Reviewers
.Taters-Eh.
(I look forward to your reviews, they are always interesting and bring a lot of things into the light. Thanks for them!)
Windflight
Nanie-san
Pinaygrrl
MK
Lilrich
Shortgirl333
Stephie 23
(Maybe I'll give a double update, if I remember, on Thursday since I won't be able to update tomorrow...)
TheFicChicks2


Love of War
Chapter Four: Awake in a Nightmare

Sakura slowly opened her emerald eyes. She could hear voices around her, laughing and chatting like it was just a regular day.

But how could it be? It was war, the Kinomoto and Li were at war.

Where was she?

Sakura sat up slowly, finding that her feet and wrists were tied together in all to familiar knots.

She gasped, her eyes darting around her surroundings. She was in a camp site, tents all around her, small fires burning.

But most of all, Chinese men, the Li clan.

"Tomoyo?" Sakura hissed, trying to turn around to see where her friend was. "Tomoyo!"

"Stop it!" Tomoyo's familiar voice cried. "Let me go!"

Sakura gasped and turned around the best she could, spying her raven-haired friend standing in a small clearing on men, being shoved from on Chinese man to another.

"Tomoyo!" Sakura gasped, trying to get to her feet. She fell, her shoulder colliding painfully with the hard dirt ground.

"What are you doing?" A voice, a male voice, said from behind the girl.

Sakura turned her head and glared at the boy. "I wouldn't be this close to me Li."

Syaoran smirked from his perch on a small boulder beside her. He had a knife in his hands, and was cleaning between his nails with it, looking bored. "Am I to be afraid of that Sakura? You cant even get out of your binds."

"Go to hell." Sakura hissed. "Tell your men to leave Tomoyo alone."

"Why should I?" Syaoran asked. "She wasn't even supposed to be kept alive. Tomoyo is only alive because of me, and she is taking up space, and the men have to have some fun sometime."

Sakura gaped at him, her eyes burning with anger. "You fucking bastard! I'll kill you!"

Syaoran smirked, shaking his head and dangling something in front of her face.

Sakura gasped. "My necklace!"

Sure enough, in his hands was Sakura's Star Key, the key to the Kinomoto family power.

What was he going to do with it?

"Give that to me." Sakura growled deeply, keeping one eye on her necklace, and another on her best friend, still behind pushed from man to man like a rag doll.

"It's a pretty necklace," Syaoran observed, taunting Sakura. "I wonder if I could use it."

Sakura laughed weakly. "Only a Kinomoto can use it. Only the heir to the Kinomoto power can use it."

"So, only you then." Syaoran said flatly, slipping the necklace in his pocket and jumping off the rock, landing softly in front of Sakura and pulling her to her feet. "You may come in handy then."

"Or really?" Sakura asked sarcastically. "Well, I'd love to help."

Syaoran smirked. "I'm sure you would."

Sakura felt her cheeks heat up. She didn't like how close Syaoran was to her, she was still wearing her dress, and she could feel his leg brush softly against her bare skin, sending shivers up her spine.

"Your afraid of me." He said.

Sakura glared at him, quickly covering what he thought was fear, but was actually shock. How could he be like this? He'd been so nice to her on the island…

"You wish. Let Tomoyo go, she can't do anything to you."

"She could tell the other Kinomoto's that the Li clan is here." Syaoran suggested. "And I cant have that."

"Besides." A boy with shaggy blue hair said, walking up to the two. "I like her here."

Sakura glared at the boy, she'd seen him at the house, helping Syaoran off the ground. "Don't you go near her."

"Why not?" The boy smirked. "You can't do anything about it."

"I can to you fucking-" Sakura hissed, turning so she could slam into the blue-haired boy, but Syaoran held her back.

"Chill Sakura." Syaoran laughed. "He hasn't touched her."

Sakura didn't care, the boy had a hungry look to him. "I don't care. And don't call me Sakura."

"What should I call you then? Saku?" Syaoran suggested.

"Kinomoto." Sakura hissed.

Syaoran shook his head sadly and pushed Sakura forward so the blue-hared boy reached out and caught her. "Would you believe the mouth on this one Eriol?"

