sight, Tomoyo breathed a sigh of relief. "Now we turn around," she told Sakura, although neither of them needed to repeat the route. They both knew it by heart.
Tomoyo screamed loudly as a huge buzzing alarm filled the air, shaking the very ground they stood on. That caused Sakura to finally burst into traumatized tears. She collapsed to the ground, resisting Tomoyo's attempts to pick her up and make her run. Shouts rang out through the alley and soon the street was full of people. A booming voice shot out through the neighbourhood. "ALL CITIZENS INSIDE NOW…LOOK OUT FOR SAKURA AND TOMOYO KINOMOTO…IF YOU SEE THEM, CALL THE GOVERNMENT CENTRE…" Sakura started sobbing harder and Tomoyo continued to urge her up.
At last they both found their feet and started running. The crowd of people took nearly ten minutes to die down, at which time Tomoyo and Sakura had made it half way across the ghetto and were panting in exhaustion. Sakura felt as if she would fall down and die at any moment, but kept going because of Tomoyo's urgings. Her feet pounded on the ground rhythmically, becoming the only thing she could hear through the noise of sirens and shouting guards.
"Hey!"
Sakura screamed loudly as the first shot was fired. Tomoyo put on a burst of speed that Sakura could hardly catch up with, but she tried. They ran, faster and faster, and the guards were running behind them. A shot fired right passed her shoulder, almost grazing her skin. Sakura tripped and immediately covered her head.
"Sakura!" Tomoyo yelped, halting and turning around. She was faced with a wall of guards, aiming guns at her. Tomoyo raised her hands in surrender, closing her eyes tightly to allow a few tears to stream down her face. One of the guards stepped forward.
"For attempting to flee the ghetto, you and your companion are to be taken to the Minister's Prison to await a meeting with the gallows," he said shortly. He didn't look at all pleased or gloating, but rather sad and empathetic. Did he understand what they were going through? Did he care? Sakura had raised her head, though her body was still pressed to the ground, and examined the horrible scene before her. The weight of the nameless soldier she had killed pounded on her shoulders, and suddenly she felt as if she deserved nothing less than a 'meeting with the gallows'.
Above her, Sakura heard Tomoyo sob.
"."
The Minister stormed through the prison, seething with anger. Tomoyo had promised him years ago that she would abide by his rules if it meant the safety of her dear cousin and now she had broken their compromise. He wouldn't have been incensed if it was anybody else, but a woman with her knowledge of the past could not be trusted being placed in a cell with Alysuoun and Li. The results could be catastrophic for him.
He had no other choice.
The two bulky, dim-witted guards pushed open the heavy wooden door and entered in behind the Minister. They closed the door and shut it with a bang, which gave the Minister the feeling of being locked in a box at the bottom of the ocean. It almost made him feel sorry for his prisoners…almost. As he suspected, Li was huddled up, asleep, in the far corner and Alysuoun was watching him with great interest only a few feet away.
"What is it, father?" she asked him, cocking her head slightly to the side and folding her arms defensively across her chest. She was a smart woman and could sense danger when it came. The Minister felt small satisfaction in making her squirm, wishing rather that she would give up her devotion to a woman who had died almost five years ago.
The Minister waited a moment, folding his arms across his chest in a notorious manor and giving her directions with his scowl. Alysuoun sighed and bent down, shaking Li a bit until he woke up. Li blinked in confusion and grumbled something about singing tarantulas. Alysuoun bit back a small giggle and stood up straight again, quickly joined by Li who stood defensively about a foot in front of her.
"What do you want?" Li snarled rancorously, pushing on Alysuoun's torso with his hand. Move back, he was telling her, further from the danger. For indeed the Minister was a very dangerous man. His grey eyes flared dangerously, lit with a fire that couldn't be doused by the substantial expanse of looming clouds. His jaw was straight, square, and set with the resolve of a threatened lion. His hair, almost white with a few strands of dark grey, lay tousled and ominously chaotic on his imposing round head.
"Nothing, my boy," he spoke in a startlingly mild voice. He did indeed sound like a noble monarch; nothing like the dire man he seemed to be when setting down laws and rules in the land. It might have been hard to believe that he took away innocent persons' human rights relentlessly, but for the fact that both Li and Alysuoun had known him well before being locked up in prison almost five years before.
"Then why are you here?" asked Alysuoun, trying to step away from the protection of her troubled friend. "I know you well enough to know you didn't just come here for a visit." Li, unable to stop her with simply a firm hand, gripped her arm tightly. She tried to wrench herself away, and yelped when his strong grip did not fade. The Minister chuckled, amused to find that his prisoners were on such affable terms with each other.
