The Ward
Disclaimer: I do not and most likely never ever will own CCS. *Sigh* It belongs to those brilliant ladies from Clamp.
Long A/N for Avelyn: I'm sorry you feel that way towards homosexuality, Avelyn, and although I disagree, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. However, I just feel like I have to say this: just because you dislike it, doesn't mean I'm not in the right mind. I happen to think homosexuality is fine, that's all, and you shouldn't shun how I feel about it simply because it disagrees with your own opinion. In other words, I'd appreciate it if you were open to my ideas as well ^.- (maybe you don't care, in which case this is just taking up a lot of space .;) And if you'd like to bring religion into this as you did in your review for 'Sakura's Disappearance', I just want to say add that IF God or the entity you believe in feels it's wrong (after all, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe it's something you're born with), then it's up to God (or some other entity) to judge them, not us poor saps down here on earth. But again... this is my opinion, and hopefully the opinion of many others. I appreciate the fact that you read my story and enjoyed it ^.^ but the choice to continue reading it is but of course, solely up to you.
Since it seems most people want Eriol and Tomoyo together, I'm dropping the Meilin+Tomoyo relationship, uh, pursue. But I warn you and anyone else reading this, Touya and Yukito are together, and there might be some affection shown between the two... but that's because I happen to think they make a really cute couple ^.^ Anywho, sorry for the long-a$$ note, and I hope you can understand where I'm coming from!
And Also --- Thanks for the reviews, you guys! I was so touched (see, it doesn't take that much to make me happy...)! *Grabs a Kleenex and blows her nose* Don't stop now ^.-
*Takes a deep breath* Onwards!
Chapter Seven: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
Sakura read the letter he had handed to her. It described the plan in full detail, mostly because he didn't want to say anything out loud, just in case someone overheard. Her eyes were full of excitement and disbelief.
"Syaoran-kun, I can't believe this! This is great! It's-it's...great!" she shouted, unable to find the words.
Syaoran smiled. "I told you I'd do what it takes, Sakura," he said.
She smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "I love you, Syaoran," she said, kissing him passionately.
He wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her again. "I love you too, Sakura..."
"When are we doing this?"
"First thing tomorrow, right after visiting hours start."
***
Senji frowned, his expression frozen in a state of deep thought as he watched the tape. "I don't understand, Kale, what could he possibly mean by that comment?"
"'This might sound crazy, but we've cooked up a plan to get you out!' Strange words he dares to mutter within our walls," Kale said angrily. "Our security is top-notch, thanks to his mother's money, yet he believes he can get her out? What should we do?"
"I don't think we can do much, since we don't know what he's planning... and I don't want to alert him right away, either, lest he runs off to his mommy," Senji scoffed. "But there is one thing we could do... risky, I suppose, but I think we should do it..."
"You don't mean... them?" Kale asked in surprise. "Why now?"
"We need their help, and I'm sure they'd be more than willing to, especially in her case... I'll call them today," he answered with finality.
***
Syaoran woke the next morning, feeling butterflies in his stomach. The plan was risky, but that didn't matter to him. One way or another, he was going to get her out of this mess. He lay in bed for a while, pondering over the details and convincing himself that he didn't need to worry.
Meilin knocked on his door softly. "Syaoran? You awake? Get your breakfast, you're going to need it," she said.
"Yeah, I'll be right there," he spoke up. He rose from his bed and put on a pair of slippers. This was it. Today was the day – and everything had better go right.
After breakfast, they met up with Tomoyo, Touya, Yukito, Kero, and Eriol. Tomoyo, as always, had her trusty camera case slung over her shoulders. Touya had an unhappy glare directed towards Syaoran. So it was finally coming true; the brat had come to take his sister away. He sighed and looked away; it was much better than the alternative, he had to admit – and he knew she would be happy. Yukito watched him carefully for a few moments and turned away. Touya would learn. Kero was looking around with excitement from the depths of Tomoyo's bag, feeling the tension build between them. Was this really possible?
Syaoran stood in front of them with a determined look. "Ok you guys, you know what to do. Please, please try not to screw up? If something's not going according to plan, improvise," he added. "We can't all go in at the same time, it would make us look too suspicious."
