Chapter Four

Misty Dreams

Card Captor Sakura

~starjade~

A Swan

" Where is he?" yelled Touya impatiently. They had been waiting for a long time for Yamazaki to come back and it was almost dinner.

Sakura shrugged, her eyes troubled. " I-I don't know..."

Touya whirled around and gripped her shoulders. " If I find out that you know..."

Kosumo said softly, " Let her go. What would she know of Yamazaki's whereabouts?"

Touya sighed and let go of his sister. " Yeah...I know. But Yamazaki has been gone since last night."

Suddenly, Hiro ran up to them. " The guards are having a fit! The prisoner escaped!"

" WHAT?" Touya exploded. They all followed Hiro into the front parlour and Touya exchanged a few hasty words with the guards. They were trembling and snatches of their conversation came back to them.

" W-We don't know how it happened, sir-"

" We just blanked out-"

" One of the other guards are severely sick-"

Touya came back, running a hand nervously through his hair. " Great. Just great. But I guess there is nothing to be worried about. The soldier was only from the second ranks...but we could have gotten a lot of information out of him...like their next attacks...damn!" Touya swore and kicked at the nearest statue.

Eiden went up to his brother and said, " Don't worry. We'll find that prisoner, if its the last thing we do!"
Yukito sighed. " That may well be, but what of Yamazaki? Where is our youngest brother?"

" I'm right here."

All of them whirled around and met a torn, tattered boy, covered with dirt and scratches. Sakura could see some blood running down his arm and her eyes widened with fear and worry.

" Yamazaki!" She yelled, running up to him.

His eyes were occupied and guilty. He quickly said in an undertone, " Don't make anything obvious." He then looked up at his brothers.

" Hey, brothers. I'm sorry I was gone for such a long time...I was in the forest and there was a rabbit about to be eaten and I had to save it..."

Hiro nodded, understandingly, but Touya gritted his teeth.

" YOU TOOK 24 HOURS TO SAVE A RABBIT?" He yelled, incredulously.

Yamazaki stepped back. " Hey, there were other things I had to do , alright? I'm here now."

Kosumo said, " Just let it go , Touya. Lets go have dinner. Father's waiting for us."
Touya glared at Yamazaki. "Fine. But I want some answers out of you after dinner!"

They all trooped out of the front parlour into the dinner room, but Sakura hung back. After everyone had left, Sakura whirled around to face Yamazaki.

" What. Happened." She asked, grimly.

Yamazaki sat down hard on the marbled floor. " Oh, god..."

Sakura knelt down beside him, and started to tend to his cut. She noticed a lot of other cuts on his body and her forehead wrinkled up in worry and confusion.

" Where did these cuts come from? How is Meiling? Is she okay? What happened?"

Yamazaki tore himself away from his sister and buried his face in his hands. " While we were driving along, these huge band of...people, I don't know what they were , walked right in front of us. They just walked right in our path. They were the weirdest looking people, with paint on their faces, and headbands stuck full of feathers and leather clothing. I got out , and I asked them to move."

He let out a staggering sigh. " They asked for Meiling. I don't think they knew who she was...but they just asked for the 'girl.' I told them no, and they insisted again and again, and I told them no , and then I rose my spear and told them to leave, or I'll take drastic measures. Then these two guys charged at me and we got in a full out scuffle. They knocked me out and when I came to..."

Yamazaki looked down, guiltily. " Meiling was gone."

Sakura leapt back, her mouth open in horror. "Who were they?"

Yamazaki shrugged, helplessly. " I don't know. I can tell they weren't civilized folk...probably lived in the forest. I could tell they weren't used to being out in the open and they seemed quite in tune with nature. I remember hearing about these bands of people living in the forest and surviving off the forest. I think that's who they were."

Sakura shook her head confusedly. " What did they want of Meiling?"

Yamazaki put his head n his hands once again. " I have no idea."

" Sakura! Yamazaki! Come, the food is getting cold!"