"Ah, my dear," he said, breathing deeply as he spoke, "I am here for a visit. Not merely a visit, for there is more I must discus with you, but for now all you need to know is that I am here for a visit. I want to see my daughter," he added, holding up a tanned hand in order to obstruct her protests. "Who, I might add," he continued, "has placed her loyalty in a woman who's been dead for more than four years. Would you care to tell me why, my dear?"
Li had let go of Alysuoun, who rubbed her arm gingerly. She tried to speak, but Li cut her off. "Leave her alone," he growled. "Leave us alone." Alysuoun sent him an annoyed glance and continued to massage her bruised limb. She didn't say anything, too intrigued by what her father's reaction might be to actually care about salvaging her pride.
"I will," said the Minister sadly, slouching his shoulders just a bit. He looked genuinely disappointed that Alysuoun would not talk to him; of course, any man would if their daughter hated them so. "But I have come here to tell you about your guests. You see, there is no more room in this prison,"-Alysuoun snorted in disgust at this-"so I have decided to place these two in your care. However, I am disinclined to do this because of the history you share." He let the words sink in.
"Sakura," whispered Li, his eyes widening. "How did you get her? She couldn't have done anything wrong!" Li lunged toward the Minister, stopped only by Alysuoun's surprisingly firm gip on his shoulder.
"Stop it, Li, just stop it."
Li, red in the face, calmed down a bit, but continued to glare daggers at the Minister. The Minister stood serenely, his hands clasped behind his back, as he considered the young man with a calculating gaze. "Yes," he said emotionlessly after a moment. "Yes, Sakura and Tomoyo."
Alysuoun let go of Li, her hand falling uselessly to her side. "You've broken your side of the bargain…" she whispered, blue eyes widening to the size of saucers and anger as hot as steaming tea filling them. "How dare you, you-"
"I've not broken my word," the Minister reassured his daughter. "No, she betrayed me by attempting to flee the ghetto. Sakura killed one of my guards."
"That's a lie!" Li roared, lunging once again at the Minister. Alysuoun didn't stop him this time, and it took six guards' interference to save the Minister from vital injury. Throughout the attack, the Minister did not move an inch. His facial expression remained the same stoic lack of emotions. After a moment he sighed and shook his head sadly.
"Let us go, men," he told his guards, and they left.
A few moments of silence followed before Alysuoun asked "Well, what do you make of it?"
"."
"You can't kill her Daddy," Princess Alysuoun said quietly. "You can't. I thought you loved her."
Daddy looked down with a weary sigh, tears shining brightly in his eyes. "If I don't, then she might kill me. Would you like that?"
Alysuoun shook her head furiously, clutching her daddy's waist. She might have been fifteen, but right now she felt like a baby. She needed her daddy's comfort, even though he was the one Alysuoun was currently distressed about. "But I don't want you to kill her either," Alysuoun admitted. "She's my mommy."
He tousled her hair, making a sound that seemed to be half way between a chuckle and a sob. "No, my dear, your mommy died ten years ago. She isn't your mommy. You just have me…I'm your daddy."
"But I want a mommy, and she's like my mommy, and Sakura's like my sissy. Please Daddy, don't kill her. Don't, because she's my mommy; the closest I'll ever have to a mommy. And you said you loved her. She said that people would die for the people they love. Don't you love her, daddy?" Alysuoun was desperate; trying to understand why Daddy would kill the woman she had come to know as her mommy.
"I love her, my Swan, I love her very much. But she has to die." Suddenly Daddy wasn't Daddy anymore, he was the Minister. He stood, powerful and imposing, demanding respect by convincing the world to fear him. Alysuoun shrunk away, feeling her years slip away until she became no more than six years of age. She was small and very fragile with wide blue eyes and small, pale shaking hands.
"Why did you kill mommy? Didn't you love her?" she asked pitifully, blinking tears from her large blue eyes. "Don't you love mommy?"
"Mommy didn't like me," said the Minister. "Mommy didn't deserve to live. You don't like me either. To the gallows with you."
"Daddy, don't you love me?" He shook his head.
"I don't have time to love you," he told her, shooting her a glare. "Now go to the gallows."
Suddenly she was standing on a large wooden floor, the itchy noose wrapped around her tiny neck. "Daddy!" She screamed helplessly, praying for her Daddy to come. The Minister was there and he grinned at her.
"I don't have time to love you," he told her, and pulled the lever. Alysuoun felt herself falling and she screamed at the horror.
"Daddy!" She sobbed while she was falling, forever falling. "Don't you love me Daddy? Why don't you love me? I love you, Daddy!"
But he just said, "I don't have time to love you," and turned away forever.
"."
To be continued…