"Meilin, Kero, and I go first, right?" Tomoyo asked politely.
"Yeah, and don't forget Kero, stay out of sight until the coast is clear!" he said threateningly.
"I'm not stupid, kid," Kero said, giving him a glare.
"...Yeah... so anyway," Syaoran said, quickly changing the subject. He didn't want to test Kero's temper; it could cause him to make a mistake.
"After Tomoyo and Meilin, Touya and I go in, no?" Eriol asked.
Syaoran nodded. "Meanwhile, Yue and I will be waiting outside, on the roof, ok? Does everyone remember the plan? Are there any questions?"
Everyone stared at him blankly.
"Um, ok, I guess not. Let's do this!" he shouted excitedly.
Tomoyo and Meilin stifled giggles. "We're off!" Meilin said, her arms linked with Tomoyo's.
Inside, the two girls signed and made small talk with the receptionist; she was the one that called police and such in emergency situations. They walked slowly by Sakura's room and gave her two thumbs up, telling her things were ok. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking tense and pale, but smiled once she saw them.
Meilin leaned over and whispered something in Tomoyo's ear. The girl nodded reluctantly and they headed towards Dr. Senji's office. Meilin took off towards Dr. Kale's office. Tomoyo knocked on it softly and took a step back, her hands clasped together over her dress. Senji opened the door and gave them a questioning look. "Yes?" he asked.
Tomoyo feigned a dainty and helpless tone. "O-oh, Dr. Senji..." she said nervously, blushing. "I was wondering...if...if..."
Senji looked at her with sympathy. What was she trying to tell him? "What is it, dear?"
"Well, I was just wondering if you'd... liketogetacupofcoffeewithme," she burst out. Her acting skills were simply superb.
Senji stared at her in blank surprise. Get a cup of coffee? Well, she was rather nice, from what he'd seen. Not to mention very, very attractive. "Well, of course, Miss..."
"Daidouji. Tomoyo Daidouji," she stated.
"All right then, Miss Daidouji. It's my break, so we can go now, if you'd like," he said, offering her a hand.
Tomoyo smiled graciously at him and smiled. She carefully shifted her bag so that it was slung over her shoulders and fell behind her back. Kero felt the shift and carefully stuck out his head, looking around cautiously. Finding it clear, he flew out and headed straight into Senji's office.
Dr. Senji laughed and headed back towards his office, causing momentary alarm. Tomoyo stared at him and giggled nervously. "D-Dr. Senji, where are you going?"
"I forgot to lock my door, Miss Daidouji."
"Oh..." How would Kero get out now?? She shook her head. She would leave it up to him. The important thing was getting Senji out of here.
"Well, let's go, Doctor," she said playfully.
He smiled and held out his hand. Tomoyo held back a shiver and took it reluctantly.
***
Dr. Kale stared at Meilin suspiciously.
"Well?" she asked.
"I'm curious... Meilin, is it?"
She nodded.
"If you've lost your grandmother's broach on the third floor, why did you come down here to ask me to help you look for it?"
Meilin smiled seductively. "Well...Dr. Kale... I thought that we could, you know... spend some time together, get to know each other," she said, staring into his eyes.
Kale blinked repeatedly, taken back. "OH, well, uh, sure, I'll help you look for it," he said, smiling nervously.
Meilin smiled excitedly. It had worked! With Kale on the third floor, he'd be completely oblivious to what was going on down here.
***
As Tomoyo and Dr. Senji walked out, they spotted Eriol and Touya coming in. Eriol watched them and couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Tomoyo, Tomoyo... when would he ever get the courage to ask her out? Touya nudged him back to reality.
They signed in with the receptionist, and Touya began to head towards Sakura's room. Sticking to the plan, Eriol lingered behind where the receptionist was. Touya turned back.
"You coming, Eriol?" he asked.
"Uh, gimme a sec, Touya," Eriol said, nodding. He glanced over the receptionist, who was busily typing away at her computer. He smiled his most charming smile and cleared his throat, making her look up. "Hi, uhm, Miss..." he glanced at her name tag, "Ria?"
