Ad: I am overwhelmed by the feedback I got from last chapter's A/N. I didn't know that some people liked this story. I kinda expected no-one would actually love this story the littlest bit; I myself have a sort of neutral love towards it… because you know, the first few chapters are from my earlier days, so they were so crappy, that sometimes when I read them again, I get a huge writer's block…

I have to let everyone know that I myself would not favour a long hiatus period for this fic. I want to get it finished and out of the way as soon as possible, but I can't ignore details and depth. But this story lacked both so far, so I'm pretty disappointed with myself.

But enjoy Chapter 14 all the same!

Disclaimer: It ain't mine, these. They're just there as a base for me to create this fanfiction. Unfortunately.

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: LeGaCy DrAgOnS :

Chapter 14: Gywaine Pearl

By Adriatic (Atruyai)

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His nippy feet trekked on a muddy carpet of pebbles, brown leaves and tiny twigs.

Clouds of hot air formed in front of his face as he strived, desperately, to accelerate his speed.

A cape of snow leopard skin flared in the air as the wearer jumped from a log into the chasm below.

Finally! I'm here! His thoughts evaporated at the sight of the tall, pink-topped tree.

Aoi Yuki landed sure-footedly on his leather boots, crouching on the ground and holding himself up with a hand to stabilize his panting body. His fur scarf covered his mouth and nose from the dust as he rose slowly.

He has quite an average height for a twenty-year-old, measuring 5 foot and a half in his tall brown leather boots. His unique light blue hair - falling straight over his dark blue eyes, covering them in places - shone in the brief spots where the sun's rays seeped through the thick, leafy branches of the tree in the forests of the Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary is a safe, holy place where wildlife seek shelter to escape the perilous dangers of Wedromone. It is powered by the mana flowing from the Cherry Dragon Tree, housing all the different kinds of animals who otherwise would be killed in the wilds. The Sanctuary is an immeasurable space on the west of the continent of Wedromone, and consists of the Cherry Fields, the Draganoic Lake, the historical Temple of Elements, a magical cluster of caves once occupied by dragons and the beautiful ranges of the Hidyleann (Hai-di-leyan) Mountains.

Aoi touched the deep wound on the right side of his stomach, trickling with blood. "Sono chi wa akai desu…" (Meaning, "This blood is red…") He murmured as he winced and glared at the injury for rendering him so powerless. He had never felt so weak in his entire life. It's pathetic, he seethed in his thoughts, making his way slowly to the Cherry Dragon Tree.

His newborn clan - the Snow Trekkers - were one of the five hidden clans spread out within the borders of the Sanctuary. His particular tribe was the newest, having been found just 70 years ago in the freezing peak of the highest mountain in the Hidyleann range. Aoi was a direct descendant of the founder of his kinfolk, a snow elemental (an experimental element created by the gods by accident) strangely named Rin Yuki. (Rin is a kind of sound you make when you hold something that is cold to the touch. Usually used in mangas)

The elemental wed a mortal, and a renegade youth was spurned in their marriage bed. Half-elemental and half-human, Aoi was cast aside from his other human or elemental companions, just so that his mind wouldn't be polluted with the nonsense of human intelligence or elemental stupidity.

But he knew better. They wanted him to be raised in the way heirs do. Everyday he was taught different kinds of things; democracy and tolerance, archery and swordsmanship, betrayal and truce, war and peace… but never love. His heart grew cold, and when he reached puberty, his blood turned blue. He stopped breathing, but he still lived normally. Well, as normally as you would live without a friend to hold onto.

People say that it was his elemental blood flowing into his body from his surroundings. After all, his name literally translates to 'Blue Snow'. Like snow, he never took another breath. His auburn hair, inherited from his mortal mother, turned into a light shade of blue. His turquoise eyes, a feature unique to him, turned cobalt. His attitude froze a whole lot more. He became so unruly even the clan's most fearsome warriors could not control him. His combat skills had been personally developed, and enhanced. He was unstoppable.

Until a certain date changed his life.

It was a brief winter's break from studies. He was walking through the barren woods as usual when a sight held his feet in place. A trembling woman cried over a withering rose in her hand. Below her, a small mound was visible.

A hollow grave.

A dead child…?

The woman, with her silvery-white tresses and ebony dark eyes noticed Aoi presence, and wiped her tears away with her soiled sleeve. She couldn't have been more than eighteen years old. She bowed courteously, suppressing her sobs. "Milord." She said timidly, keeping her head down. For everyone knew of Aoi's short temper, especially ignited at any disrespect paid to him and/or his 'royal' family.

