Look at my page under news for summaries. Are stories I am thinking of starting. E-mail me your choice(s)! don't own CCS or any ideas used from Tamora Pierce's Lioness Quartet

'…..' thoughts

Chapter 8 Ever Life

Syaoran raced through the hallways toward Kami's room. Even though he knew that Kami wasn't due back from his trip till the morning, the prince felt that he'd would be there.
Then, arriving at Kami's door, he burst through.

Sakura flew back to her window. 'What the hell was I thinking? It was like my body had a mind of its own. I KISSED HIM!' As she crawled through the open window, she remembered the passion of their kiss, her cheeks burned red.
Landing lightly on the floor, Sakura recalled the FLY cad. Then she presumed to step out of the dress and shove it under the corner of her bed. She pulled out her hair and brushed it straight. Sakura pulled on a pair of slacks and began to wrap the gaze around her waist. Almost reaching her unbound breast, Syaoran raced in through the door.
Sakura stepped back in shock, she hadn't replaced any of her spells. Her false facial hair was not applied, her magical hair band that when placed into her hair concealed its length and gave her the boyish hairstyle. But most of all, her breast were exposed.
Syaoran quickly stopped as he glanced at Sakura. He face became a deep shade of red before turning right back around and out with door with slam. Sakura quickly finished wrapping herself while simultaneously chanting the spell to create the false goatee. Completing that, she pulled her long hair into a ponytail causing her hair to change.
Slipping on a shirt, Sakura opened the door. The Prince was waiting outside, a hand covering his eyes. But as he noticed a presence near him, he began to speak, "Miss, I'm sorry for…" Removing his hand from his face he saw little Kami standing before him. She smiled at his and asked why her was here and not at his party. Syaoran pushed pass her into the room, glancing into all of the accessible rooms, he ended his search.
"Where is she?" came his gruff tone.
"Who is here?" she asked the prince back, there was confusion in her tone.
He turned to face her, almost pinning her against the wall. "Kami," Syaoran's tone was husky, "I trust you with my life. But if you are hiding Sakura and not informing me of her whereabouts, I…I don't know what I'd do"
"Okay," was the reply from a shocked Kami.
Syaoran turned from Sakura now feeling stupid. Glancing at the floor in shame, he saw a dress. He held it up so both could see. It was the pink dress that Sakura had wore. He looked at Kami with anger filled eyes, "Is this not her dress"
Sakura lied, "It was one of Tomoyo's that she tried on and didn't like. She must have left it here"
He walked to her, "You are the worst liar I know." Something shimmered in his vision,
from behind Kami's head. Crossing the rest of the way to her, his placed his hand behind her nape. He pulled the shining object down.
Sakura felt her hair band being pulled from her hair and could do nothing. So slowly, inch by inch, her real hair was revealed. The false hair disappeared from her face. Syaoran finally freed all of her hair from the band and looked at her, her features enhanced somehow in the dim light. "Kami?" he whispered. Sakura nodded. "Sakura?" he said in a quiet voice.
She nodded as she spoke, "both." The prince just turned and walked out of her room.

It has bee two weeks, and the prince was avoiding Sakura still. Their friends asked why,
but neither would tell. Syaoran had told Eriol, but it wasn't as if he didn't already know. Eriol continued to beg the Prince to forgive her as they walked to class.
"Eriol," the prince stopped and turned to his friend, "Kami, no Sakura, lied to me for four years"
"I really believe that she wanted to tell you. But she probably knew that you would react this way. How would you feel in her position?" Eriol defended Sakura. They started to walk again.
"I don't know," the prince sighed, "I don't get it at all. This isn't the way I thought it would be." "Well, did you think she would be someone you didn't know? Isn't it better this way, no strange girl to fall in love with? She was your friend first." Their conversation ended as they reached the history classroom.
"Glad you boys could make it," the middle aged scholar spoke, "even if you're late." He turned back to face the whole class. Syaoran glanced at Sakura's desk. She avoided his gaze and looked intently at her book.
The teacher continued, "We shall be taking a week long trip. There shall be much learning and studying. We shall be traveling to the desert forest of Ever Life. We leave at dawn"
Then he went forward with the day's lesson.