She nodded slowly, enchanted by his dark eyes and alluring smile. "Y-yes? May I help you, sir...?" she asked.
"Eriol. Would you like to get a cup of coffee? Perhaps we can go someplace and talk?" he asked politely.
She laughed nervously. "Why, that's the best idea I've heard all day! But... unfortunately, I'm still on the clock, so..."
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it! We'll just head over to the hospital's café for a short while, and head back. No one will even notice! Then, we can come back here and talk," he said, his soft voice persuading her.
"Oh...well... all right then!" she said, standing up abruptly. He smiled politely and offered her his arm.
She linked her arm with his and smiled happily. "Hai... Eriol..."
***
Meanwhile, Kero struggled to unlock Senji's door. "Grrr! Unnnnghhh," he grunted as he pulled, but to no avail. It could only be opened with a key. "Of course something like this just HAD to happen to me," he said gloomily. "Ah well, might as well finish up what I came here to do."
He flew around the room in a crazed manner, searching every drawer that wasn't locked, but still couldn't find what he was looking for. "Where would he keep his keys...? He was in such a rush, it looked like he only took the keys to his door..." Kero spoke thoughtfully to himself.
There was one treasure box that especially caught his eye. It had three different locks on it, including a large, rusty, brass padlock. "That must be where it is!" He flew around the room once more, trying to get a feel of it. "If I worked in a psycho ward, where would I keep my keys...?" A large, bright, forest green plan caught his eye. "Oh, Senji, you're so predictable!" he shouted, flying over to it.
Unfortunately, the plant was larger and heavier than him by quite a bit, and lifting it was much, much harder than he'd thought. Once he'd managed to lift, he realized he couldn't lift it up and reach the keys that were inevitably there. "Why, why me?!" he groaned and shouted. He swiveled around so that his back was facing the plant, and struggled to use his tail to reach it.
When he finally got it, he collapsed to the floor, breathing hard. "Damn...it..." he said, unable to breathe. "I'm...so...out...of...shape..." When he could breathe properly again, he got up and struggled and until he finally unlocked all the locks. Slowly, he lifted the top off, ignoring the dust that rose and surrounded him, and finally found exactly what he was looking for. Sakura's key, still hung preciously on her chain, and the cards.
Immediately, mirror card rose from the deck and created a mirror image of himself. "Keroberos, you've come!" it exclaimed.
He nodded. "The cards – are they all ok?"
Mirror nodded. "They tried doing many things to us, but in their attempts they were rather futile. Will you... will you reunite us with our mistress?"
"That's what I'm here for. Hurry, I need the power card to help me open the window," he said, quickly summoning Power.
Mirror helped him securely tie the cards onto his back and hung the chain around his neck, then transformed back into a card herself. Kero flew over to the wind, and with the help of Power, flew out. He searched through the high windows for Sakura's room.
He flew into the room as quickly as he could, hoping that no one would notice. "Sakura!!!" He exclaimed happily.
Touya snatched him out of the air. "Quiet, Kero! We could be under surveillance."
"Look, I found the key, and your cards! The plan go as...planned!"
Sakura stared at the key and cards, almost afraid to touch them. "The cards..." She took them gingerly into her hands and bowed her head in shame. "I'm so sorry..."
Kero patted her on the back. "It's ok, Sakura. They understand," he said empathetically.
She let out a sigh. "It's your turn, Touya. Kero and I'll wait for your signal."
Touya nodded, and inconspicuously headed towards the third floor. There, he found Meilin flirting with Kale as they hung by the water cooler. "I wonder if it fell down the drain?" she asked.
"Psst!" Touya whispered loudly. Meilin, however, was too wrapped up in her elaborate acting scheme to notice.
"Well, that would be a shame, wouldn't it? It would mean we'd have to look longer..." Kale flirted back.
"PSST! MEI-lin!" Touya nearly called out!
She turned to look at him and nodded in reply, meaning she understood. "Who's that?" Kale asked suspiciously.
