Chapter Six
Misty Dreams
Card Captor Sakura
*starjade*
A Boat
Past...
Sakura gasped at Yamazaki's question. He was quite smart, she knew, but how close could he come to the truth?
Sakura tried to clear her face of all answers but Yamazaki's eyes were still suspicious.
" Sakura can't answer you, Yamazaki...We'll have to figure this out ourselves," Eiden said, his eyes scrunched in concentration.
Hiro nodded. " This all has something to do with Oribia...she laid a curse on us to become swans and we probably turned into humans once every..." He looked at Sakura and Sakura put up two fingers.
" Every two months?" Sakura nodded and a round of groans echoed from all her brothers.
" Every two months and all we have is a night to help our sister?" Touya growled. " That Oribia...when I get my hands on her, I swear-"
Suddenly Yukito gasped. " Look here!"
Everyone turned to Yukito who was holding Sakura's pack. Sakura's jaw dropped and she winced as they all stared at the patches and shirts that Sakura was making.
" This....this is starwort!" Eiden gasped.
Yamazaki stared at the shirts and then grabbed Sakura's hands. Flipping them over, he gasped. " Look at Sakura's hands."
They all gawked at the horrid state of her hands and Hiro cried out, " Why are you doing this to yourself, Sakura?"
Sakura didn't say a word and Touya clenched his teeth. " Oribia is probably making her do it."
Kosumo's eyes narrowed. " But why would Oribia make Sakura weave starwort into shirts? It's clear Sakura is making shirts out of starwort...but why?"
They all grew silent and then Yamazaki said slowly, " Sakura is making shirts...six shirts...six shirts made out of starwort."
Touya's eyebrows rose. " So Sakura's making these shirts for us."
Kosumo gaped. " I would never wear such a shirt! That's absolutely ridiculous?"
Yamazaki responded, " But would you wear it...if it had the power to undo the curse?"
All of them grew silent once more, this time it was a solemn silence as all of them let the revelation sink in. Sakura shook her head in wonderment. It was surprising how fast her brothers had figured out what she was doing. All together, they were filled to the top with intelligence. No one could stop them.
Kosumo mused, " So our sister has to stay silent until she finishes all the shirts."
Eiden said grimly, " That is too much to ask of our sister. She sits here alone in the middle of the forest, weaving and sewing starwort, ruining her hands and she has to remain silent the whole time? This cannot be."
Touya growled, " She can't stay here, that's for sure."
Yamazaki replied, " More so, she can't suffer anymore. She's going through all this pain for us...we cannot let this happen."
Hiro nodded and all of them exchanged looks then turned to Sakura. Hiro said gently, " Sakura, we don't want you to do this anymore. Just go to a house in a village right now, we'll make sure they take you in and live your life to the fullest. Don't wait around in silence just for us."
Sakura's eyes grew wide and she leapt to her feet. Motioning with her hand she grabbed the pack of starwort patches and shook her head furiously.
I want to do this.
Touya looked at the rest of his brothers and they all exchanged worried looks.
" Are you absolutely sure?" Yukito asked, his eyes full of concern.
Sakura nodded her head and Touya sighed.
" Great. Just great. When we get back to human forms, Oribia is mine..." Touya growled.
Yamazaki was still frowning. " I'm not so sure you should be doing this, Sakura. Its not right, you won't be able to protect yourself..."
Eiden nodded. " Especially out here. Anything can come get you, and we're not going to be there to protect you. God, what are we going to do?"
Kosumo shook his head slowly. " She's going to have to get to a settlement, a human settlement that's safe and secure that will protect her while she completes the task."
Touya growled, " Why the hell is this all so hard? That bitch Oribia has ruined our lives and Father's!! Father might be dead now for all we know!!!"
They all sucked in their breath as that thought settled over them like a dark black cloud. But Yukito was shaking his head and they all turned to him.
" What is it, Yukito?" Hiro asked.
Yukito looked at all their faces in the firelight and shook his head once more. " Our father isn't dead. He's alive and healthy."
They all were silenced at his words but Touya scrunched up his brow and snapped, " How the hell do you know that, Yukito?"
Yukito shrugged, uncomfortably. " I flew over the house one time and I saw...Oribia is still there and is looking for Sakura. Sakura's protected by the magic in this forest, so Oribia has no luck in finding her."
Yamazaki's jaw dropped. " But....but none of us are aware of anything when we are in our swan bodies! How can you...How are you able to see and understand the human world???"
Yukito shrugged again. " I have no idea. Am I the only one who can do that?"
All of them looked at each other and all of Sakura's brothers nodded. Sakura felt her heart tighten with sorrow for her brothers. How much pain they must be going through to leave the human world and not even be aware of anything at all! That leaves them so vulnerable..
