Atry's List of Friends (First to last)
Dranzen - Boo..? O.o;;; Are you okay, now Dranzen-chan? Good! : ) Rikei is... well, find out in this here chapter... -pokes- BAI BAI!!! xD
Ria - Hai, thanks :D I'm delighted that you stayed loyal... arigatou. I've e-mailed you, 'kay!
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Atry: MOU!!!! -dodges flying cars- GOMEN NASAI!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so busy with school and I haven't any time to type up this chapter. So! I made it a bit longer than the last chapter! Sorry again!!!
Ano, I've changed the thought brackets to quote signs, if that's what you call them -.-;;;
Disclaimer: Do I look like I own CCS? -points to herself- I can't even afford a cactus plant! I pity you if you thought I owned CCS. -shakes head- But I own anything else, so don't even think of stealing. -pokes-
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:: LeGaCy DrAgOnS ::
Chapter 4: Learning to Trust and Let Go
By Atruyai
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7 Days to the Journey
Syaoran groaned sleepily as someone tapped on his shoulders. He mumbled something that sounded closely like, "Go away..." and resumed dreaming about a certain emerald-eyed princess saying 'I love y-
WHOAH!
The Li prince snapped his head up, fully awake, and glared full force to the person in front of him.
Fujitaka laughed and patted Syaoran's head fatherly.
"Why, may I ask you, young man, are you sleeping on the palace's main balcony?" Fujitaka questioned, humour in his voice.
Syaoran blinked as memories of last night drowned his thoughts.
Dang, he must've fallen asleep there while thinking last night!
Fujitaka grinned and leaned on the railings beside the prince.
"Did Sakura-chan throw you out of her bedroom?"
Syaoran scowled at that and shook his head quickly.
"Oh! I'm sorry." Fujitaka rubbed the back of his head and smiled apologetically. "I thought she did." He stood up properly again and offered his hand.
Syaoran took it and straightened his legs, de-crumpling his night robe as he stood before the King.
'You look very honourable for a prince, Syaoran Li. Really honourable.'
Syaoran thought sarcastically, and he flushed red, embarrassed of his attire.
Fujitaka chuckled and gestured for Syaoran to follow him, disappearing into the palace. Syaoran nodded, walking after him respectfully.
Fujitaka lead him to a bedroom beside Sakura's, and opened the mahogany doors. At the same time, they heard loud crashes and bangs from Sakura's bedroom, followed by frustrated yells and disappointed sighs.
Fujitaka and Syaoran sweatdropped.
"She's always like that, in a hurry. I told her that she needed a maid to wake her up, but she said it would just be extra hard work for them." Fujitaka chuckled (again) and pushed Syaoran into the large bedroom ahead of them.
Syaoran could only stare in shock.
The whole place was decorated with the strong colour of green. A green poster bed was situated at the very end of the room, with a sliding door leading to an outdoor balcony beside it. A green expensive-looking armchair was placed against an oak writing table, and bottles of ink and quills were sitting on it. A green plush rug welcomed Syaoran in the middle of the room, with the emblem of the Dragonyte Kingdom on it. There is green closet with a wooden door beside it, connecting to a luxurious bathroom.
All in all, it looked really extravagant and... grand.
"It's yours." Fujitaka said simply, smiling as he observed Syaoran's gaping mouth.
Syaoran turned to Fujitaka slowly and nodded his thanks. The Dragonyte king's smile grew wider.
"Don't mention it. Anyway, clothes are ready for you to use in the closet. The other teenagers are going out into town today; do you want to join them?" Syaoran thought about this for a moment.
If he goes, he would get a chance to see this kingdom...
And maybe he would find out more about Rikei.
Hey, did he just say that he was gonna find out about Rikei?
Is he possessed?!
No, no, NO! His mind always twists his thoughts around weirdly!
But if he doesn't go...
Most of the books in the libraries are in some sort of freaky language...
Ah, the heck!
"I'll be ready." He answered, walking towards his closet. Fujitaka nodded.
"At ten, Sakura-chan would come and get you." With that, he left, a smile glued to his face.
Syaoran sighed. He jumped onto his bed and mentally smiled.
That's all that's left now... mental smiles.
Smiling in your head, isn't it weird?
Not to him.
Syaoran sighed again and stepped in his walk-in closet. He gaped.
Hundreds of tunics, robes, cloaks and capes stared back at him, all colourful, although most of them are dominated by the same old green colour.