"Oh, hahaha, he's um, my cab driver! I totally forgot that I left him out there! Sorry Dr. Kale, looks like I have to get going!" she said, running off.
"Wait! What about your broach?" he asked.
"Um, if you find it let me know!" she said, turning a corner, running as fast as she could. Suddenly, she smacked into something and fell back in an unnatural position. She cried out in pain and grabbed her ankle.
She held back stinging tears and struggled to get up. "No, don't do that!" she heard someone say.
She looked up to see who the voice belonged to and glared at its owner. "If it weren't for you, I'd be fine!"
"Well, if you'd bothered to look where you're going, this wouldn't have happened, and by the way, let me just remind you this is a hospital, you're not supposed to be running anyway!"
"Ugh, I've gotta go," she said glumly, trying to stand up.
He bent down to pick her up. "What are you doing?!" she asked incredulously.
"You can't walk," he said, picking her up so that her legs dangled daintily to his side.
She gave a small grunt of dissatisfaction but said nothing. As she stared at him, she found that he was nothing short of attractive, and his fascinating smoky grey eyes seemed to hold some hidden wisdom. "Take me outside... I need to meet my friends there," she requested.
"All right then. Tell me, what's your name?" he asked curiously.
"Meiling Li. But everyone calls me Meilin. And you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice cold.
"Kieren Riu," he stated simply. (A/N: Not Karen!! Kee-rehn! ^.-)
"What... what are you doing in here? Do you know someone here?" she asked.
"No, I'm a student intern here," he explained. "You?"
"My friend... she's here, but she doesn't belong," she said, almost regretting the words as soon as they left her mouth.
He spotted her pale expression and leaned in close to her, whispering softly in her ear, "you don't have to worry about telling me anything. I hate this place too... I just love psychology," he said, smiling.
She smiled back nervously, and tried not to think about how charming and beautiful she found his smile to be. "I'm sorry for blaming this on you."
"It's ok. It was partially my fault, I suppose. Well, here we are, outside... but I don't see your friends," he said, looking around.
Meilin mentally smacked herself. Syaoran was on the roof! How would she alert him? Why had Touya run off before?!
"Oh well... uhm, you can go though, its ok, I'll just sit right here. Thank you, Kieren," she said, smiling.
He chuckled in amusement. "You really don't think I'd just leave you here injured, do you? How about this: I call an ambulance and get you to the hospital, and tell the receptionist of your whereabouts so your friends can find you," he said.
"I can't! This is very important, I have to find them."
Just then, Tomoyo and Senji returned from their "coffee date." Tomoyo rushed to her side and knelt down. "Meilin, what happened?" she asked.
"I think I broke my ankle, or sprained it or something," she said, wincing from the reminder of pain.
Tomoyo looked worried. "Well... everyone's outside, right?"
"I don't know where Touya ran off to, and I don't know where Eriol is, either. I guess he's still with that receptionist."
At this, Tomoyo's spirits were brought down even more. He didn't actually like the receptionist... did he...? One of these days, she would tell him how she felt. Yes, one of these days...
"Well, what do we do now?" Meilin asked.
"We have to get you to the hospital," Tomoyo said quietly.
"No, Tomoyo... you're job here isn't finished, mine is. I know how much you like taping these things. Just call up the ambulance and they can take it from here," she said, giving her friend a grateful smile.
Tomoyo glanced at the young man who stood by Meilin and smiled mischievously. "Young man, what's your name?" she asked.
"Kieren," he answered.
"Well, Kieren, would you be so kind as to accompany Meilin to the hospital? We'd be very grateful," she said persuasively.
Kieren nodded and smiled pleasantly. "No problem. I suggested it earlier but uh, it wasn't to her liking."
Meilin was glaring furiously at Tomoyo. "Yeah, uhm, its not that, I just didn't want to bother you..."
"No bother at all."
"Well than, it's settled. You'll go to the hospital, accompanied by Kieren, and I'll wait for the others here...ok?"
Meilin nodded reluctantly. Things were turning out rather unexpected...
--- Sorry guys, if I tried to finish the plan in one chapter, it would be really, really long, so I decided to break it up into two. Feedback appreciated! ^.-
Disclaimer: I do not and most likely never ever will own CCS. *Sigh* It belongs to those brilliant ladies from Clamp.