" What about father, then? What news have you learned?" Eiden asked, eagerly.
Yukito let out his breath as if he didn't want them to ask this question. " Not good news....Oribia has laid some sort of a spell on him. He's like a walking puppet , and Oribia...Oribia is pregnant."
They all grew into shocked silence until Touya yelled, " WHAT?"
Yukito nodded. " We're soon to have another brother or sister. Oribia is pregnant...and since we have all gone missing, this child is the heir to the Kinomoto Kingdom."
*********
Present...
Sakura stared at Syaoran, her eyes wide with fright as he held her hand, feeling the sores and the swelling on them. She pulled her hand away from him and clutched it to her heart.
" Who are you? And....And what happened to your hands?" Syaoran asked , his cold amber eyes questioning.
Sakura suddenly felt a wave of...an indescribable emotion flood through her body and she huddled into a corner away from him and burst into tears.
" Why are you crying??" Syaoran asked, clueless. She just kept crying, tears coming like rivers from her eyes.
" Dammit.." Syaoran swore and looked around himself helplessly. He couldn't move his leg, but he had to do something for the weeping girl. He took the blanket that Sakura had put over him and wrapped it around Sakura. Sakura cringed away from his touch and cried even harder.
" Oh god..." Syaoran muttered under his breath and with a heave, pulled himself over to the other side of the cave and fell asleep to Sakura's tears.
Sakura soon fell asleep as well, tired and sad. Her whole body felt like a leaden weight and it was bliss to close her eyes. The cave was cold and forbidding, but she tried to make herself comfortable against the wet, icy gray rocks. Sighing, she fell asleep.
After what seemed like two minutes, a hand shook her away. Sakura opened her mouth in shock at the sight of her mother.
Mother?
Her mother smiled at Sakura. " Hello, Sakura."
Sakura reached out to her mother as renewed tears fell down her cheeks. Oh Mother, I don't know if I can complete this task! I cannot do this anymore!
Her mother touched her hair. " Yes you can, dear. Just believe in yourself. How many shirts have you completed so far?"
Sakura looked down, ashamed. Only one and a half...
Her mother's eyes grew worried. " Hurry, daughter. You don't have as much time as you think you do. You have evil enemies after your blood and you will meet more on your journey. Hurry!"
Sakura nodded, but then froze as she heard Syaoran's voice.
" What the hell? Leave her alone!!"
Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but knew she couldn't utter a word as Syaoran staggered to his feet and stumbled over to Sakura, holding an arm across her chest protectively.
" Don't you dare touch her!" He said through clenched teeth, glaring at Sakura's mother.
Sakura's mother smiled gently and said, " You chose well, daughter. You chose well."
Sakura grew confused. What do you mean, I chose well? What are you talking about? What have I chose?
Nadeshiko let out a tinkling laugh. " So many questions, daughter. He looks quite strong and I'm sure he'll protect you."
Syaoran however was still wary of Sakura's mother. " If your trying some magic thing on us and trying to get this girl, you can think again! You'll have to go through me first!"
Nadeshiko smiled. " Your leg is wounded, man."
Syaoran flushed. " I can still fight! I'll fight you to the death!"
Sakura's eyes widened. Mother, don't do anything! He's just foolish, he doesn't mean to be so rude. He's just a bit scared, that's all!
Her mother smiled at her. " I understand daughter. I won't do anything."
Syaoran's eyes were wide. " You....You understand her?" He asked Nadeshiko.
Nadeshiko nodded and Syaoran sputtered, " But...But she's mute! She can't speak!!"
Nadeshiko sighed. " If I can hear her, so can you. You just haven't learned how to listen."
Syaoran's jaw dropped and opened his mouth to retort, but Nadeshiko was despairing. " Stay true, my daughter. Stay true."
With that, she disappeared and Syaoran turned to Sakura. " Who...Who was that??" His amber eyes were wide with fear and anger.
Sakura shook her head and was about to respond, when Syaoran stumbled back and fell to the ground. Sakura's eyes widened and she knelt quickly to Syaoran's side. He exerted too much pressure on himself, Sakura thought. He shouldn't have done so!
But sleep had already taken Syaoran and Sakura could feel her own eyes drifting shut. She'd have to make up some excuse in the morning...
Morning came a bit too fast for Sakura. She woke up to a stumbling of rocks outside the cave door. Her heart leapt into her throat. Kinomoto guards! They've come back!
She shot a look at Syaoran , who's forehead was sheeted with sweat and her heart pounded against her chest. Syaoran was well enough to fight! That meant...she had to. Quickly, she grabbed the knife she had used to heal Syaoran and leapt out of the cave door with a ferocious glare and the knife ready in her hand to stab the person who came near her.