Syaoran shook his head and skimmed through the rows of clothes. As if working on a mind of its own, his hand absently withdrew a regal red tunic, which was accompanied with a gold-coloured cloak. A pair of dark green slacks revealed itself when Syaoran removed the cloak.
'Casual...' Syaoran complimented. Suddenly, a piece of paper fluttered out of the pocket of the cloak and landed on his slippers.
Syaoran stared at it blankly, unsure of what to do. He closed his eyes, shook his head, draped the outfit he had chosen on a chair and picked up the note.
It read out:
Li-kun, as a late welcoming gift, I made this whole costume for you. Sorry for my informal behaviour last night, I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I'm not forcing you to wear this, as you can do as you please.
Thank you,
Sakura Kinomoto
Syaoran blinked.
My heart? What's that?
Haha.
Syaoran took an annoyed breath, and chucked the note beyond the balcony's railings as he re-entered his room.
He glared at the full attire over his chair, and sat on his bed, his eyes still fixed on the tunic, cloak and slacks.
He grunted and nearly yanked his hair out in frustration.
He didn't want to wear it!
But he wanted to!
"ARRRGHH!!" He yelled, plopping on his bed and growling to the ceiling.
What is this feeling weighing down on his heart?!
Is it... guilt?
Is he...
Guilty for screeching at her last night? Guilty for making her angry as he teased that Rikmen woman? Guilty for snapping at her the other days? Guilty for... for...
Everything he had done to her?
What the hell?!
Syaoran punched his green pillow and snarled ferociously.
Damn it! Just wear the friggin' thing!
'There'll be more guiltiness if you don't, man.' His conscience said.
Syaoran calmed down suddenly, and proceeded to stand on his feet. He walked over to the innocent pile of fabric, hoisted them into his arms and stomped to the bathroom.
-TEN O'CLOCK, (NEW) PRINCE'S CHAMBERS-
Syaoran was playing a game of pacing.
Mad pacing.
We're talking about quick strides across the room, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...
For some reason, he couldn't calm down! His swallow-tail gold cloak trailed behind him dutifully, and the only sound echoing in the room was the tapping of his heels on the wood floorboards and the quiet rustling of his clothes.
He banged his head on the glass pane of the sliding door to his balcony, his whole body shaking with anticipation.
Kami-sama! Why can't he just sit down on his chair and wait?!
Why...?
'Syaoran! It's just a friggin' princess seeing you wear the friggin' clothes she made!'
'Clothes she made...'
'I made this whole costume for you...'
Yes, those clothes she made... with her own bare hands, working on it for hours and hours and hours and hours, drifting to sleepless nights, the nicks and bruises and-
Knock, knock!
Syaoran knocked himself out of his thoughts and shook his head. He rushed to the door and swung it open, showing the goddess of beauty in all her mighty glory!
Syaoran screamed and smacked his head.
Sakura, who was wearing a simple green no-button shirt and a white nylon skirt that reached to her knees, blinked and raised an eyebrow. She purposely coughed, and shifted her weight onto her right leg.
"Ano, Li-kun, are you ready?" Syaoran turned red without himself knowing, nodded stiffly and closed his bedroom door behind him, his two pendants hanging loyally around his neck.
The silent walk to the North Wing of the palace took a long time, but they made it at last.
Sakura sighed, not seeing her friends waiting on the main archway.
They hung around patiently and were dwelling in an uncomfortable silence when Sakura spoke quietly.
"I apologize, Li-kun. F-For last night. I... I just lost it." She said, her head down low. Teardrops were dripping off her eyelashes, seeping into the carpet as more and more rained down.
Syaoran's eyes softened. He took a hesitant step towards the princess ahead of him, and shakily lifted her head up with his finger.
His eyes fell on her cherry lips.
He released her chin instantly, and coughed. "Ummm... it's quite alright." He mumbled, and Sakura's emerald orbs brightened.
"Oh, thank you, Li-kun!" She gave Syaoran a brief hug and giggled joyfully.
A quick smile escaped Syaoran's lips, and it didn't go unnoticed by Sakura's observant eyes. She pretended she didn't see it, though.
Actually, Syaoran allowed that little snippet of a grin appear. He can't really help it, with her cheerful being there in front of him.
Hey... was that the old Syaoran re-surfacing for a breather?
"And thank you again for wearing these!" Sakura tugged on his long-sleeved cloak and smiled widely.
Syaoran cleared his throat lightly as a 'your welcome'.