Long A/N for Avelyn: I'm sorry you feel that way towards homosexuality, Avelyn, and although I disagree, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. However, I just feel like I have to say this: just because you dislike it, doesn't mean I'm not in the right mind. I happen to think homosexuality is fine, that's all, and you shouldn't shun how I feel about it simply because it disagrees with your own opinion. In other words, I'd appreciate it if you were open to my ideas as well ^.- (maybe you don't care, in which case this is just taking up a lot of space .;) And if you'd like to bring religion into this as you did in your review for 'Sakura's Disappearance', I just want to say add that IF God or the entity you believe in feels it's wrong (after all, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe it's something you're born with), then it's up to God (or some other entity) to judge them, not us poor saps down here on earth. But again... this is my opinion, and hopefully the opinion of many others. I appreciate the fact that you read my story and enjoyed it ^.^ but the choice to continue reading it is but of course, solely up to you.
Since it seems most people want Eriol and Tomoyo together, I'm dropping the Meilin+Tomoyo relationship, uh, pursue. But I warn you and anyone else reading this, Touya and Yukito are together, and there might be some affection shown between the two... but that's because I happen to think they make a really cute couple ^.^ Anywho, sorry for the long-a$$ note, and I hope you can understand where I'm coming from!
And Also --- Thanks for the reviews, you guys! I was so touched (see, it doesn't take that much to make me happy...)! *Grabs a Kleenex and blows her nose* Don't stop now ^.-
*Takes a deep breath* Onwards!
Chapter Seven: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
Sakura read the letter he had handed to her. It described the plan in full detail, mostly because he didn't want to say anything out loud, just in case someone overheard. Her eyes were full of excitement and disbelief.
"Syaoran-kun, I can't believe this! This is great! It's-it's...great!" she shouted, unable to find the words.
Syaoran smiled. "I told you I'd do what it takes, Sakura," he said.
She smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "I love you, Syaoran," she said, kissing him passionately.
He wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her again. "I love you too, Sakura..."
"When are we doing this?"
"First thing tomorrow, right after visiting hours start."
***
Senji frowned, his expression frozen in a state of deep thought as he watched the tape. "I don't understand, Kale, what could he possibly mean by that comment?"
"'This might sound crazy, but we've cooked up a plan to get you out!' Strange words he dares to mutter within our walls," Kale said angrily. "Our security is top-notch, thanks to his mother's money, yet he believes he can get her out? What should we do?"
"I don't think we can do much, since we don't know what he's planning... and I don't want to alert him right away, either, lest he runs off to his mommy," Senji scoffed. "But there is one thing we could do... risky, I suppose, but I think we should do it..."
"You don't mean... them?" Kale asked in surprise. "Why now?"
"We need their help, and I'm sure they'd be more than willing to, especially in her case... I'll call them today," he answered with finality.
***
Syaoran woke the next morning, feeling butterflies in his stomach. The plan was risky, but that didn't matter to him. One way or another, he was going to get her out of this mess. He lay in bed for a while, pondering over the details and convincing himself that he didn't need to worry.
Meilin knocked on his door softly. "Syaoran? You awake? Get your breakfast, you're going to need it," she said.
"Yeah, I'll be right there," he spoke up. He rose from his bed and put on a pair of slippers. This was it. Today was the day – and everything had better go right.
After breakfast, they met up with Tomoyo, Touya, Yukito, Kero, and Eriol. Tomoyo, as always, had her trusty camera case slung over her shoulders. Touya had an unhappy glare directed towards Syaoran. So it was finally coming true; the brat had come to take his sister away. He sighed and looked away; it was much better than the alternative, he had to admit – and he knew she would be happy. Yukito watched him carefully for a few moments and turned away. Touya would learn. Kero was looking around with excitement from the depths of Tomoyo's bag, feeling the tension build between them. Was this really possible?
Syaoran stood in front of them with a determined look. "Ok you guys, you know what to do. Please, please try not to screw up? If something's not going according to plan, improvise," he added. "We can't all go in at the same time, it would make us look too suspicious."