Aoi took a step back in mild surprise. He had never seen such a fragile beauty around the village before. Why is she out here in the woods?

"Apologies, sire, I am preparing a grave for my dearest son." She exclaimed simply, dropping the rose in her grasp into the small chasm below her. Aoi's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Son?" His deep voice echoed in the tight enclosure of trees around them.

"Y-Yes, Yuki-tono. He has been lying in his deathbed for the whole three years of his life."

(Yuki-tono is an old way of saying 'Lord Yuki'. I think)

Aoi's mind clicked. This must be Maki Reikawa, the witch who had been the wife of a mage at fifteen. Also a half-breed, she was banished from the village when she bore the child of the mage, who died soon after. That was three years ago. Aoi never thought much about it, since he was busy with his practices. The rumour that went around the village of the ice-angel with an ethereal beauty was true. And he was facing her.

When asked, Maki talked about the magical disease of which was handed down through the mage's genes to her offspring. An evil spark feasted at the body with such gore that the victim was a sore sight to the eyes of an onlooker after a long exposure to the disease.

And the only way to cure it was to bathe in the water washed from the Gywaine Pearl.

This brings Aoi here today. He never knew why he embarked on this quest in the first place, but the best logical reason would've possibly been his pity towards the younger girl. Also, he wanted to let the boy feel the strong love of his mother, unlike him who never had a chance to grasp the concept of affection and adoration in his youth.

It had taken him three days to find this tree with his awesome magic. He needed the tree's healing magic, if he valued his life. The cherry blossom tree was protected by a labyrinth forest that surrounds it, a confusing maze of hedges and poison ivies. Aoi suspected that only magic users could find the Dragon Tree, since the exit of the maze was disguised, an invisible portal that appeared as a dead end.

The wound inflicted on him by that drunken ninja had drained most of his energy, diverting the course of his intended pilgrimage to the Gywaine Falls to the Sanctuary. Red blood looked strange to him now. He was so used to seeing blue, that his eyes were vastly 'blind' to other colours. Red struck him as a powerful colour now.

Now, he thanked the Angels for blessing him with magic, as that alone has extended his stamina so that he could go on for nearly a month without dying, despite the heavy blow he endured.

Logic never existed in Wedromone, by the way.

The half-bred swiftly hugged the tree's glowing trunk with an arm, while the other kept a firm hold on his gash. He placed his forehead on the rough bark of the tree, muttering incantations under his breath. His body weighed him down to his knees, and breathing came as a chore.

He had to keep living. He had to keep living.

He just had to.

For Maki.

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"It appears that this is a labyrinth." Vyclae muttered uneasily as Sakura and Syaoran stood hand-in-hand beside him. Dracul towered behind them, Kero and Cera perched along the length of his neck.

Syaoran sighed. "I can see that." A slight glare, "Do we have to go through it?" He asked, starting to sweat. He felt a dangerous aura in the areas ahead, and he didn't like it. Kero sat on his shoulder and crossed his legs.

"Lemme see… this is the Sanctuary, right?" He rubbed his round chin, "It's a place created for dragons, and I remember it. If we could persuade Dracul to just fly us to the other side…" His voice trailed off as Dracul roared.

"No!" A scratchy voice growled. It was Dracul.

It was the first time Dracul was heard to speak, even in the ears of Vyclae. The whole party was in shock.

"You can talk!" Vyclae sputtered, his pointing finger shaking. Dracul shifted from one foot to another.

"Talk? Who's talking? I don't hear anyone talking!" He mused, but realized that he had just spoken himself.

"You do know that you're in deep shit, right?" Vyclae said calmly, narrowing his eyes at his dragon. Dracul sighed – a low wheeze that contained half a roar. "Yes." He replied timidly, covering his eyes with his paws.

"Just checking." Vyclae turned back to the entrance of the labyrinth. "Well, since Dracul is unwilling… I guess we'll have to go through the hard way." He snapped his fingers and Dracul's wings drooped heavily. He followed obediently as Sakura and Syaoran tailed after Vyclae. Kero and Cera both flashed their canines at the dragon, who whimpered.

For a Shadow Dragon, he sure is a little bit on the wimpy side when accused on the spot...

"Uiji-san, where are we supposed to go? Left, straight up, or right?" Syaoran asked as the came to an intersection. Vyclae stared at them carefully. "You meant to tell me that you don't know?"

Syaoran stared back equally. "Of course I don't! I've never even been here before!" Sakura patted his hand and he calmed down a bit. He was still throwing dagger-sharp looks at Vyclae, though. The man raised a lazy eyebrow. "Can't you sense the exit? The Sanctuary's labyrinth is built to fend away weak-willed commoners. The way out of this maze is to find the exit with your magical mana."