"Ohayou, Li-kun, Sakura-chan." A deep voice blared in the huge room. Sakura ran to Xartamus and hugged him tightly. Syaoran just nodded.
The gigantic dragon wrapped his paw around the princess hugging his neck and 'hrr'ed.
"How are you today, Sakura-chan?" He asked, dry-licking Sakura on her cheek. The tip of his tongue was small enough to do that.
Sakura kissed his scales lovingly and replied, "I feel great, Tammy-chan! We're going to Gemrize today! I'm so happy!"
Xartamus laughed at the nickname Sakura always addressed him by since she was three-years-old.
"Gemrize? Well, I hope you would have a pleasant journey, Sakura-chan. I need to go now; Fujitaka-san is calling me." Sakura lets go of his neck and nodded giddily.
"Ne, Tammy-chan, have you seen everyone else?"
Xartamus 'hrr'ed thoughtfully.
"I could remember Zerule-kun being ordered around by Rikmen-chan in the hallway leading here," Sakura laughed, "And Eriol-kun was flirting with Tomoyo-chan in the gardens." Syaoran snorted.
Xartamus turned around and left after saying his goodbyes.
Sakura huffed. "We're going to be late!" She ran out of the room and returned in a zip, all four other teenagers in tow.
"GEMRIZE, TODAY!! REMEMBER?!" She shouted, pointing to her head as she said the word 'remember'.
Zerule, Rikmen, Tomoyo and Eriol laughed nervously, scampering off to their bedrooms to change when Sakura barked at them to do so.
Syaoran held back his urge to laugh.
-GEMRIZE-
Busy peasants, each with their own dragons carrying their own personal load, crowded the main square of the small town of Gemrize.
Even being the smallest province in the enormous empire of the Dragonyte Kingdom, Gemrize prospered beautifully.
It was named as it is because a few years back, Farziilus had established his biggest 'gem spring' here.
Gem springs, or Xhetzukues (Set-su-kus) as they called them in the ancient Dragonyc language, are strange geysers that spouted priceless gems from under the ground. The steam from the hot core of Wedromone rises up through a hole, bringing piles of gems with it. And so, 'Gemrize' was born.
Of course, only Xhet dragons (Gem dragons in Dragonyc) like Farziilus can trigger these 'springs'.
"This town is remarkably... shiny." Eriol commented, pointing to random buildings smothered with sparkling gems embedded into the walls.
"Well, because gems are free here, and there was an unlimited supply of them, they had to find a use for all the excess." Sakura explained.
Everyone sweatdropped, except her.
Rikmen was restless, squealing like a child as she dashed from one stall to another. She was 'window-shopping', as she said, though the others can't see any windows on any of the stalls.
Incidentally, she slipped miserably, and fell on her side, sliding along the pavement on her arm.
Zerule gasped and rushed to his betrothed. "You okay, Rikko?" He asked concernedly, calling her by her favourite nickname. Rikmen hugged him, sniffling cutely. "Zerrie, I think I might've scarred something." She said shakily, addressing Zerule by his favourite nickname too. She whimpered as Zerule checked her arm.
The Mekkuno prince frowned.
A deep, long gash was visible, blood flowing from it mercilessly. Zerule ripped the end of his orange cape and bandaged the wound, using the rest of his cape to wrap Rikmen in a comforting blanket. The poor Gaire princess was on the verge of fainting from severe blood loss.
Tomoyo, Eriol, Sakura and Syaoran ran over to the couple. "I can teleport us back to the palace!" Eriol summoned his staff and a few peasants cleared away.
"Release! Teleport bubble!" A blue bubble formed around everyone except Sakura and Syaoran.
"S-Sakura-chan... L-Li-kun... please bring me back some g-gems from the springs, w-will you...? I want to b-bring a souvenir back f-for my sick m-mother... can you help m-me and pick out a s-special gem? And Sakura-chan... the potion... the ingredient... g-g-get it, will you...?"
Rikmen asked weakly. Sakura nodded sadly and waved as the others disappeared in a blue light.
She sighed. The Queen of the Gaire Kingdom has been suffering from the Rukaid virus for some time now. She can only be healed by the special potion made from the water drops of the rarest gem from the springs here, in Gemrize. And the type of gem needed was...
Emeralds.
Sakura tapped on Syaoran's shoulder. The prince snapped his head towards her sharply, his amber eyes sparkling with a tinge of worry and...