"Meilin, Kero, and I go first, right?" Tomoyo asked politely.
"Yeah, and don't forget Kero, stay out of sight until the coast is clear!" he said threateningly.
"I'm not stupid, kid," Kero said, giving him a glare.
"...Yeah... so anyway," Syaoran said, quickly changing the subject. He didn't want to test Kero's temper; it could cause him to make a mistake.
"After Tomoyo and Meilin, Touya and I go in, no?" Eriol asked.
Syaoran nodded. "Meanwhile, Yue and I will be waiting outside, on the roof, ok? Does everyone remember the plan? Are there any questions?"
Everyone stared at him blankly.
"Um, ok, I guess not. Let's do this!" he shouted excitedly.
Tomoyo and Meilin stifled giggles. "We're off!" Meilin said, her arms linked with Tomoyo's.
Inside, the two girls signed and made small talk with the receptionist; she was the one that called police and such in emergency situations. They walked slowly by Sakura's room and gave her two thumbs up, telling her things were ok. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking tense and pale, but smiled once she saw them.
Meilin leaned over and whispered something in Tomoyo's ear. The girl nodded reluctantly and they headed towards Dr. Senji's office. Meilin took off towards Dr. Kale's office. Tomoyo knocked on it softly and took a step back, her hands clasped together over her dress. Senji opened the door and gave them a questioning look. "Yes?" he asked.
Tomoyo feigned a dainty and helpless tone. "O-oh, Dr. Senji..." she said nervously, blushing. "I was wondering...if...if..."
Senji looked at her with sympathy. What was she trying to tell him? "What is it, dear?"
"Well, I was just wondering if you'd... liketogetacupofcoffeewithme," she burst out. Her acting skills were simply superb.
Senji stared at her in blank surprise. Get a cup of coffee? Well, she was rather nice, from what he'd seen. Not to mention very, very attractive. "Well, of course, Miss..."
"Daidouji. Tomoyo Daidouji," she stated.
"All right then, Miss Daidouji. It's my break, so we can go now, if you'd like," he said, offering her a hand.
Tomoyo smiled graciously at him and smiled. She carefully shifted her bag so that it was slung over her shoulders and fell behind her back. Kero felt the shift and carefully stuck out his head, looking around cautiously. Finding it clear, he flew out and headed straight into Senji's office.
Dr. Senji laughed and headed back towards his office, causing momentary alarm. Tomoyo stared at him and giggled nervously. "D-Dr. Senji, where are you going?"
"I forgot to lock my door, Miss Daidouji."
"Oh..." How would Kero get out now?? She shook her head. She would leave it up to him. The important thing was getting Senji out of here.
"Well, let's go, Doctor," she said playfully.
He smiled and held out his hand. Tomoyo held back a shiver and took it reluctantly.
***
Dr. Kale stared at Meilin suspiciously.
"Well?" she asked.
"I'm curious... Meilin, is it?"
She nodded.
"If you've lost your grandmother's broach on the third floor, why did you come down here to ask me to help you look for it?"
Meilin smiled seductively. "Well...Dr. Kale... I thought that we could, you know... spend some time together, get to know each other," she said, staring into his eyes.
Kale blinked repeatedly, taken back. "OH, well, uh, sure, I'll help you look for it," he said, smiling nervously.
Meilin smiled excitedly. It had worked! With Kale on the third floor, he'd be completely oblivious to what was going on down here.
***
As Tomoyo and Dr. Senji walked out, they spotted Eriol and Touya coming in. Eriol watched them and couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Tomoyo, Tomoyo... when would he ever get the courage to ask her out? Touya nudged him back to reality.
They signed in with the receptionist, and Touya began to head towards Sakura's room. Sticking to the plan, Eriol lingered behind where the receptionist was. Touya turned back.
"You coming, Eriol?" he asked.
"Uh, gimme a sec, Touya," Eriol said, nodding. He glanced over the receptionist, who was busily typing away at her computer. He smiled his most charming smile and cleared his throat, making her look up. "Hi, uhm, Miss..." he glanced at her name tag, "Ria?"