Eriol laughed, pushing Sakura back towards Syaoran. "I know! No respect for her superiors."

"Stop it!" Sakura growled, trying to fight back, but unable to because of her bindings.

The two boys went on as if they hadn't heard her.

"How rude." Syaoran laughed.

"Totally." Eriol laughed harder.

"That's it!" Sakura shouted, spying Tomoyo getting pushed into a man who put his hands in a very inappropriate place, and leaned forward to kiss her.

Sakura snapped, just like that, she snapped. One second she was getting pushed around by Eriol and Syaoran, and the next she had slammed Syaoran to the ground, grabbing his knife in her hands and cutting herself loose.

In seconds Sakura had cut her ankles free, and after knocking Eriol down, was rushing towards Tomoyo and the men.

"What the-" The man gasped, a knife suddenly appearing on his neck.

Instantly, Sakura had guns pointed at her head, at least twenty of them.

"By the time you even think of pulling the trigger," Sakura said darkly. "I will have already cut his throat."

"Stand down!" Syaoran shouted, pushing his way through the crowd towards Sakura. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?"

"No one touches her." Sakura hissed. "She doesn't deserve it. If anyone lays a hand on her, I'll kill them."

"S-Sakura…" Tomoyo gasped, tears brimming in her eyes. For all the years of being best friends with Sakura, she'd never seen the auburn-haired girl so angry and violent. And for her too.

Syaoran glared at Sakura then nodded. "Fine. No one will touch your friend."

Sakura nodded, lowering the knife from the man's neck. A small line of blood was in the blade's place.

"You little…bitch!" The man hissed, lashing out at Sakura.

"Shield!" Sakura shouted.

The man got inches from her, seconds from his hand hitting the side of her face, when he hit a barrier, and was sent flying backwards into a smaller group of men.

"What the-" A man shouted.

"She's a demon!" Another gasped.

"We have to kill her!"

"Shut up!" Syaoran shouted. "She is no demon. Only the holder of the Kinomoto magic."

Sakura glared at Syaoran. "You got it."

Syaoran took a step up to her, so close that their noses were almost touching. "How is it, that you did that? Even without your necklace."

Sakura turned away from him, folding her arms across her chest and looking away from him, refusing to speak.

Tomoyo giggled. "Careful Li. It is not wise to anger her. As you have seen."

Syaoran smirked, "I don't fear her." Then he snapped his fingers and a group of men came, seizing Sakura and Tomoyo by the arms.

"Hey!" Sakura growled.

"Don't, do it!" Syaoran hissed. "You use your magic against us like that again, and Tomoyo dies."

Sakura gasped. How the tables have turned. She didn't answer, only nodded. He would pay. Pay dearly. Once she got her necklace back, she would be able to protect Tomoyo, and get her revenge for her family.

XxXxX

Syaoran groaned, striding into his tent and angrily closing the curtains behind him. That Kinomoto girl really pissed him off. How is it, that even without her magic pendant, she had still been able to use her shield powers? What else could she do without the pendant?

"She will be my slave." Syaoran hissed bitterly under his breath. "Unless she wants her friend dead."

"Syaoran?" Eriol said, walking into the tent and bowing slightly. "What's wrong?"

Syaoran looked up from his thoughts, the haunting emerald eyes. "Nothing."

"You stormed off pretty unhappy." Eriol said, "The men have the girls tied up in the store tent. They wont be able to get away."

Syaoran nodded. "Good."

"If I may ask," Eriol said. "What was that, back there?"

"Her magic? It's what she does, she's-"

"No, not that." Eriol cut his friend off. Syaoran had always been cold blooded, never regretting an action, never flinching. And yet he had not killed Sakura, even when he had the chance. She was supposed to die anyway, so why keep her, and Tomoyo, alive? "Why did you spare her? Them?"

Syaoran felt his cheeks heat up and he quickly turned from Eriol. "Why?"

"Well," Eriol said. "We don't need them alive. Really, once we get rid of the Keeper of Magic, the less problems we will have."

"Card Mistress." Syaoran said.