The two people froze at the sight of her and Sakura's ferocious glare melted away. It was Yamaki and Eriol! Eriol stared at her and then began to laugh. Yamaki started to laugh too and Sakura felt a blush rise to her cheeks as Syaoran woke up inside the cave and staggered outside as well.
" Eriol? Yamaki? Your here already?" Syaoran said, his voice breathless.
Eriol looked Syaoran over. " Just in time too."
Syaoran sighed. " Thank god. I was wondering how the girl and I would make it down the hill...but we would have managed...right?"
Syaoran darted a look at Sakura and Sakura shrugged, uncomfortably, a blush still present on her cheeks.
Yamaki grinned at her and said in a sly voice, " This girl is quite the wildcat! She came leaping out of the door with that knife when she heard us coming! She mustn't be a Kinomoto, then!"
Sakura flushed angrily but Syaoran was watching her. " She can understand us, Yamaki."
Yamaki's jaw dropped. " What??"
Eriol looked at Sakura in shock. " She understands us? Then why....why doesn't she talk to us? It would be quite easier..."
Syaoran shrugged, his eyes taking on a wary look. " I have no idea. But we'd better get back to the Li Kingdom as soon as we can."
Yamaki was watching Sakura with careful eyes. " So you understand every single word we've said so far...I wonder what kind of secrets we revealed..."
Syaoran groaned. " Just let that go, Yamaki. What have we got, Eriol?"
Eriol nodded, still looking worried. " Well, we're pretty close to the Li Kingdom. We just have to cross the lake and we're on Li lands. I've already got us a boat."
Syaoran slapped Eriol's back. " Good work."
Yamaki looked at Sakura, his eyes calculating. " Are you absolutely sure that she's coming with us? No offense or anything, but Li people hate Kinomotos! Once she comes over to our land, there's no telling what might happen!"
Syaoran's eyes took on an icy look. " She's coming. Now lets get down to that boat."
Eriol and Yamaki exchanged looks and started to help Syaoran get down the hill, as Syaoran related to them what had happened so far. Sakura felt surprising glances fall on her many times, but she ignored it. Right now, fear was the main emotion in her heart.
The Li Kingdom? They....they would kill her! And butcher her! If the rumors were true...
But already, these three men had defied all the rumors. They weren't half animal , half human and they weren't killing machines. They were decent men.
But that didn't lessen the fear in her heart as they arrived to the boat. She looked across the lake and couldn't see the Li lands. What was going to happen to her?
***********
Past
Sakura breathed in hard as she walked over the hill with her brothers. She could see forest and land ahead of her and she winced at the thought of walking through all of them.
" If you walk straight north, you'll reach a pleasant village I've been to a couple of times. They'll help you. We'll come back again, whenever we can!" Touya said, his face filled with worry, concern and anger.
Yukito exhaled loudly. " I can't believe this. We can't even help our sister. She's so young and she's going through this.."
Eiden patted his brother's shoulder. " Don't worry. Sakura's strong, she'll make it."
Sakura tried to look convincing and self-assured. Yamazaki was watching her and his face was pained. " Dawn is almost here." He said softly.
The brothers looked up at the sky and Sakura felt the cold wind bite at her skin. She wished...she wished they could be there for her, wished they would walk with her, wished they would come with her, wherever she must go.
The last minutes were few and she hugged all of her brothers tightly. She looked at them with watery eyes and motioned, Please come back soon.
Kosumo nodded. " We'll be back, Sakura. We promise. Now take care of yourself, keep to the shade, don't talk to any strangers until you get to the village and use all the fighting skills we trained you to use if you get in trouble."
Sakura smiled and nodded as the sun came up over the hill and they walked away , back to the lake. Sakura felt her heart tighten and squeeze painfully as she watched all six forms disappear.
Touya, Yukito, Kosumo, Hiro, Eiden, Yamazaki...she chanted to herself. Those names would keep her through, those names would help her remember, help her through everything that lay ahead of her. Setting the light pack firmly on her shoulder she walked ahead, always ahead, towards her future and towards the solution to saving her brothers.
Six brothers, six shirts, six swans. Sakura would save them all. She would save her father and she would save her family.
a/n: Hello everyone! Thank you sooo much for the reviews! I love them all, and I love all your opinions! Please review and tell me what you think is going to happen, suggestions or opinions. I love reviews and knowing that people appreciate my story!
All the Past parts are done, I think. So it won't be too confusing now, that the past, present stuff are done. It'll pretty much be present, with Syaoran...hehe, yes, that is something to look forward to! lol!
See ya latez,
*starjade*