Thanks, kim.t, islandsdreams, .x.original.star.x., .Aurorablu., youkaigirl64, Frosted BlossemZ, and Lynne102 for reviewing. This will be short for now. I'll update sooner.


Chapter IV: An Alarming Battle

The weeks training at the camp soon flew by. One day, Sakura woke early, before dawn to prepare a letter to her father and brother. With the army soon setting off towards the Eastern border, she wasn't sure when she would be in contact with them again. She wrote quickly, explaining that her training had been completed with flying colors and that all was well. She was careful not to say anything about her situation, for fear of somebody intercepting the letter.

Li too was penning a letter. He had a cousin posted in the Northern regiments that were battling the Huns.

Shang,

Answering your letter, the training here went well. I have discovered a worthy swordsman who keeps my skills honed. I know you questioned my decision of not accepting a commanding position but I felt like it would be through familial connections and not having earned it. You studied hard in school and your father personally trained you, so you rightly earned your position of Captain. I understand the soldier that you had trouble with, Ping, has actually improved. Like always Cousin, expect the unexpected. My division sets out East today. May the Gods give you luck on your campaign.

Syaoran

Syaoran sighed quietly as he folded up the letter. The regiment was actually going to the front lines to replace the battle weary and wounded. Lately though, mail carriers were being intercepted by rebels in order to learn of troop movement. They were even going through personal letters, so he couldn't tell his cousin everything. Syaoran really wanted to tell of his puzzling friend, but Shang wouldn't know what he was talking about anyways. He chuckled quietly at his cousin's last letter lamenting the idiocy of new recruits. The worst was a young soldier, Ping, who was inept at every aspect of war. He had improved by leaps and bounds apparently.

"Li?" A quiet voice interrupted his thoughts. Looking up he saw the smiling face of Kinimoto. "It's time to go," his friend said.

Riding Kero, Sakura and the whole division set off towards the East and soon began hearing sounds of battle. Gulping she tightened her sword buckle around herself and checked to make sure that her knife boot and bow and arrows were in place.

"Nervous?" Li questioned her.

"Terrified," she answered back.

He flashed a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine," he whispered to her but, suddenly looking grave, he grasped her shoulder. Sakura brushed her fingertips against his knuckles lightly.

"I know. I'll look after you and you for me. We'll see each other after the battle," she said softly. Nodding Li reined his horse closer to hers, determined to stay by his friend. A sudden bugle charge geared everyone into action. The battle was on.

Nothing in training could have prepared Sakura for what she was about to experience. Attack a stuffed dummy or even practices against Li were nothing compared to an enemy soldier wanting to kill you. She stared into the eyes of a foe, startled eyes of a boy younger than she, actually. There were both on horseback and for a moment, she could see that he was a soldier just like her. Recruited, and forced to leave his family, she guessed that he was just following orders from a leader who had a quarrel with the emperor. It was probably just a minor quarrel too. Maybe the emperor offended the leader with a careless comment, but it ended up with Sakura staring into the bewildered face of a mere child.

Clumsily the boy jabbed weakly at Sakura's shoulder. Swiftly, her training kicked in and before she knew it her sword had buried its way straight into his heart. Watching in horror she could see his eyes cloud over into death in a matter of seconds. Wrenching her sword out, she stared at the blood stained steel in her hand, and saw the boy collapse and lay unmoving on the ground. From there on, Sakura was on autopilot as she stabbed and thrust her sword at enemy soldiers. Seeing the other officers occupied in battling and none to guide the forces, she gathered some soldiers with her. She knew Li had gone off into the main body of the fray and she slowly made her way towards him.

She saw him battling the enemy leader, and with the battle light in her eyes she charged towards him. Yelling out instructions, she ordered one half of her group to circle the main body and the other half to attack from behind in a pincer movement. Li, too, was shouting orders to another group. Joining him, Sakura began to fight the leader in sword-to-sword combat. Against two experienced soldiers the rebel leader began to falter, but he still grinned in arrogance.

"For every man you kill," he called out, "ten more will take their place."

Sakura lashed out, angered that he could use his men so wastefully. "These are human lives here!" she thought angrily. She could see his smile fade though when he saw his forces being outnumbered.

Grinning sardonically Li retorted, "Maybe you don't have as many men as you think."

Roaring in fury, he glared at both Li and Sakura and sounded a retreat. Sakura could hear the cheers of her fellow comrades at their triumphant victory, and both she and Li reined their horses in pursuit of the rebels. They both lost the rebel leader across the river, but returned to tend the wounded.

Separating the major injuries from the minor ones in triage, Sakura gave bandages and water to the wounded. She could hear the calls of the men around her, especially those of the dying. Closing her eyes, she could still feel the adrenaline flowing through her but was jolted to reality by someone calling her name. A lieutenant beckoned her over, and seeing Li with him she briskly ran over. Giving him a quick salute, she listened attentively to what he had to say.

"Congratulations on nearly routing the enemy, my friends," he said. "This battle could have been much more brutal had it not been your quick thinking, the both of you," he added. "I am making you both second in command to me. Again, my congratulations." Leaving them, he instructed them to meet in the officer's tent after they cleaned up to prepare for the next battle.

Making sure he was gone from her sight, Sakura sprinted away towards the nearest tall bushes. Retching she emptied the small contents of her stomach into the grass and stumbling away she sunk to her knees. With hands shaking, she realized that her adrenaline was gone and all she could see were images of the startled boy and of the wounded. Startled she began to weep quietly until she felt a warm hand rub her back in small circles. Looking up she was surprised to see Li there, quietly comforting her.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why is it that when I kill a boy even younger than me, that I get promoted to second-in-command?"

"Such are the spoils of war," he replied sadly to her.

All Sakura wanted to do was throw herself into his arms and bawl her eyes out, but she restrained herself to stay in her spot. She did, however, continue to cry silently.

"You killed him swiftly, did you not?" he inquired after a brief pause.

Confused Sakura nodded.

He smiled slightly. "I know that he felt no pain, and that you gave him an honorable death, Kinimoto. His family would be proud."

Sakura scoffed quietly. "He would still be alive if it hadn't been for me," she added weakly.

"But then you would not be here," Syaoran countered. "It's him or you. You knew that when you entered the battle."

"It still doesn't make me feel better," she said in a low voice. She met his eyes wondering. "How come you didn't throw up?"

He blushed slightly. "I already did while you were attending the wounded… and I also cried my eyes out," he added sheepishly. Sakura patted him gently on the shoulder in acknowledgement glad that he too felt her pain.

Helping his companion up, Syaoran gave him a stern glance. "We'll get the leader in the next battle, so we can end this bloodshed." Nodding in understanding, Sakura's face hardened and set off with Syaoran with fire in her soul. The rebel leader would pay. The next hour was spent with the other officers in devising military strategy to win the war as quickly and with as much minimum loss of life possible.

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Grignard