Nervousness?
Sakura coughed deliberately. "Ano... we should go to the springs now." Syaoran nodded and followed her through winding streets.
-SOMEWHERE ELSE-
"Hu, it's time."
A short man shuffled with his quill and wrote something on a scroll piece. "Very well, sire. I'll get your things prepared."
"I want everything to be ready by next week." The mysterious teenager smirked.
Fan Tienn Hu nodded mischievously. "Are we 'joining' them, your highness?" He asked.
The prince ahead of him grinned evilly. "We are, my faithful friend, we are. Tell father I'm taking a break from palace lessons for as long as I want." He caught a cherry blossom petal, brought to him by the wind, and laughed maniacally as Fan Tienn left. The prince smirked again.
"Be ready, my dear Sakura."
"Be ready."
-XHETZUKU, GEMRIZE-
A ruby rocketed out of a small hole, before rapidly plummeting to the ground.
Sakura clapped her hands happily and gasped when pieces of aquamarine, sapphire, ruby and topaz spiraled out of the same hole, held in the air by a stream of white smoke.
Syaoran crossed his arms over his stomach and only raised an unfazed eyebrow. "What are we waiting for again?" He asked rudely. Sakura glared at him before breaking into a full grin.
"An amber gem. When that type of gem shoots out of the small geyser, an emerald one is sure to follow. We need to be careful though, as amber gems are one of the guardian gems, that protects the occasional emerald. Ambers produce a piercing sound and a dark brown light that lasts for a full minute, before retreating into the hole again for the emerald to appear. Unless something impossible happens." Sakura was thoughtful about that for a moment before shaking her head.
Syaoran grunted. Sakura sighed and squealed when another aquamarine squeezed out of the hole.
"Why are the emeralds so important?" He asked again, gruffly. Sakura's own emeralds stared at him in cheeriness. Apparently she's proud to be a guide.
"Emerald gems from the deepest core of Wedromone contain healing and destructive powers. The dangerously powerful ones are extremely rare, coming up only once in a whole century, but the bleakly weak ones appear once everyday. Although weak, these common emeralds can cure most of the viruses and plagues. That's why Dragonyte has never experienced a huge outbreak of diseases or stuff like that." She clarified.
Then there was an uncomfortable period of silence between the two chosen ones. Sakura brought her knees to her chest and buried her face in them. Syaoran was casting secret glances at the princess.
"How do you feel...?" Sakura's muffled voice made him jump. 'This girl sure has some element of surprise in her!' He rolled his eyes secretly.
Anyway, back to the question she asked.
"What do you mean?" Syaoran questioned back, his voice unusually... curious. This girl always intrigued him through her small questions.
Sakura's head slowly rose. Her cheeks were a tinted a sweet pinky colour, and a (somewhat) sad smile grazed her lips.
"Going on a long journey with someone that you've just met. Does it have any effect on your... ummm... life? Does it dent your trust in others? I mean-"
"Shut up." Syaoran growled, a blush coloring his cheeks as well. He looked away, now staring at a group of children playing tag in the distance.
Sakura's head ducked again.
Finding her oddly silent, Syaoran felt it again.
Guilt.
"No." He finally answered, his tone soft, but a bit gloomy.
"That's good to hear." Sakura's head arose again from her small legs, and she smiled so beautifully that Syaoran couldn't help but to blush even more.
"I couldn't stand it when I'm partnered with someone who hates me." Sakura said. "I'm sure you just dislike me, ne?" She was inquisitive, Syaoran noticed that.
'You haven't the slightest idea.' Syaoran retorted in his thoughts.
Sakura sighed to herself and turned her gaze to the geyser in front of them.
She gasped and clasped her cheeks, surprised, when an amber gem suddenly popped out of the small gem-geyser, glowing brightly. Syaoran's eyes widened in shock.
A brown light wavered from the lone gem, forcing the two royalties to close their eyes shut. Other peasants around them ran away.
"The emerald is coming!" Sakura shouted over the screeching noise produced by the protective amber gem.
Syaoran nodded, covering his eyes with his arm. His eardrums were ringing with annoyance. They're gonna burst any minute now if that high-pitched sound doesn't stop.
But thankfully, it did.
Sakura and Syaoran patted their ears and rubbed their eyes in relief. Syaoran blinked as he felt something sharp in his hand.
He choked on his breath.
The amber gem from earlier was glowing in his hand, its insides swirling like trapped fire. But the stone wasn't hot, it's just... warm.
