Misty Dreams

Chapter Eighteen

Card Captor Sakura

-starjade-

A Proposal

Sakura stared at him in shock. Hell, she was more then shocked, she was dead stunned.

" Then we can leave. Right now..."

Finally, she gained back motion of her hands and quickly gestured, leave? where? why?

Syaoran paced back and forth, running a hand through his chestnut bangs nervously. " Look, Keili, can you just trust me? Just come with me. Please. Come with me."

He held out a hand to her, his amber eyes pleading with her. Sakura stared at him, incredulously. This was not happening. Today was his wedding day. He was going to get married to Lady Rita. What was he doing?

She shook her head slowly and Sakura watched, horrified as he went down on both knees. " Keili, you have to! I need you to come with me! Please, stop thinking about the wedding, all of these problems, and just leave with me right now."

The Prince of the Li Kingdom was on his knees in front of her. It was too much for her to bear and she had to place her hand in his. His amber eyes lit up and Sakura felt her face break into a smile as he shouted, " Yes! Get changed quickly!"

Sakura, feeling more confused in her life, wore the gown that Tomoyo had made for her to wear to the wedding. It was a simple blue dress but it had a soft material that she loved and she slipped it on. Putting on the leather sandals that went with the dress, she grabbed her pack of starwort and went outside her garden.

When she felt the rays of the rising sun hit her face and light up the scene in front of her, she gasped. Syaoran was standing in front of a horse, beckoning her forward. Sakura took cautious steps towards him, trying to force all sane thoughts from her head. The wedding, Lady Rita, Tomoyo, the Duke, the whole Kingdom, Queen Yelan-

So instead, she concentrated on his amber eyes. This may have been a mistake, hell if her brothers ever heard that she had trusted a Li man, they would kill HIM and then her! Shaking her head slowly, Syaoran grabbed her arm and hoisted her up into the saddle.

He climbed up in front of her and grabbed the reins, whispering, " Hold on tight!" as the horse began to clip clop out of the courtyard. She held his waist cautiously, biting her lip as she saw Eriol at the gate, signalling them to hurry up.

As they crossed the gate, Eriol clasped Syaoran's hand and whispered, " Good luck!"

Syaoran nodded and Eriol looked at her. " Remember, make the right decision, ok?" Eriol said to her, his navy eyes looking up at her, almost desperate.

Confused, she nodded as Syaoran dug his heel into the horse and they sped away. Sakura had to grab onto his waist tightly, for they were going so fast that it almost seemed like they were running away from something or someone. Well, technically, they actually were. If Lady Rita found out Syaoran had run away from the wedding with Sakura, of all people, she'd freak out.

Sakura winced as she imagine the horrible things that Lady Rita could do. Most of them involved the Duke....and his connections with Oribia.

They had left the village and were now thundering along the river, the wind blowing harshly against them. Sakura had to close her eyes, feeling as if she would fall off the horse and die if she let go of Syaoran. Her hands were getting quite sweaty....she was holding onto Syaoran, a man she had a rather large crush on and who was supposedly getting married...

The horse began to slow down and was now clip clopping to a stop. She felt Syaoran shift and he began to laugh, deep in his throat and she could feel it vibrating through his body.

" You can open your eyes now, " Syaoran whispered.

Sakura opened her eyes and then instantly clapped her hands over them. There was grit in her eyes and the sun was blaring hard against them.

Syaoran laughed and grabbed her hands, pulling them off her eyes. Sakura opened her eyes slowly meeting his amber ones. And then she raised her eyes and looked at their surroundings.

There was sand on the ground, a beautiful ocean surrounding them. Rocks formed cliffs in front of the beach and a forest completed the scene. Sakura was breathless. It was beautiful.

Syaoran got off the horse and helped her off as well. He stuffed his hands into his pants and walked across the sand, staring at the beach with a soft look in his eyes that was so rare that it was almost hurtful to see. He sat down on the rocks and stared at the rippling waves.

