Chapter Twenty Six

Card Captor Sakura

Misty Dreams

'starjade'

A Meeting

A wave of nausea hit her like an ocean's wave as her eyes opened, blearily. Swallowing back bile, she groaned deep in her throat. The pain in her body was making itself known as deep pangs of pain throbbed in her ribs and she fought for a calm breath.

A cool cloth was suddenly placed on her forehead and she felt her eyes snap open wide. Raising fatigued arms, she rubbed her eyes with her hands until she could see the person clearly.

Kind eyes. " Yamazaki?" She breathed out, slowly.

Yamazaki smiled at her, sadly. " Sakura. You're well."

Fighting back jolts of searing pain, Sakura let out a clenched smile. " Yea."

They sat in silence for a while, as Sakura concentrated on breathing. Finally, she choked out, " Wh-where am I? Wh-where's-" Her breath caught and her eyes whirled onto Yamazaki's form. Her eyes took in his clean form, and the bright, beautiful swan wing replacing his arm. Frantically, she cried, " ORIBIA! Oribia, where's Oribia?"

Yamazaki looked at her and sighed. She heard sounds and looked to the door. The rest of her brothers stood at the doorway, all of them carrying relieved expressions. They looked well and fed, their clothes back to the finery of leather and silk, fit for Princes which Sakura had nearly forgotten they were.

" She's gone," She heard Eidan say, softly.

" After you had stabbed her-" Kosumo began to speak, but Sakura cut him off.

" She's not dead!" Sakura screamed. "She's still alive!"

All of her brothers exchanged glances. " We had a suspicion," Touya said, slowly, walking into the room and sitting next to Sakura " But right now, all we can concentrate on is getting our kingdom back to order and getting you healed as fast as possible."

" It's been a week since the fight," Kosumo said, gently.

" A week?" Sakura exhaled out with difficulty.

" Just get well, Sakura. Get well," Yukito whispered but then she heard a voice that nearly made her heart break into pieces.

" Sakura?"

Her eyes widened to saucers and she looked towards the doorway. A man limped through the strong statures of her brothers and she felt tears burn her eyes.

" Father!" She exclaimed, her body fighting to get up, but the pain of her injuries preventing her from doing so.

" Oh daughter..." Her father whispered, tears running freely down his face. Falling to his knees by her bedside, he took her hands in his and bent his head over it. Fujitaka looked malnourished, sick and with an air of death above him it was his saddened face that made her want to crumble.

" Father...are you all right?" Sakura nearly begged her father as she looked into his eyes, ignoring the twinges of agony that robbed her of peace.

" Am I all right," her father chuckled, sadly. He looked at her with watery eyes, and Sakura wondered what had happened to them. What they had deserved to have all this evil bestowed upon them.

" I failed you as a father. I do not deserve the title you are giving me."

" No...no father...you'll always be my father..." Sakura could only say before darkness was beginning to steal her away. She felt her eyes close as her father kissed her forehead softly.

" And you'll always remain Nadeshiko's daughter..."

Weeks passed. Months and months went by. Oribia had left her son with them and Sakura had, almost automatically, taken charge of the baby. The Kingdom was very hard to restore. The people were distrustful, in pieces, starving and broken. Even after a year had passed by, there were still problems that needed sorting, but the Kingdom had almost gone through a miraculous change. It was almost the same as it was before Oribia had spread her evil throughout the Kinomoto Kingdom.

Her father was regaining his health but had taken a side stand to the ruling of the Kingdom. Touya was named King and Eidan had begun to rejuvenate the army that fought for freedom, rather then control. Hiiro had left, a few weeks ago on his own travels. He had specialized with healers to heal animals and had gone on a special journey throughout the Kingdom and other Kingdoms. Kosumo was currently in training to become a scribe, as Yukito became Touya's right hand man and advisor.

Yamazaki was still lost between the two worlds of animals and humans. His wing made him an outcast among humans and his human side made him an outcast among animals. Broken between two worlds, he remained in between and was often, missing for days, weeks at a time. Sakura remained close to her brother, but could see the ache in his eyes that would always send ripples of guilt through her body, even though he assured her that none of it was her fault.

Sakura, on the other hand, had become a nation wide known healer. Her main focus, at this point, was the child. He was growing up strong and healthy, but his eyes were the same as his mothers and for that, much of the Kingdom despised the child. Yet Sakura would not allow any discrimination against the child, and kept him in her stead, protected from any seeking a deluded revenge.

For Sakura, her days were not peaceful. Not a moment would not pass where she would not think of her lost love. The Prince of the Li Kingdom, with his soft auburn eyes, messy brown hair and strong face. Everyday, memories flitted through her heart as she remembered his words, his protection, his arms, his smile, and his voice...

'Keili...'

All she wanted was to be with him. But she knew it was impossible...and it would stay an impossibility for a long time, as long as she was the Princess of the Kinomoto Kingdoms and he was the Prince of the Li Kingdom.