Sakura grabbed Yamazaki's hand and pulled him up. " Lets go eat. After dinner, we'll figure everything out.."

~~~~~~~*****~~~~~

Present...

It was morning, and Sakura looked around quietly. Only the man who was named Syaoran was awake, and was busy with the packs.

She watched as he pulled out long strips of dried meat. He noticed her finally and there was a look in his eye that seemed to betray some kind of desperate emotion...Sakura stared at him, quietly observing.

" You hungry?" Syaoran asked. Sakura made no sign that she understood. Finally, he sighed and held out the strip of dried meat. Sakura shuddered. She wouldn't touch it.

Syaoran sighed. " Fine, have it your way. At least drink some water." Sakura stared at him.

Syaoran made a motion, as if he was drinking. He pointed to the cup. " Water." He then pointed to her mouth. " Drink."

He poured some into a cup and she accepted it, sipping quietly. He turned his back on her, and Sakura looked around. She was only a couple of steps away from the cave entrance. If she could quietly slip away, and run, maybe...

Sakura inched away from Syaoran, one step by another, her heart beating. As soon as she reached the entrance, she turned around to bolt out of the cave.

But then a hand gripped her wrist, tightly.

" Where are you going?"

Sakura whipped around, meeting a pair of cold, amber eyes. Sakura groaned inwardly as he twisted her wrist painfully.

He watched her and spoke in a low, dangerous voice, " You aren't going anywhere. Until you tell me where you got this."

He held out the necklace and it glittered and twirled. Sakura's eyes widened in fear. The necklace that Meiling had given her! How did he get it? He must've searched her pack...did he see the other things she had in there?

" Tell. Me. Where. You. Got. It." He enunciated each word dangerously, his cold eyes unrelenting. Sakura didn't speak a word, but a drop of sweat rolled down her forehead.

" Dammit!" He swore and turned away from her, letting go. Sakura rubbed her wrist and stared at him. Why did he want to know where she got the necklace? Unless...

" That necklace...could lead to the disappearance of a very important Li Princess...a month and a half I've been searching in this god forsaken Kingdom, dodging Kinomoto soldiers just to find a clue, one clue to where she might be. And you.....you , a dishevelled, scruffy girl I pulled from the river...you appear with the one clue I've been looking for and...and...!"

Here , he kicked a stone hard and it bounced off the wall with a loud ping. " YOU CAN'T EVEN TALK!"

Sakura trembled. Was he close to Meiling? Maybe if she told him, he'd let her go. But...But, she couldn't talk. And since she couldn't talk...he'd keep her until she could. Sakura's shoulders sagged. They were three experienced men in combat. She saw their knives, swords, spears and arrows...they could easily trample her. She could never escape.


The other two were awakening. Sakura watched Yamaki rise, yawning.

" Syaoran , man , what are we going to do? How the hell are we going to get out of this kingdom? Fujitaka's men are everywhere.."

Syaoran shrugged, still rigid from his loud explosion. " We'll cope."

Eriol paused, looking at Sakura for a moment. " Besides, there's that girl...."

Yamaki shouted, exasperated, " Just leave her here! Obviously , she's from the Kinomoto Lands and since we found her alone, she knows how to survive in these accursed lands. She's just going to drag us down!"

Eriol nodded , sombrely. " That's true. We don't know anything about this girl. We've given her shelter, food and clothes, I think that's enough."