" I love this place with all my heart," Syaoran spoke, his voice so quiet that Sakura had to come closer to hear them. " I used to escape from all the problems of the household and come here. No one knows where it is. It's hidden by a forest that hardly anyone enters...and it's perfect for me. It's...my special place."

Sakura looked around herself with a deeper appreciation then before. If it was Syaoran's special place...it had a special place in her heart as well.

Suddenly, her mouth dropped open. She squinted against the sunlight. No it couldn't be! Then it happened again. There was an animal, silvery and beautiful, leaping out of the ocean and diving back in.

Turning around with exhilaration, she tugged at Syaoran's sleeve and pointed. Syaoran chuckled. " Those are dolphins, Keili."

Sakura mouthed the word. Dolphin. It felt weird against her mouth and she wished she could speak it, feel the sound and the shape, each letter enunciating themselves and hanging in the air like precious jewels. Ever since her curse of silence began, she realized how precious communication was. She missed her voice and it was hard to communicate with the people around her.

Around Syaoran, however, she knew that anything she tried to say, he would understand. A warm feeling spread through her body and she smiled brightly at him. A red flush was spreading over Syaoran's cheeks and Sakura wondered briefly if he was sick.

Turning out to the ocean, she tried not to let her mind wander back to the Li castle. To the wedding. To Lady Rita, standing at the altar, waiting for her husband-to-be, who was here with her.

Shaking her head hard, she bent down and scooped the sand with her fingers, letting it run through the gaps between them. Grinning at the feel of it, she took off her shoes and wiggled her toes in the sand. She smiled up at Syaoran, a sheepish look on her face at his interested eyes.

He probably knew now that she had never stood at a beach before....she had never felt sand before, seen a dolphin, watched the sparkling waters ripple and reflect the sunlight's rays....

It was absolute heaven. She ran along the beach side, her feet dipping into the water and then going on to the sand, letting her short hair free of her ribbons and her dress fly out behind her. The bottoms of the dress were getting dirty, but she didn't care.

She was free. It was a feeling she wanted to keep with her for a long time. Turning back with a brilliant smile, she ran towards Syaoran who was writing something on a sketchpad. When she came, he hid it quickly and smiled at her.

It made her heart beat faster and she was aware of the fact that he hardly ever smiled, except for today, where he had been smiling more then he had ever before.

" Have you ever made a sandcastle before, Keili?" Syaoran asked, bending down in the sand with her.

Sakura shook her head, excited. What was a sandcastle?
Syaoran got up and led her to the area where the sand met with the water and began to build with the wet sand. Sakura sat, entranced, watching his hands more than she was watching the formation of the sandcastle. His hands were strong and confident, and sometimes, in the back of her heart, she wished for the touch of it on her skin. Brushing lightly against her cheeks, running down her arms...it was a deep longing that gnawed at her insides....

But today, she wouldn't let it get to her. Syaoran applauded and looked up with sparkling amber eyes. " Done!"

Sakura scrunched up her nose and shook her head. It didn't look much like a castle. It more looked like a cave or something, with little crude windows drawn on them. Laughing, Syaoran sat back and observed her.

" What do you think would make my pathetic attempt of sandcastle better?" Syaoran inquired.

Sakura pretended to think and then got up, grabbing a shell and placing it on top of the pile of sand. Clapping, she beamed and the corners of his mouth twitched with amusement.

Then both of their expressions dropped to expressions of incredulity as an incoming wave splashed both of them and ruined their sandcastle.

" No! Our sand castle!" Syaoran cried and Sakura pouted. He laughed at the look on her face and she mock glared at him. Grabbing some of the water pooling around her, she splashed it at Syaoran, jutting her chin out with defiance. Her eyes sparkled mischievously at him as Syaoran rose his arms in defence.

" That is it!" Syaoran cried, and grabbed a palm-full of water and splashing it on Sakura.