That night before they rode out, the Prince and his close friends were summoned to a meeting with the Scholar Markus (the teacher who told them about the trip). He gathered them in the Great Library, waiting for them to settle down comfortable before speaking. Sakura, tucked down between large Eriol and the even larger Yakamazi, where she wouldn't attract notice, the teacher now dawned a strangely designed chain with a ruby pendent that hung around his neck.
"Doubtless you lads don't know why I am talking to you," he said with a easy smile. "I daresay no one's ever mentioned the Sacred Temple to you when they've discussed the trip you're taking tomorrow. He shook his dark head. "I don't think it's a good idea to take you all so close, but-well, I was overruled." Sakura was blinking as lights bounced off the ruby. The shimmering of the jewel was making her sleepy. Angry at herself, she gave her arm a strong pinch. That woke her up, "The Sacred Temple is at the heart of the forest," the scholar went on.
"In fact, the story of the forest in itself is fascinating. The forest is completely surrounded by desert. There is no water source from which the forest could survive from. Not a underground river or well. It is said that the forest lives off the souls of the un-dead." He sighed. "You won't be permitted near the Temple, of course. No one is. It is claimed to be cursed, that no mortal being returns from the place alive-especially if he's young. Stories again, told to scare children,
I've no doubt"
The man paced the room, a shadow panther with all eyes watching him. "I am certain that people have created wonder monsters for their children to fear. But that is not why I am cautioning you. There is evil power in the Sacred Temple, an immense power that dates far back in time. I don't know its nature. I have never been so foolhardy as to think of ever sending a student into there, no matter there strength. No one can fight whatever waits in there. Scholar Markus had stopped pacing; his eyes were fixed on Syaoran's. "I don't need the power of a seer to feel the evil in that place. If I dare not risk it, none of you-untrained, untried-would stand a chance. Don't venture near the Temple, under pain of death and, perhaps pain of losing your souls." He smiled, his eyes locked with the Prince's. "I know when a sword is too heavy for me to lift"
When Sakura got to bed that night, she was as puzzled as she had ever been. It looked like her teacher had dared the Prince to prove he was the Moon and get himself killed. And yet,
that couldn't be true. How could a teacher want to send their savior to certain death-would he?

The ride south was the longest and most demanding Sakura had experienced. They were just a day away from the Palace when the countryside changed. The hills were rockier. The trees were shrunken and twisted, and the ground plants seemed to fight for each drop of water they took from the earth. The ground itself was brown and dry, torn with cracks. Lizards, snakes, and the occasional rabbi looked at the rabbit looked at the riders as if they were invaders, and the sun felt ten times hotter. By the end of the second day's ride they had reached the Desert.
The close they got the forest Ever Life, the more Desert people the encountered. The Desert people were hard riders and relentless fighters. They hid their women in goatskin tents.
But all, men and women, Sakura sensed, watched the strangers with proud black eyes.
It took a week to reach Ever Life. At last the could see its green, lush forest and tall trees.
The forest looked like a stronger then any fortress she had seen. The small town is were the group was greeted.
People gathered in the streets to stare at the youth who would one day be their king. There were less then fifty people gathered, the few Desert people kept to te back of the crowd, watching in silence, the forest people waved and called to the young nobles. Syaoran and his friends returned the greeting, as relaxed as if they did this everyday, but Sakura guided Maxine between two large classmates.
The town hall is were a formal banquet began late I the afternoon. Everyone wore their finest. There were toasts and long-winded speeches. The night wore on and soon all left the hall to sleep of the effects of the wine they had drunk.

Sakura wakened suddenly, before dawn. Every nerve in her body quivered, as if she were about to take a test in the battle yards. She dressed swiftly, binding herself tight and pulling a loose blue shirt over her head. She tucked the shirt into her breeches, Then struggled to get her riding boots over her stockinged feet. Hands trembling, she buckled her sword and her dagger at her side. She didn't know why she was in such a hurry, and she didn't stop to think about it,
either. At last she was ready and slid out into the hall.
A light burned in Syaoran's room. Suddenly it went out. His door opened. Sakura, tucked into a dark niche, watched as the Prince slipped into the hall fully dressed.
"You must be crazy," she hissed as he closed his door.
His eyes searched until he found her in the shadows. His teeth flashed a grin. "Are you coming? I'm going, with or without you"
She followed, her well-used boots padding like cat feet on the floor. No one was awake down at the stables. Quickly they saddled their horses. A gold coin bought the cooperation of the large Desert Man stationed at the town gate. Together they rode swiftly to the Sacred Temple..

I said that I would have it out by Memorial day, and bam! With 15 minutes left in the day I finished. I know it is short, but I wanted to just get Kami exposed this chapter. Next chappy is going to be a big fight in the Sacred Temple. Ooooooooo... wouldn't let me log in all day. Finally worked at 11.30 on the 31st. enjoy.Till then- TheMysticWarrior