Sakura raised her eyebrows. "That's strange. Ano, for the Amber Guardian Gem to surrender to you... you must have..." Her speech was cut short when Syaoran pointed towards the geyser.
Sakura turned around slowly, and covered her gaping mouth in shock.
An emerald was hovering above the hole, emitting a soft green light. It held a sort of innocence and fragileness in it, as if it was to break at the slightest touch.
Sakura inched towards it dazedly.
She was drawn.
Something was calling her.
And she ignored Syaoran's worried calls.
Sakura traced a shape onto the surface of the jewel absently. Then she held her palm out, as if welcoming the gem. The emerald retreated into the middle of her palm submissively.
Sakura panted as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. She stared unblinkingly at the stone in her hand, and fainted from exhaustion.
-IN A FOREST, NEAR THE XHETZUKU-
Syaoran twisted the wet clothes in his hands, rinsing out half of the water in it. He shook it a little, before kneeling beside Sakura's small form.
After Sakura had fainted, Syaoran had brought her to a nearby forest that, luckily, had a small stream running through it. The two gems were in his cloak pocket, gleaming endlessly.
Syaoran inhaled the air, sucking in the smell of cherry blossoms and peonies. He closed his eyes calmly, only opening them briefly to place the wet piece of cloth he found in Sakura's small travel bag.
He stayed like that, as motionless as a stone, until Sakura mumbled something in her unconscious state. His eyelids snapped open, fully alarmed.
"I hate you... Rikei..." Syaoran lifted his eyebrows at the name. He shifted into a more comfortable position beside Sakura, and silently listened.
"I regret trusting... you..." Her voice was soft, but sharp. Syaoran felt as if she was talking to him, and flinched at the thought.
"I thought that you loved me... but you didn't... your eyes were really set on another... Enriya..." Syaoran's eyebrows furrowed at the first line.
Now that explains the hidden pain in her eyes...
She was betrayed...
Syaoran shook his head sympathetically. But Enriya... he had heard that name before...
"And I was merely your toy..." At that, Syaoran blinked. He leaned closer.
In a soft whisper, Sakura continued.
"You played me like a puppet all that time... but once, I refused your outrageous commands... and you snapped." Then, as if she was awakened with extreme force, Sakura bolted upright, hitting Syaoran's head in the process.
She was coughing huge amounts of air, her eyes dazed and hazy. A while later, tears were spilled.
"K-K-Kino... Kinomoto?" Syaoran asked, genuine concern in his voice. His head was throbbing from the impact earlier, but he ignored it.
Sakura was staring at her drenched hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. The wet cloth on her forehead dropped onto the ground.
Again, in a whisper...
"Did you hear anything...?" Her voice was depressed and strained. Syaoran sighed quietly, and muttered a low, "Hai..."
"H-H-How much?!" Sakura turned her head to him, and gripped his arms. The prince blushed slightly at her touch.
"Umm..."
"Oh Kami-sama!" Sakura screamed and held her head worriedly. "I... I..." She stammered, looking absolutely angered and frustrated with herself. She wiped away her tears hastily, desperately trying to stop them once and for all.
"Hey." Syaoran held her cheek gently and lifted her head to look at him. This time, he didn't let go, and he smiled slightly.
Sakura's breath halted in her throat.
He was awfully cute, with his messy brown bangs falling halfway over his eyes, his smile reaching his chocolate eyes. His firm cheeks were coloured a deep pink.
His smile...
His rare, rare smile...
And now it was directed to her.
"Don't be afraid to cry." He said warmly. He was shocked at his own voice.
Sakura destroyed the barrier around her eyes and more tears shot out like water flowing from a ruined dam.
"You can tell me about it. I'll try my best to listen. And I promise I won't tease you while you're at it." Syaoran said jokingly.
He realized that his stony barricade is ebbing away slowly when he's around this special girl.
But a single-worded question hung in the air...
Why?
Sakura stared deeply into his eyes, and sobbed. "C-Can I trust you..............?" She asked shyly, her breath running normally again.
"If you want to trust me, then please do so. If you don't, however, we can return to the castle and I shall never speak of this to anyone."
Syaoran rose to leave when Sakura tugged on his tunic, signaling for him to sit down again. A small, soft smile appeared on his face, and he obeyed.
Sakura took a deep breath, and stared at the blue sky above. "It happened on a lovely summer's day..."