Sakura concentrated hard. She started to glow a soft pink and her aura explored the area curiously. Clumps of her body mana were stretched eastwards, and she nodded in that direction. "There. I can sense a structural body of magical force." Dracul sniffed the air.

"I smell it too." He said in his growling voice, scratching his nose when a bug landed at the tip. Vyclae shrugged. "To the right then." Syaoran kissed Sakura briefly on the lips and congratulated her charmingly. The seventeen-year-old princess blushed.

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The portal wasn't as grand as they thought it would be.

Well, first of all, it was just a wooden door. I mean, what's so great about a wooden door!

Secondly, it was cobwebby and rusty. Syaoran could even see a bird nesting at the top of the door, which quite resembled a huge wooden boulder.

"Are you sure this is the place, Sakura-koi?" He inquired his betrothed gently, holding her shoulders. Even the princess looked quite hazy. "Ano… I don't know… but it does hold a large ball of mana…"

Syaoran groaned silently, and patted his future wife on her head. "It's alright, beloved. Maybe this is the portal, after all." Sakura smiled up at him.

Vyclae cleared his throat. "All the loving aside," He sent a look towards Sakura and Syaoran, who flushed, "…How do we open the portal?" Syaoran looked at him with a judicious eye. He reached out and twisted the… door handle?

"Normality is absurd, I always say! Nothing's normal in this world, you know…?" He winked at Sakura and pushed the wooden door open. Vyclae's eyes narrowed to slits. "Why have I got the feeling that you're making fun of my IQ?" He growled before sauntering out of the labyrinth, Syaoran shrugging behind him. "Maybe it's because you do behavea bit like a moron to me." The hilt of Vyclae's sword met with his head. "Shut up!"

Sakura, Kero, Cera and Dracul sweatdropped.

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The group walked into a large clearing with a strange sakura tree in the middle. Its trunk was shaped like a dragon, the branches reaching out for the blue sky above. Sakura flowers were blooming prettily on the thin hands of the huge tree, emphasizing its greatness.

Sakura sat back in awe as Vyclae took out a brush and cleaned Dracul's dirty scales. Syaoran approached the tree carefully.

"Let me guess: this is the Cherry Dragon Tree?" He exclaimed, stroking the surface of the Chinese dragon-shaped tree in front of him. Suddenly, his hands radiated an ominous emerald green light. It surged into his arms, up his elbows and into the regions of his heart.

Syaoran screamed in pain. Sakura ran up to him, trying to support his body, but she was knocked back by a green, translucent shield. If she was not mistaken, there was a pair of eyes watching her from the thin shield.

Vyclae pulled Sakura back and brought her to a safer place, a bit far off from where Syaoran was screeching. Sakura fought for control. "NO! SYAORAN-KUN!" She yelled, watching in despair as her love thrashed about violently, as if possessed.

"Calm down, princess! It's just the passing ritual! The dragon is trying to seal the bond by testing Li-kun's strength and endurance!" Vyclae hugged Sakura to his chest and shielded her from the frightening blasts of lights the shield was firing to its surroundings.

Syaoran threw his head back and desperately called Sakura's name. As soon as the word left his mouth, the shield crumbled into the ground, and accumulated to form a fearsome dragon, bigger than Dracul.

There were three horns on its long nose, each decreasing in size the further down it was. The neck was spotted with protruding scales, sharp enough to cut through rock. Its body shone a deep green in the sunlight, and its wings were at least 7 metres in length. The claws were elegantly curved, buried into the soil as the extensive tail swung its mace-like tip about.

"You, who summoned me." He dipped his head to regard Syaoran pointedly. "Are you Syaoran Li, prince of the Li empire?" Syaoran nodded, a bit stunned by the overpowering size of the creature.

"You are my soul bearer. This," The dragon pointed to a strange crest on his chest, "… Is the proof of our bond. I am Jadrillix, a Draganoic War Vessel. In the earlier eras, my job was to lead the lesser 'cavalry dragons' and 'foot dragons' to the frontlines, protecting them until I receive a command for their release. I have done my job well. I accepted this prophecy with an open mind. You should too." Jadrillix flattened a stray lock of hair on Syaoran's head.

"Y-You're my soul dragon?" Syaoran squeaked, marvelling at the light touch of the beast. Jadrillix growled an affirmation. "Yes. Now, where is that idiotic messenger dragon?" He swivelled his head around until his eyes rested on Dracul. His wings expanded threateningly.