Her jaw dropping with shock, she rose her hands and covered her face as he did it again. When she saw that he was getting ready to splash her again, she got up and ran. Syaoran shouted behind her as she raced down the beach, trying to get away from the water he was dashing on her.

Finally, she dropped onto the beach and he dropped down beside her, both of them panting. He splashed a few trickles in her face and she pushed him, half-heartedly. He shook his head slowly and said, " It's hard to believe, but this is the most fun I've had since I can remember."

Sakura turned to look at him, tilting her head inquisitively. He scratched his head and said dazedly, " Everyday I'm torn down by new responsibilities, new burdens, and new problems that everyone expects me to solve. It's the expectations that get to me, most of the time. The fact that I have this role to fit into, that I can't be myself without disappointing somebody or disgracing the Li name. I control so many things but I can't even control my own life."

Sakura stared at him in slight shock. This was the most she had ever heard him say about his own life and she wanted to comfort him and rid the pain from his amber eyes. Remembering Lady Rita, she clenched her hands tightly in her lap, fighting the urge to touch him.

" Until I met you....I had given up. I was just a cold outer exterior of my real self. Until I met you," He said, and Sakura felt herself freeze. He was watching her with an emotion that she couldn't place.

" Anyway, how about we eat now?" Syaoran said, his voice changing. Sakura could hardly believe this day was taking place. She had to look down at her swollen hands to realize that it wasn't a dream, that it was reality. In all of her dreams about Syaoran, she never had these swollen hands....and it was a call-back to reality.

They settled on the rocks to eat the lunch that Syaoran had somehow packed. Sakura watched him out of the corner of her eyes and realized that there was some sort of nervousness around him. He looked as if he was anticipating something, bad or good she didn't know. He had been like this since the morning, when they had fled from the Li castle.

Was he regretting the fact that he had run away from his own wedding? Maybe he didn't run away from the wedding. Maybe it had been rescheduled for tomorrow...

Maybe today would be the day he sent her back to the Kinomoto kingdom. Maybe he realized who she was, the cursed Princess and didn't want her in the Li Kingdom anymore and was trying to do it the nice way, by giving her a day to remember before kicking her out...

" Hold on, I'm going to go get some water from the saddlebags," Syaoran said as he got up and walked towards the horse who was tethered on a nearby tree. Sakura watched him go and turned around. Her eyes caught sight of some white paper and she grabbed it, looking at it curiously.

She realized that this was the same paper that he had been drawing on, moments before. Then her eyes caught sight of the picture on the paper.

Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened with shock. It was the picture of the beach, drawn with a pencil, the exact scene that they were in right now. That wasn't shocking, it was just the small picture of a girl, running along the beach side, hair and dress flying out behind her, bare feet touching the sandy shore.

It was her.

It was a picture of her.

Syaoran had been drawing her. She didn't know why, but it pulled something deep in her heart and she quickly put it back where she had found it, turning back to her lunch just in time as Syaoran came walking back. She hoped the flush on her cheeks wasn't as prominent as she thought it was.

Why would he be drawing her? Maybe....maybe he felt the same way towards her as she did to him? No! That was impossible. Why would he like a poor little Kinomoto, with her starwort shirts and swollen hands and her curse of silence?
It was a silly thought.

She shook her head quickly and Syaoran caught the movement. He asked, softly, " Are you ok?"

She quickly nodded and he looked as if he was debating something in his mind. Finally he took a deep breath and said, " Keili, I want to tell you something. Please, don't respond until I've finished. "

He looked at her pleadingly and she nodded, a bit of dread settling in her stomach. He ran a hand through his chestnut bangs and took a deep breath.

" I'm leaving," He finally said. Sakura felt her breath catch in her throat.

He was leaving?? Why was he leaving? Confusion swirled around in her mind as he continued to talk.

" Tomorrow. I'm leaving to find Meiling again. This time, I have a few leads. One of my spies told me that they were watching the Wilds for a long time, and they saw a girl walking among them with long black odangos and ruby red eyes, who looked exactly like my cousin. I have to find her," He said, with a heavy voice.