Flashback
Bouncy 15-year-old Sakura skipped into the palace gardens, her short honey-coloured hair swaying with the gentle breeze.
She plucked a chromium-plated Derullyus (de-ru-lius) flower and tucked it in her hair happily. The shiny, magnificent pentagon-shaped flower reflected the warm sun's rays.
Rikei was coming home from his business trip in the Quante Kingdom, and Sakura was simply overjoyed. He was her lover, and they had been together for more than two years. Rikei had been away to settle some business affairs for almost two months now, and Sakura missed him very much.
Suddenly, a servant bowed to her, dragging her attention away from her thoughts. "Kinomoto-hime, Prince Dreamon has arrived." Sakura jumped with glee and rushed into the throne room, her gaze fixed on the magenta-eyed teenager talking to her father.
"Yes, Quante had agreed on letting us use the Hywane Tunnel as a trade passage to Krixyn." He was eagerly discussing about his new trade route, which could potentially cut his journey time in half.
"Why didn't you use the Rewusar Gateway at the north of the Gumei Plains? It's much shorter, and there are many rich resources that haven't been claimed there." Fujitaka suggested, pointing out the balcony towards a huge plot of endless land in the distance.
Rikei beamed. "Ah, Fujitaka-san. Then the Dragonyte Kingdom would be discovered, ne?" Fujitaka laughed and nodded, patting the teenager's back as if he was an old friend of his.
"Rikei-kun!" Sakura jumped on Rikei, causing the brown-haired teenager to reel backwards in shock.
"Sakura-chan!" Rikei chuckled and hugged Sakura close to him. He kissed her gently on her cheeks, and Sakura blushed.
"How are you?" He asked, tracing his index finger along her jawbone. Sakura giggled. "Fine, thank you!" She chirped happily, her voice soft and alluring.
"Rikei-kun, aren't you going to unpack your things... in your bedroom?" Fujitaka said lowly, a hint of mischief in his eyes.
Rikei and Sakura blushed a deep, deep crimson.
"Otou-san!" Sakura hissed playfully. Rikei stared at his feet, and tugged on Sakura's hand.
"Come, Sakura-chan." His tone was final and demanding, and Sakura raised her eyebrows. Rikei never talked to her like that...
He looked up, and Fujitaka gasped quietly. Sakura nearly fainted.
Rikei's eyes weren't the tender magenta colour anymore, but now a much deeper shade of maroon, almost blackish.
He pulled Sakura into a rough embrace, and hauled her out of the throne room, into his bedroom.
Fujitaka's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Why had he sensed a strong power of evil lurking in the castle?
-ROYAL BEDROOM OF THE VISITING DREAMON KINGDOM FAMILY, WEST WING-
Rikei threw Sakura on his bed and nearly kissed her fully on the lips. Fortunately, Sakura had rolled over, falling to the floor. She stood up quickly.
"Rikei-kun?!" She screamed, her fists shaking by her side. "What are y-" Rikei tackled her to the floor, undoing her dress forcefully.
"RIKEI-KUN!" Sakura yelled, frightened. She squirmed as Rikei clawed on the buttons holding her dress together...
The only thing covering her vulnerable, bare body.
Rikei's nails were sharp, and it tore through Sakura's flesh like knives.
"NO!" Sakura pushed him away with all her might, and he fell on his back. She gathered her skirts, ran into the bathroom, and locked the door.
Rikei was on his feet again in a snap, pounding on the door like a madman.
"OPEN THIS DAMNED DOOR!" His voice was gruff and croaky, very un-like Rikei Dreamon. Sakura whimpered, and released her aura, clutching onto her bleeding shoulder painfully.
Then, silence rang through Sakura's ears.
She could feel a strange dark red aura attacking her weak pink ones.
"I knew that you couldn't fulfill my needs." An evil laugh concluded the wicked line.
"I could have Enriya Quante in my bed every minute of the day. You're no longer worthy to me. Plus... we had never locked lips in our two-year relationship. I would've spared you if you did..."
Sakura was shocked. Utterly shocked.
One thing she knew... this is not Rikei.
"Rikei-kun? Are you okay?" She asked, almost on instinct.
Rikei laughed cruelly. "Who asked you to care, you oblivious idiot?"
Sakura's world stopped moving. Her beloved had called her an idiot, something she desperately tried not to be.
A few seconds later, a loud 'thump' was heard, as if someone's just hit the cold floor, hard.