She nodded slowly, enchanted by his dark eyes and alluring smile. "Y-yes? May I help you, sir...?" she asked.
"Eriol. Would you like to get a cup of coffee? Perhaps we can go someplace and talk?" he asked politely.
She laughed nervously. "Why, that's the best idea I've heard all day! But... unfortunately, I'm still on the clock, so..."
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it! We'll just head over to the hospital's café for a short while, and head back. No one will even notice! Then, we can come back here and talk," he said, his soft voice persuading her.
"Oh...well... all right then!" she said, standing up abruptly. He smiled politely and offered her his arm.
She linked her arm with his and smiled happily. "Hai... Eriol..."
***
Meanwhile, Kero struggled to unlock Senji's door. "Grrr! Unnnnghhh," he grunted as he pulled, but to no avail. It could only be opened with a key. "Of course something like this just HAD to happen to me," he said gloomily. "Ah well, might as well finish up what I came here to do."
He flew around the room in a crazed manner, searching every drawer that wasn't locked, but still couldn't find what he was looking for. "Where would he keep his keys...? He was in such a rush, it looked like he only took the keys to his door..." Kero spoke thoughtfully to himself.
There was one treasure box that especially caught his eye. It had three different locks on it, including a large, rusty, brass padlock. "That must be where it is!" He flew around the room once more, trying to get a feel of it. "If I worked in a psycho ward, where would I keep my keys...?" A large, bright, forest green plan caught his eye. "Oh, Senji, you're so predictable!" he shouted, flying over to it.
Unfortunately, the plant was larger and heavier than him by quite a bit, and lifting it was much, much harder than he'd thought. Once he'd managed to lift, he realized he couldn't lift it up and reach the keys that were inevitably there. "Why, why me?!" he groaned and shouted. He swiveled around so that his back was facing the plant, and struggled to use his tail to reach it.
When he finally got it, he collapsed to the floor, breathing hard. "Damn...it..." he said, unable to breathe. "I'm...so...out...of...shape..." When he could breathe properly again, he got up and struggled and until he finally unlocked all the locks. Slowly, he lifted the top off, ignoring the dust that rose and surrounded him, and finally found exactly what he was looking for. Sakura's key, still hung preciously on her chain, and the cards.
Immediately, mirror card rose from the deck and created a mirror image of himself. "Keroberos, you've come!" it exclaimed.
He nodded. "The cards – are they all ok?"
Mirror nodded. "They tried doing many things to us, but in their attempts they were rather futile. Will you... will you reunite us with our mistress?"
"That's what I'm here for. Hurry, I need the power card to help me open the window," he said, quickly summoning Power.
Mirror helped him securely tie the cards onto his back and hung the chain around his neck, then transformed back into a card herself. Kero flew over to the wind, and with the help of Power, flew out. He searched through the high windows for Sakura's room.
He flew into the room as quickly as he could, hoping that no one would notice. "Sakura!!!" He exclaimed happily.
Touya snatched him out of the air. "Quiet, Kero! We could be under surveillance."
"Look, I found the key, and your cards! The plan go as...planned!"
Sakura stared at the key and cards, almost afraid to touch them. "The cards..." She took them gingerly into her hands and bowed her head in shame. "I'm so sorry..."
Kero patted her on the back. "It's ok, Sakura. They understand," he said empathetically.
She let out a sigh. "It's your turn, Touya. Kero and I'll wait for your signal."
Touya nodded, and inconspicuously headed towards the third floor. There, he found Meilin flirting with Kale as they hung by the water cooler. "I wonder if it fell down the drain?" she asked.
"Psst!" Touya whispered loudly. Meilin, however, was too wrapped up in her elaborate acting scheme to notice.
"Well, that would be a shame, wouldn't it? It would mean we'd have to look longer..." Kale flirted back.
"PSST! MEI-lin!" Touya nearly called out!
She turned to look at him and nodded in reply, meaning she understood. "Who's that?" Kale asked suspiciously.