Syaoran's eyes flashed dangerously. " She's coming with us."

Eriol held up his hands in defence. " Alright, alright!"

Yamaki growled, " I see no point...Yelan will be really mad."

Syaoran shrugged, an uncomfortable look replacing the dangerous one. " I don't care. She's coming with us. We'll have to leave soon , anyways, the Kinomoto soldiers are hot on our trail. How about we split up, since you guys seem to complain about her a lot."

Eriol's eyes grew worried. " Split up? Are you sure?"

Syaoran nodded. " You and Yamaki take the original trail, their probably more likely to follow you. I'll take the girl and meet you at the border."

Yamaki blinked. " You really want to take this girl along? What does she have that would benefit us? We know nothing about her! She won't be accepted into our household, she's part of the Kingdom that kidnapped Princess Meiling, you know it too!"

Syaoran's eyes glanced at her for a fleeting second and Sakura felt her heart sink. Now he going to tell them...that she was the key to finding out where Meiling was....

" We're taking her. End of conversation. Now lets get a move on."

The two of them exchanged looks and began to pack. They left before Sakura and Syaoran, clasping Syaoran's hand before they left. Their swords were bare, and Sakura knew they were aware of the danger of being in the Kinomoto lands.

Syaoran looked up at the sky, his eyes searching. The cave was silent without Eriol and Yamaki and the sun bore down on them , heating their backs.

" It's likely to be a drought in these areas...not a drop of rain in sight." He stared at Sakura, who turned away.

" Where are your shoes?"

Sakura stared at him and then down at her feet. Her shoes had washed away, and there was no getting it back. The soles of her feet were torn and bloody and she felt her cheeks redden.

Suddenly, he knelt down and grabbed a roll of cloth from his pack. He grabbed her foot and began wrapping the cloth around her feet. Sakura blinked. What was he doing?

Finally, he had wrapped the cloth around both her feet and his mouth tilted as he looked at her. " Your feet won't take any more damage! It's a rocky path we're taking...lets go."

Sakura stared at her feet. He actually did a good job...even if it was going to fall apart any second. She watched him as he grabbed their packs and threw hers at her. Was the only reason he was in Kinomoto lands was Meiling? Or was there another reason? Were they spies?

" Lets go..." Syaoran drew out, his eyes still holding that occupied look in them. Sakura began to follow him as he jumped over the rocks.

They went over huge boulders and hills and Sakura was getting tired. Finally, Syaoran grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. Sakura tensed...what the hell was he doing??

" Relax, it'll be faster this way." Syaoran said, his voice not exactly reassuring. Sakura kept herself rigid as he carried her through the pathways and up more hills. Finally , she began to relax.

Minutes passed, hours passed and Sakura knew Syaoran was getting tired. He had let her go to climb a huge hill and had pulled her up after him. He was doing quite a lot for a girl who can't talk, Sakura mused. How close is he to Princess Meiling? Her personal body guard? Maybe that was why...

He picked her up again, but then he tensed. Sakura grew confused.

" Look! We cornered him!"


The shout resounded off the top of the hill and Sakura felt goose-bumps travel up and down her arms. Oh no.. Syaoran let her slip from his grasp slowly , and she looked around herself.

Kinomoto soldiers.


Circling them both.

A dozen of them , holding bare swords.