"You must never, ever, call our sister an idiot, you bastard."
Touya and Akira's venomous warning reached Sakura's ears.
A soft yellow light unlocked the bathroom door, and Fujitaka peered in, his brown eyes saddening as he saw Sakura.
"Sakura..." His eyes watered and he ran to hug his young daughter, his Draconysse Staff disappearing in a light yellow light.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He repeated again and again, rocking Sakura's small stiff body in his arms.
Akira and Touya stood before Rikei's unconscious body, baring their teeth in extreme anger. They were controlling their urge to beat the boy into a bloody pulp, but they had been taught the Warrior's Honour.
Never attack a fighter when he's down.
Farziilus was beside Touya, his hard, crystal arm held out horizontally.
He had intruded a sensitive part in Rikei's neck.
Safire and Cascullus had their fire and lightning beams aimed towards Rikei, but Akira stopped them from firing.
Tomoyo was crying in Nadeshiko's arms.
Kaoru was standing beside Fortia, who was leaning on Xartamus for support. Xiao and Chibi had their heads low. Mayii and Kero were fuming.
Rizurel and Artemis had their wands out, ready for any action. Lelias and Tegrel were in fighting stances.
Yukito was glaring at Rikei's pale face, which was very strange behaviour for him. Denaii shook her head with disgust.
Zerule and Rikmen were staring at Sakura in sympathy. Meiling was trying hard to calm Touya down.
Encyllis was standing in the balcony. He looked calm, but if you looked closely, angry puffs of steam were hurling out of his long nose.
Sakura? Well...
Let's just say that she was traumatized at that time.
End Flashback
Sakura cried into Syaoran's tunic, and the prince allowed her to. He wrapped his arms around her absentmindedly, laying his head on hers, and whispered soothing words into her ears.
Sakura fumbled with his tunic, playing with it as her cries turned into sobs, before dying out completely.
Suddenly, her hands gripped the Fire Horn Pendant, and she smiled.
"So, you have the pendant, ne?" Sakura voiced, and it was more of a statement than an actual question.
Syaoran blinked and gaped. The Fire Horn Pendant never responded to everyone else but him before! If someone else touches it, it would burn the person's hands severely.
"So that's why the amber came to you. You held the Fire Horn Pendant." Sakura shifted in Syaoran's lap slightly.
"Call Furrion out for me, please." She pleaded, pulling Syaoran's arm as she stood up. Syaoran had a baffled look on his face. "Don't worry, I have magic. I don't trigger the Fire Alert." The Fire Alert is when Furrion's fire 'fur' becomes real fire.
Sakura pulled out her Star Key from under her shirt and presented it to Syaoran.
The Li prince blinked repeatedly.
This frail girl has the Star Wand?!
But then... her aura is stronger... Maybe isn't as frail as he thought she is...
But... the Star Wand? She must've transformed the Clow Cards...
"I'll show you mine when you show me yours." Sakura grinned and swung her key like a pendulum, taunting her soul partner mischievously.
Syaoran's eyes twitched, and he sighed. He took a step back, and threw his pendant in the air.
What happened next was beyond magical.
The fraction of a horn hovered in the air, radiating a soft orange light. Slowly, it grew until it was at least three-quarters of a metre long. A blast of flames blazed from its blunt tip, wiggled in the air and formed a faint, moving outline of a wolf-like creature. Walls of flames encased the outline, causing Sakura to step back a bit. Syaoran had his right hand on his hip, his eyelids lazily concealing his eyes from the bright lights of the fire. Apparently he's used to everything.
The fire spun into a sort of a fiery tornado, sucking in stray leaves and twigs. It climbed into the sky, and a mighty roar shook the land.
The 'tornado' wavered like a wobbly tower of fire blocks, before crumbling like shattered rocks to the burnt ground below.
Sakura's mouth was in an impressive 'o' shape, her eyes wide.
Furrion, the fire wolf, placed a paw over his orange-red eyes, and yawned, his white, deadly teeth glinting in the faint rays of the sun.
His fire-made body touched the air, sending off warm vibes of heat.
He caught sight of Syaoran, and affectionately nuzzled the prince's ribs.
Amazingly, he was not burnt. He faintly smiled, and kissed the tip of Furrion's pointy nose. "Hello, old friend." He whispered, but Sakura heard.
She tip-toed up to them, and hugged Furrion tightly.
The wolf sniffed in her scent and howled softly. He licked Sakura's cheeks, and the princess giggled.