"Oh, hahaha, he's um, my cab driver! I totally forgot that I left him out there! Sorry Dr. Kale, looks like I have to get going!" she said, running off.
"Wait! What about your broach?" he asked.
"Um, if you find it let me know!" she said, turning a corner, running as fast as she could. Suddenly, she smacked into something and fell back in an unnatural position. She cried out in pain and grabbed her ankle.
She held back stinging tears and struggled to get up. "No, don't do that!" she heard someone say.
She looked up to see who the voice belonged to and glared at its owner. "If it weren't for you, I'd be fine!"
"Well, if you'd bothered to look where you're going, this wouldn't have happened, and by the way, let me just remind you this is a hospital, you're not supposed to be running anyway!"
"Ugh, I've gotta go," she said glumly, trying to stand up.
He bent down to pick her up. "What are you doing?!" she asked incredulously.
"You can't walk," he said, picking her up so that her legs dangled daintily to his side.
She gave a small grunt of dissatisfaction but said nothing. As she stared at him, she found that he was nothing short of attractive, and his fascinating smoky grey eyes seemed to hold some hidden wisdom. "Take me outside... I need to meet my friends there," she requested.
"All right then. Tell me, what's your name?" he asked curiously.
"Meiling Li. But everyone calls me Meilin. And you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice cold.
"Kieren Riu," he stated simply. (A/N: Not Karen!! Kee-rehn! ^.-)
"What... what are you doing in here? Do you know someone here?" she asked.
"No, I'm a student intern here," he explained. "You?"
"My friend... she's here, but she doesn't belong," she said, almost regretting the words as soon as they left her mouth.
He spotted her pale expression and leaned in close to her, whispering softly in her ear, "you don't have to worry about telling me anything. I hate this place too... I just love psychology," he said, smiling.
She smiled back nervously, and tried not to think about how charming and beautiful she found his smile to be. "I'm sorry for blaming this on you."
"It's ok. It was partially my fault, I suppose. Well, here we are, outside... but I don't see your friends," he said, looking around.
Meilin mentally smacked herself. Syaoran was on the roof! How would she alert him? Why had Touya run off before?!
"Oh well... uhm, you can go though, its ok, I'll just sit right here. Thank you, Kieren," she said, smiling.
He chuckled in amusement. "You really don't think I'd just leave you here injured, do you? How about this: I call an ambulance and get you to the hospital, and tell the receptionist of your whereabouts so your friends can find you," he said.
"I can't! This is very important, I have to find them."
Just then, Tomoyo and Senji returned from their "coffee date." Tomoyo rushed to her side and knelt down. "Meilin, what happened?" she asked.
"I think I broke my ankle, or sprained it or something," she said, wincing from the reminder of pain.
Tomoyo looked worried. "Well... everyone's outside, right?"
"I don't know where Touya ran off to, and I don't know where Eriol is, either. I guess he's still with that receptionist."
At this, Tomoyo's spirits were brought down even more. He didn't actually like the receptionist... did he...? One of these days, she would tell him how she felt. Yes, one of these days...
"Well, what do we do now?" Meilin asked.
"We have to get you to the hospital," Tomoyo said quietly.
"No, Tomoyo... you're job here isn't finished, mine is. I know how much you like taping these things. Just call up the ambulance and they can take it from here," she said, giving her friend a grateful smile.
Tomoyo glanced at the young man who stood by Meilin and smiled mischievously. "Young man, what's your name?" she asked.
"Kieren," he answered.
"Well, Kieren, would you be so kind as to accompany Meilin to the hospital? We'd be very grateful," she said persuasively.
Kieren nodded and smiled pleasantly. "No problem. I suggested it earlier but uh, it wasn't to her liking."
Meilin was glaring furiously at Tomoyo. "Yeah, uhm, its not that, I just didn't want to bother you..."
"No bother at all."
"Well than, it's settled. You'll go to the hospital, accompanied by Kieren, and I'll wait for the others here...ok?"
Meilin nodded reluctantly. Things were turning out rather unexpected...
--- Sorry guys, if I tried to finish the plan in one chapter, it would be really, really long, so I decided to break it up into two. Feedback appreciated! ^.-