Sakura watched him with fear growing in her green eyes. Meiling had been found....that was a relief but she couldn't believe what he was saying. He was leaving?? Tomorrow? What would happen to her?

It was no secret that the only reason she wasn't dead right now was because of Syaoran. He protected her, he saved her, and he had made it clearly known that whoever touched her would pay the prices. But if he was gone...that left her, unprotected in enemy territory. She'd be dead before she could even say a word.

" I have to leave but it's going to be dangerous for you here and it'll be even more dangerous for you if you come with me. So I was searching and searching for a solution and finally, I found one....and I need you to hear me out. Please, just listen to me okay?"

Sakura stared at him, the dread in her stomach growing. What solution was this? What was he talking about?

" Eriol and I have been talking about if for days, since we heard the news about Meiling. I didn't know how you'd take it... hell, I don't know how my family will take it. This is the only way out, saving you and saving Meiling and hell, saving me too," Syaoran said, cryptically and Sakura tugged on his sleeve again, urging him to tell her the solution.

Syaoran looked at her deeply and Sakura felt a blush spread over her cheeks at the prolonged stare. " Keili, my wedding is today. I'm supposed to marry Lady Rita. This is what the whole Kingdom expects of me. I'm sick of expectations and sometimes, I don't even think Lady Rita actually loves me. She's more in love with my position and the position she'll receive by marrying me. She'd be Queen. Right now, all I want to do is find Meiling...but I also need to keep you safe."

Sakura nodded, her heart swelling a bit as he said that he didn't want to marry Lady Rita. He took a big breath and Sakura's eyes narrowed a bit as she tried to figure out where Syaoran was going with this.

" The only way to keep you safe while I'm gone to the Kinomoto Kingdom to find Meiling....is for you to be a Li. To be part of their family, part of their Kingdom. I know you're a Kinomoto, but we can divorce as soon as I come back-"

Divorce??

DIVORCE?

Sakura stared at him in utter shock as he swallowed. "Keili, I need you to marry me. Today. Right now."

Her whole world seemed to crash around her at those words and she leapt up to her feet, her eyes blazing. Her hands cut the air as she shook her head wildly. No, No, No!!

Syaoran got up and grabbed her shoulders. " Keili, you promised you'd listen to me! You have to understand that if you went back right now, you'd probably be killed. If you get marrie4d to me, nobody can touch you. Not even Lady Rita or the Duke, because you're the future Queen. You're my wife," He said, his face flushing a bit.

Sakura's head continued to shake her answer as he talked. She couldn't get married to him!! What the hell was he thinking? She was the Kinomoto princess, if she got married to him, her father would disown her, her brothers would hate her! How would the Li Kingdom take this piece of news? They'd hate her even more, even if they couldn't touch her.

" Keili, please. I know you don't want to get married to me," She heard his voice crack a bit and she looked up at him, her emerald eyes filling with burning tears, " But we can still get this marriage annulled after I come back. I'll probably be back after a week or so, so we'd only be married for a week. It's only a marriage of name, Keili. Not a marriage of love."

She felt the words pound at her body. Not a marriage of love. All through this, she knew that Syaoran didn't love her at all. It hurt her heart and she wanted to cry. She didn't want to get married to him just for his name. Just for his protection. People already thought she was a whore and a witch....this would increase the gossip tenfold. It was true that no one could touch her as long as she carried his name...but....but...

Tears ran down her cheeks and she looked up at Syaoran. And slowly nodded her head. Yes.

a/n: Wooottt....they're getting married! Yea! Getting married! Yea! Wonder how the Li Kingdom is gonna take it tho....especially Lady Rita and the Duke! And Yelan! Next chapter is gonna be full of fire! lolll, hope you guys liked this chapter, please send in any comments and suggestions, alright? ReViEw!!!

see ya latez,

-starjade-