Syaoran watched in surprise. Furrion never opened up to anyone but close partners to the Li family. Could Sakura be...
'Well, dum-dum, she is your soul partner.'
Syaoran smacked the thought away. Sakura looked at him with an 'are-you-crazy-?' look and petted Furrion's fur.
"W-Well, now that I've shown you F-Furrion... it's your turn." Syaoran stammered. Sakura blinked, and coughed out a surprised, "Oh!" She opened her palm and the Star Key was exposed.
"Living by the book,
Dragonyte fyurenra kokuyeni yudramonne. (Dragonyte blood empowered my very being.)
I have learned to make the ancient power mine,
And I plan to use it at this very moment,
SO I COMMAND YOU TO RELEASE, DRAGANOID STAR STAFF!"
Syaoran gaped.
The Key expanded and covered itself it a bright pink light. A loud 'hrr' was heard, and a faint spirit of a red-pink dragon scraped the skies, before disappearing in a white light.
When the white fog cleared away, Sakura was leaning on a pink staff the height of her shoulders. It had a huge ring on top of it, and a transparent marble holding a small, red, curling baby dragon was in the centre. Small floating stars circled the ring, creating a bright yellow glow.
"Nice, isn't it? It replied to my Dragonyte blood, and instead of turning into the Star Staff Clow Reed-sama created, it changed into this magnificent Draganoid Star Staff. The spirit you just saw was Draganoid, the famous female warrior dragon of the War Dragons." Sakura played with the staff between her fingers as she smiled at Syaoran's awestruck face.
Furrion poked Sakura's legs with his long nose and whimpered. Sakura laughed. "Li-kun, how long has it been since you last fed poor Furrion?" She questioned Syaoran humorously.
Syaoran blinked.
Two blinks...
Three blinks...
Four blinks...
"Ano... I forgot." He bit his lower lip in an apologetic manner, shrugging helplessly.
Sakura fell over anime style, while Furrion just produced a noise that sounded closely like a sigh.
Suddenly, Pineas and Safire hovered above them, appearing out of a white portal.
"Hey, want a safe ride home? I'm worried that there'll be more accidents while you're here unsupervised." Akira yelled from Safire, and grinned. Kaoru laughed and punched him on the arm playfully.
"There's nothing funny about Gaire-chan being in the Healing Quarters." She scoffed.
She descended with Pineas, and trees around them, which were burnt before from Furrion's 'summoning ceremony', blossomed back into life.
"You scorched this place bad, ne?" Kaoru tapped Furrion's nose and smiled. Furrion growled hungrily. Akira, from above, laughed.
Syaoran raised an amused eyebrow. Aren't these people afraid of his fire wolf?
"We Dragonytes have known of mythical creatures since they first existed..." Sakura whispered to him proudly.
Syaoran nodded dumbly.
"Li-kun, come on up!" Akira invited, and Safire 'hrr'ed in agreement. Syaoran grabbed his cloak from the ground, with the gems safe in his pocket, and clambered onto Furrion.
The majestic wolf sprung in the air. Safire lowered himself a bit so that Furrion could land on him.
The wolf did.
Furrion rubbed himself against Safire's body happily.
"What's up, Furrion?" The dragon licked Furrion with his long, slim tongue. Furrion growled fondly.
Sakura noiselessly boarded Pineas with Kaoru.
As they went through a portal, Sakura couldn't help but to smile.
A burden had lifted itself from her heart.
She had learned to trust and let go.
Now, will Syaoran do the same?
Atry: Gahhhhh! Writer's block! -screams- I'm not gonna update for a while... I need to think... plus, I have my Maths test coming up and I can't afford to drop down from the highest Credit class in the whole city : (
I guess readers are now satisfied with the mystery covering Rikei, eh? And I bet you my cheese sticks that you know who that evil guy is :D Sorry for this crappy chapter, I was really straining my brain to find the correct scene... the verse Sakura chanted is mine. Who would create such a boring thing anyway? Me.
Man, I hate it when I have to write everything that revolves around Syaoran. My words get all... exaggerated. I really hate that. And I mean, really, really hate it. We're talking major detestation. I nearly puked on my trousers xD
But stay tuned, Chapter 5 will be coming in a month or so, if I get over this massive block of cheese in my brain : ) Until then, see ya around.
P/S If you want to know the progress of the chapters, feel free to visit my author's profile. I update it almost every day, as it's my personal blog for now T.T