~~~~~~~***~~~~~

Past...

Sakura hurried to her spot at the dinner table. Oribia sat beside her, her face crinkled in disgust.

" Get another seat." She snapped.

Sakura replied calmly, " I'll sit where I want , thank you."

Oribia smirked. " Not anymore...."

Sakura glanced at her stepmother , but she just turned away , an evil glint in her eyes. Why was she smirking so much? She had some plan up her sleeve...

A servant came walking in with a long train of servants , all carrying silver platters covered with plates of food.

" Tonight's dinner is courtesy of Madame Oribia..." said the servant and the brothers exchanged glances. Oribia , helping with dinner? That was a change...

Sakura's eyes narrowed. Something was up..

The plates were lain before them and Sakura hesitated before taking a bite. Her brothers were enthusiastically eating, as they did everyday, pausing just for a moment to wipe their mouths before tucking in once more. Sakura shook her head, smiling.

She took a bite of her food, a bit hesitantly. It didn't taste wrong...She stared at Oribia again.

" Eat up, Sakura. You'll need your strength.." Oribia said, her mouth twisting.

Sakura stared at her. " Oribia, why are you so happy?"

Oribia grinned. " None of your business...But you'll find out...quite soon."

Suddenly, her father started to choke.

" Father?" Sakura gasped, leaping up from the table. Her father was choking, hard now, and her brothers leapt up as well, with exclaims of worry and shock.

" Father!!" Sakura screamed and she ran towards him. He wasn't choking on food....he was choking at the lack of air....

" SOMEBODY HELP!" Sakura yelled, and servants bustled in, taking Father away. Sakura looked around herself , frantically. What had happened? Why was father so sick?

Something was up...

Eiden cried, " I'll get the doctor..."

He got up, but didn't move any farther. Sakura stared at him. What was wrong with him?

" Eiden? You okay?" Touya asked.

Suddenly, Kosumo groaned. " I-I don't feel so-so good..."

" Kosumo!" Yukito yelled. " There's something growing out of your hand!"

" Mine too!" Hiro yelped. Sakura screamed. Indeed, something was growing out of his hand , something white and textured.

Yamazaki stared at all of them. " Oribia."

Sakura turned to Yamazaki. " What?"

Yamazaki was turning white. Unnaturally white. He was beginning to shrink too, and Sakura leapt back in horror.

" ORIBIA, WHAT DID YOU DO?" Sakura screamed.

The whole time, Oribia was standing back, laughing. Her eyes were gleaming with hatred and disgust. "Time to get rid of your sweet little brothers, Sakura. I've been planning this for a long time. You see, I have a little...what do you call, magic of my own. And just a little drop or two in your brother's plates have landed them into this mess!"

White feathers were floating around the room , blocking Sakura's sight. She screamed, and howled, running around to her brothers, but she couldn't see, couldn't see where her brothers were. She whirled around in a circle, her eyes searching frantically.

Laughter came from behind this chaos and Sakura knew that it belonged to that evil Oribia.

" What did you DO?" Sakura yelled, her voice pained and frantic.

" Six brothers, one daughter. Living solitarily in the forest. Touya......Kosumo.....Yukito...Hiro....Eiden...and of course Yamazaki..." She said their names, one by one. " A leader, a poet, a learner, a veterinarian, a fighter and a seer. All down in a wave of feathers. To be cursed for the rest of their lives."

The mist of feathers was finally clearing away and with a blast of white light, Sakura saw a swan. A beautiful swan, with a long arching neck , and graceful wings. It was pure white, and it rose into the air, flying around. But there wasn't just one swan. Another was right behind it , and another and another....

Six beautiful swans.

Sakura collapsed to her knees , her eyes filling with tears. What had just happened? What just HAPPENED? What did Oribia do? Magic? Why did it happen to her brothers? How about her father?

Were they cursed to be swans forever?
Suddenly, a voice in her head whispered, Sakura...

Sakura...

Run...Run....Run now. Leave, before Oribia does something else.

" Yukito?" Sakura whispered. " Yamazaki?"

Run...Run into the forest...

RUN!

Sakura leapt to her feet and bolted out the door. She could hear Oribia's scream of outrage and she could hear the footsteps as she attempted to chase her. But Sakura had made it out into the cluster of trees, but she didn't stop and hide. She kept on running and running....

Until she collapsed in a clearing near a tree, tears running fast down her cheeks. How did this all happen?

Her brothers. All six of them. Innocent as can be. Turned into Swans. Her father, dying. All because of Oribia.

She wrapped her arms around her legs, and cried. Cried for her brothers, cried for her father, her mother, for Meiling, for the lost soldiers, for her lost future...

" Please...." she whispered into the sky. " Please help me. Mother? Help me..."

a/n: Hope you understood that! I know, quite hard to take in , but I hope you tried at least! It'll make more sense in the next chapter. I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS! Thanx so much for reviewing, but I NEED MOREEEE! More! LIKE RIGHT NOW! MooooooOOOORe!

Lol! I sound quite greedy , don't I?? Hey, I gave you a really REALLY long chapter. SO BE HAPPY!

Lol! Luvyalotz,

~starjade~