" Samy!" Sakura smiled as the boy waddled towards her and clapped his hands, squealing.

" Wanna play," He pouted, his cheeks chubby. It had taken a long time for the Kinomoto family to accept the young child, however innocent he may be. They had believed the child carried with him, some of the evil blood Oribia had in her heart. Yet the child was showing no signs of evil and Sakura knew, deep in his heart, he was a good child born of the wrong mother.

" Play with me," Sakura said, grinning as she put aside the pestle and herbs. Holding out her arms, the little boy shook his head. His dark eyes were bright and happy, quite different from the expressions on Oribia's face.

" Wanna play." He repeated, stuttering over his words.

Sakura's eyes grew sad. She knew what he meant. He wanted to play with the other kids, but the last time that occurred, the peasants would not let any of their children near the boy.

He was the son of the devil, a witch's child. And he would remain so.

Yet Samy's attention was soon diverted as he crawled to the window, and stared outside in what seemed to be rapt attention.

" Look!" Samy cried as he pointed towards the sky, looking back at Sakura excitedly.

" Yes, it's the sky, Samy," Sakura agreed with him, shaking her head as she crushed the herbs with her pestle.

" No, no, no! Eevan," Samy jumped up and down and ran out of the room, waddling down the stairs as fast as he could. Sakura giggled at his adventurousness, following him as the boy flung open the door and raced out to the courtyards.

Then Sakura felt her breath catch in her throat.

It was an entourage. Almost forty horses and soldiers surrounded one horse, which Eidan was riding. His face was hard and cold with almost a look of disbelief in his eyes.

But what made Sakura's heart pang and her breath catch in her throat was what was behind Eidan. A man, his hands tied behind his back and a cloth tied tightly around his eyes was riding precariously on the saddle, his thighs tight against the horse's sides, preventing himself from falling. He looked dirty and worn, but Sakura knew.

She knew, deep in her heart, who it was.

" Syaoran..." She whispered.

Her heart soared. Her eyes lit up. Her body seemed to inflate and happiness flooded through the barrier of defence she had built around her heart and she wanted to scream his name, fly into his arms, whisper the words she couldn't say...

" SY-" She began to scream, but a hand clamped over her mouth and pulled her back from the courtyard. Once the person had dragged her inside the house, he flung her across the room. Sakura looked up, angrily, her emerald eyes flashing.

" TOUYA!" She screamed, her voice full of emotion that she dared not release before. " What are you DOING? That's Syoaran Li on that horse! Syaoran LI! King of the Li lands and Eidan are dragging him like some prisoner! And why did you not let me call out to him? It's Syaoran, he's come here, and he's come back-"

" Sakura!" Touya said sharply. " Get a hold of your senses, you silly girl!"

Sakura's mouth shut close in shock, more then obedience. She stared at Touya in surprise as his dark eyes flashed with anger and disbelief.

" What is he doing here? What is that Li bastard doing here?" He muttered to himself.

Eidan rushed into the house and Sakura nearly flew at him. " Where is he? WHERE IS HE?" She yelled at the top of her lungs, her heart bursting with anxiousness.

" He's a LI!" Eidan told her coldly, knowing the reason of her desperation. " He's a prisoner! He made the stupid mistake of crossing our border!"

" But we were to ally with him, he helped us, do you not remember-"

" Sakura Kinomoto. Remember your name. Your lineage. He is a prisoner!" Eidan repeated, his voice icy.

" HE IS MY HUSBAND!" She finally screamed in frustration.

They stood there shocked at her words and then their eyes flitted behind Sakura. Sakura turned around slowly and she saw, with widened eyes, her father standing there with a crying Samy holding his leg.

" Father..." She whispered. Her father did not know of her marriage to the King of the Li Kingdom. Her brother's had felt it would've been to crushing for him to know of her marriage to such a dirty-blooded man.

" Daughter...is this true...are you...married to him?" Her father said slowly, his watery eyes staring straight tat Sakura.

Sakura gulped. Her fingers shook and she looked at Touya and Eidan fore reassurance. They just looked at her with a cold look; angry at the way she had reacted to Syaoran's arrival.

Sakura looked back at her father and down to the floor.

" Yes. It's true."

Her father nodded slowly. HE looked up at her and then whispered, " So you are no longer a Kinomoto."

Sakura looked up quickly, her face contorted in pain. " No! No I am always a Kinomoto! Always!"

" But you are now a Li."

" Father, please-" She broke off and then Touya cut in.

" She married him for her safety, as he says," Touya added in scornfully. " It was not for love. They were to get it annulled, but we were..." He seemed to be picking his words carefully and said, finally, "We were pressed for time."

Sakura winced at his words and looked at Fujitaka. He looked as if he had hardly listened to his eldest son and stared at Sakura, judgingly. Sakura felt her body tense. She loved the man but her family always came first. Did he think...

Then Fujitaka said, " Invite the boy for dinner. I want to hear his story."