"A Shadow Dragon! PROTECT THE BEARER!" He charged towards Dracul, who reared bravely despite of his small size.

There was a bright, red light, and suddenly an old scroll met with Jadrillix's huge head.

"You block-headed war dragon!" A voice, quite similar to Sakura's, came from the Tree.

Jadrillix grunted. "Chrimzon! There you are. I thought that you were devoured by that Shadow Dragon!" He halted in his charge and turned ninety degrees to the left. Dracul, now feeling more cowardly than he actually showed, cowered behind Vyclae.

A red dragon, standing by a tired-looking Sakura, blinked. "You were waiting for me? That's very nice of you, Jadix! But really, though, me getting devoured by that… that… cub? No way. I've met bigger, more gruesome Shadow Dragons during my deliveries." She giggled, her tail wagging in the air.

"It's a cub?" Jadrillix mumbled something and apologized to Dracul, who 'eep'ed. "I want my father…!" He whined, his triangular ears drooping over his eyes. Vyclae patted his scales and whispered comforting words. "There, there, Uiji-chan's here…" He stopped as he saw something behind the bushes… blue hair?

Meanwhile, Syaoran was checking up on Sakura. He gave her some of his life energy so that her own mana is replenished. Leaf-green eyes unveiled and flashed. "S-Syaoran-kun…?"

The Li prince hugged her and kissed her pale lips for a split-second. "You big idiot! Why did you risk your life for me! You could have been killed! I told you that you need to rest after using a lot of magic finding the portal!" She scolded her tenderly, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand and supporting her body on his lap.

"Gomen nasai… ano… you were in danger… so I thought I could… I could…" She coughed and fell unconscious, her arms that were reaching up to hold Syaoran limp on her sides. "Shit! …Was my mana not enough! Sakura!" Syaoran yelled, trying to channel more mana into her body. His efforts were deflected. Kero landed on the ground beside Syaoran's feet. "Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!"

"Move." An icy voice struck the two like a sharpened spear. Syaoran glanced sideways and glared at a pale face masked with locks of blue hair. Kero's eyes narrowed into slits. "Who are you!"

Aoi snorted. "I repeat, move. Unless you want her to die." Syaoran remained reluctant. Jadrillix snarled and bit his tunic gently, and carried him away. The prince screamed obscenities, watching in terror as Aoi neared Sakura's dying body.

"Gemini's Cross!" The half-elemental suspended his hand above Sakura's face and his eyebrows furrowed. Twin rays of light entwined to form a cross and flowed into Sakura's body. The princess' weary eyelids lifted and she sat up groggily. Syaoran pulled himself out of Jadrillix's mouth and embraced her warmly. "Sakura! Sakura!" He gave her a passionate kiss, and squeezed her again.

"Don't scare me like that, love!" He whispered, running his hand through Sakura's hazelnut hair. "Stupid Sakura! Who's going to be the mistress of the Clow Cards after you?" Kero stomped his tiny feet on the ground huffily.

"Yes, Sakura-chan! If you die, I'll be bearer-less! …I think." Chrimzon earned a smack on the head from Jadrillix. "Hey! Whazzat for!"

"Your strange twist of self-acclaimed 'literature', messenger dragon."

"Don't call me 'messenger dragon', you big dolt! I have a name!"

"Like I care." The two dragons engaged in a fire-breathing duel with Dracul cheering them on. Kero and Cera sweatdropped. Syaoran was having a face-off with Aoi, who was checking his wound, now bandaged courtesy of Vyclae.

"Thank you, stranger. May I ask-" Aoi cut into Syaoran sentence as if he knew what the prince was about to ask. "I'm Aoi Yuki. Half snow elemental, half human." Syaoran considered this. "Blue Snow…? You are quite a famous bounty hunter."

"That is what I do during my leisure time. I suppose that you are a warrior, yes?"

The Li prince nodded. "What of it?"

"May you accompany me to the Gywaine Falls?" Aoi said suddenly, his head bowed low.

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Man, I'm so sorry that I took SO LONG to post this chapter up. You see, my third year exams are coming up pretty rapidly, so I had to study a lot. I took out a chuck of my study time to finish my chapters.

I also apologize for the rushed 'unlocking' event of Jadrillix and Chrimzon. I was really running out of brain power, so I did it without really thinking. I'm not really good with surprises x-x;

Kill me. I've just decided to put this story on hiatus for a month to make way for my exams :) –gives sleeping pills to Cherrysinger- Legacy Dragons will be back, don't worry.

I don't mind if no-one reviews for this chapter :D