"Huh?"

"Card Mistress." Syaoran said again. "That girl, Tomoyo, said that Sakura was the Card Mistress. Magic Keeper too, I think Card Mistress suits her better."

"Um…Syaoran?" Eriol smirked. "What are you doing? Why are you protecting her?"

Syaoran sighed and ran his hands, shaking, through his already messy hair. "I know her Eriol."

"Sakura?"

The boy nodded, unsheathing his sword from his hip and staring, as if in a trance, at the blade. "A year ago, you remember, I was trapped on that island for a week?"

Eriol nodded, a small smirk playing across his lips. "I know that, yes. Everyone was so worried, saying the heir to the Li clan was as good as gone."

Syaoran nodded and sighed softly. "She was on that island with me."

Eriol gaped at his friend, the news nearly floored him. "What? What are you talking about? I thought you were alone!"

Syaoran nodded. "I thought I was alone too. But last night, when I saw her, I recognized her. She said that we spent the week on the island together. And just this morning…I remembered."

Eriol nodded, waiting for his friend to continue.

"You see," Syaoran said softly, sheathing his sword. "Both our ships sank and we were the only ones to survive. I thought I could take advantage of her, get somewhere with the Kinomoto family, make our clan stronger, but she shot me."

"Sakura? That…girl…shot you?"

Syaoran nodded. "Yes. I ran, but she followed after me. I dropped my gun. After a while I hid on top of a rock, and when she least expected it…I attacked her. But I couldn't kill her, not like I'd planned to."

"Why?"

Syaoran shrugged. "I don't…know. Something about her. I tied her up and we sat in a cave for a while. She kept insisting on helping he with my arm, and so I let her use her healing powers on it. They worked, and I just didn't tie her back up."

"So you were with her…for a whole week?" Eriol smirked. "I never knew."

Syaoran shook his head sadly. "I wish I had sooner."

Flashback
"Why are we fighting anyway?" Sakura asked, leaning against the cold stone wall of the cave. The glow from the fire cast her features in shadows, making her seem almost demonic, and yet still beautiful.

"What do you mean?" Syaoran asked, it had been nearly a week with the two stranded on the island together. He sometimes thought he'd be there forever.

Though as long as it was with her, he wouldn't mind.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, do you even know the reason our families are fighting?"

Syaoran thought for a moment. Truly, he had no idea why the two families were fighting.

Sakura smiled, gazing out the mouth of the cave at the dark night sky, the stars shinning brightly.

"I don't mind being here." She sighed. "I don't mind being here…with you."

Syaoran caught his breath. "What?"

Sakura's cheeks flushed slightly as she turned her gaze away from him. "Oh…well. I don't know. You aren't as bad as you seem Syaoran, you're a good person. I like that about you."

Syaoran smiled. For the whole week he'd been on that island, he'd felt himself changing from the once cold sixteen-year-old into a caring person.

At least, he cared for Sakura.

When she had fallen a few days earlier and badly hurt her ankle, Syaoran was frantic, worried of what would become of the girl. But though she'd healed the next day, he'd still worried.

Sakura smiled at him. "I wonder how long we're going to be here though."

Syaoran nodded, a smirk playing across his face. "Yeah."

Sakura sighed and lay down on the floor, her golden hair flowing around her like a pillow. "I'm glad I'm not here alone."

Syaoran nodded. She was so close to him, he could, if he wanted, reach out and touch those soft lips.

Syaoran moved a little across the cave so he was sitting right beside her.

Sakura gasped and sat up, supporting her body with her elbows on the floor. "What is it"

The boy shrugged and cupped her face in his hands, leaning forward. "You are so beautiful."

Sakura smiled and leaned into his kiss.
End Flashback

Sakura sat, the sunlight from outside shinning in the dark tent on her, casting her body in a light glow.

She lifted her fingers to her lips, the feel of Syaoran's lips on hers still remained.

Why did he have to change?

Why couldn't he go back to being the same old Syaoran?


Okay! REVIEW!
Sorry if the language was a little bad, but they are in a war and they aren't going to be all "Gosh golly gee darn."