" WHAT?" Eidan and Touya yelled in unison, astonishment clear in their eyes.

Fujitaka turned around, his arms leading Samy away. He repeated, " Invite the boy for dinner. Keep his binds on if you must. But I would like to know this man who married my only daughter, if you please."

With that, he had walked out of the room. Touya, mumbling under his breath, stormed away and Eidan just stood there, appalled. Then he stalked out of the room, leaving Sakura, breathing heavily, alone in the room. Her heart could not bear it. All she wanted to do was run, run to wherever Syoaran was, hold him touch him, hear him speak, one word, one glance..

He was back.

He was back.

And it was all she could do to hope that he was back for her.

Sakura stood by the wall, staring at the room's inhabitants angrily. Nearly everyone had showed up for this supposed dinner, even though food was not in sight. It seemed to be a show of some sort, with Syaoran on a chair, his hands tied tightly behind it and the blindfold covering his line of sight in the middle of the room. Everyone kept their distance, remembering of course, the childhood stories that Li men were all monsters, rapists and absolute evil to the core.

The cooks and the servants had showed up, shyly and so had all her brothers, except of course, for Hiiro who had gone off on his traveling adventures. Sakura could hardly breathe, for Syaoran was in her line of sight and all she could do was stare at him.

His broad shoulders, his chestnut coloured hair...the sharp planes of his jaw and the set of his nose...but those beautiful eyes were covered form her view and she yearned to see them, yearned to have them look at her...

It had been almost a year since she had seen him and all she still loved him with all her heart.

The room was silent as Fujitaka walked in, his eyes taking in the room's inhabitants with only a slight sign of surprise.

Eidan scorned, " The prisoner is here, father, just like you asked. I don't exactly know what you want to know about him. He's the KING of the Li people! He's a monster, straight and through! If you need proof, ask him about the way he left Sakura burning! Ask him!"

Fujitaka sent him a look and Eidan shut his mouth. Kosumo remarked, " He did save her at the end."

Yukito cut in, " But if he were there, instead of off dealing with his own business, he would've been able to save her."

Fujitaka said quietly, " Yukito. Translate for me."

Yukito looked at Fujitaka and sighed. He walked up to Syaoran and said coldly, " Li King. We meet again."

Syaoran jerked at the voice and then looked wildly up. " You're...you're Keili's brother, aren't you?" The relief in his voice nearly made Sakura's heart break and she felt herself take an involuntary step forward, but Yamazaki caught her arm. She looked up into Yamazaki's eyes, pleading with him but he shook his head silently.

Not yet.

" My father, he wants to speak with you. He wants to know, why you are here in our kingdom."

Syaoran whispered, quietly, " I want to see Keili."

" You will not see my sister, nor will you come into contact with her. I will ask you again. Why are you in our Kingdom after you nearly killed our sister?"

" I DIDN'T-" He started to shout and then he breathed. And then he said, slowly, " King Kinomoto...if you allow me, I would like-I would like to explain...everything. You may think I did something evil to your daughter-but I would just like you to hear me out and maybe...let me see her, just-" She heard his breath catch and with it, her heart stopped. " Just once."

Yukito translated and then looked at Fujitaka, who was looking interestedly at Syaoran.

" Tell the boy, to tell us...tell us everything. A story, if you will. We haven't had any interesting stories for a long while. If he can tell me a good enough story...we will permit him to see Sakura."

Yukito made a disgusted face and Touya shouted in disapproval. But no one fought against Fujitaka's decision, and Yukito told Syoaran what Fujitaka had said.

Sakura could not believe what her father was asking. The fact that her father had even accepted Syoaran into their home was shocking alone...the fact that her father was giving Syaoran a chance was even more astounding. But her father had changed a great deal after Oribia...they all had...and she knew, he would give Syoaran a chance.

It was all she could do to hold herself back. To not shout out his name and to not run forward, free him from his bindings and run, run far away..

But she knew, her family must approve of him first. So she held herself still, and kept her eyes, trained on the man she loved with all her heart...and hoped, hoped that her father would approve...and that Syoaran did indeed come here...for her.

Syaoran breathed hard. " I'm not good at telling stories," he said, his voice hard and almost nervous.

" Then you surrender the offer of seeing my sister-"

" No!" He said quickly and then calmed himself. " I'll...tell you a story."

Sakura heard a maid beside her mumble, " This hadbetter be good."

"I'll tell you a story...about a man. About a boy, actually. Sixteen years old and a fool. And this boy just happened to the be the heir to one of the most powerful Kingdoms in the world..."

a/n: dun dun duuuuuuun...nanana...lol, I dunno if i should keep Red's speech. for those who have read sevenwaters, you think i should? anyways, yea, this is the nexto chapto, and i hope you like it! and yea, for those who thought Syaoran was there in the end...it was just her imagination or her longing or watever.

we're so close to end! like...one or two more chapters! AND THATS IT! aww..imma miss you all...miss me too! shakes fist u'd better...