Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or names of the places and monsters. They are owned by Clamp and Gravity respectively.

Chapter 4 - The Ball

In the morning, things were looking a little bit brighter. The King had sent several scouts to Geffen for more information last night. They were not expected to be back until late tonight. Sakura had no choice but to wait for them to come back, since it is too dangerous to go unprepared.

Syaoran, who had barely slept the night before, decided to take a stroll in the forest outside of Prontera, reminding himself to take a couple of deep breaths of fresh air to clear his mind. He really liked the wilderness and on this side of the Kingdom, there was also a beautiful view of the sea. He took his favorite path along the cliff, watching the waves leisurely rolling in and out and the seagulls fishing lazily. It had a calming effect. Up ahead was his favorite spot under the elder oak tree. It always provided him with a soft breeze and shade. Like an old friend, it had stood by him through the good and the bad. As he tore himself away from the lulling waves of the sea, he stopped short, seeing that someone had already occupied his favorite seat.

Sakura turned to him as she heard him approach. In silence, they sized each other up, wondering what the next course of action should be. Imagine Syaoran's surprise when Sakura scooted over a bit, showing that she was willing to sit with him. It's a start, he thought. He walked over and sat down beside her. More silence. Feeling that he must rectify this situation somehow, he turned to her. She was however, a bit shyer and looked like she was about to run but she stood her ground. He grabbed her arm, just in case. "I want to apologize for what happened yesterday. I let my emotions get the better of me. I am sorry for treating you in such a low manner. I hope you'll forgive me."

Sakura blinked. She had thought that he was going to give her a lecture or call the guards on her or something. Looking closely at his face, she could see no signs of malice. His face was sincere and he really did look like he was regretting what he had said. Her resolve to hate him had melted a little and reason melted it a little more. She needed to work well with this man if she was to save her homeland. "It was not completely your fault, your highness." Sakura started, feeling a little lighter. "I was partly to blame as well, I have also let my emotions get better of me."

"It was getting late, and I was tired." He searched her face and asked again, "You will, forgive me then?"

She nodded unable to trust herself to speak. In truth, he had hurt her feelings much more than she anticipated. It was not the first time that people have said this sort of thing to her and it never really bothered her much. She wondered how she could let a guy she just met affect her so.

Prince Syaoran, seeing her nod, could have jumped five feet into the air. The suffocation that he was feeling this morning had completely dissipated. He quickly jumped up and yelled loudly towards the sea. It had startled Sakura. Syaoran couldn't understand how his emotions could be changed so quickly. He had forgotten his reasons for not trusting her from the night before. All he could make sense of is that it is she, Sakura, who had excited this change in him. This invincible feeling that he has is swelling up inside him, making him all warm. Smiling radiantly now, he stuck his hand out.

"Friends?"

Not knowing what the Prince is so excited about but at the same time being infected with his enthusiasm, she laughed for the first time since she got here and took his hand.

"Friends."

The warmth of his hand encompassed her body, making the warning bells inside her head ring furiously. These bells however were not heard because at that time, Syaoran was so happy, he entreated her to jump off the cliff with him and swim. Without even waiting for her answer, he picked her up in his arms and jumped. She had, just at that moment, forgotten everything except the part about plummeting down to the sea. Clinging on to Prince Syaoran for her dear life, Sakura couldn't help but scream at him.

"You're crazy! We're gonna DIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!"

But he just laughed and held on to her tightly. Feeling her arms tightening around him, he looked at her. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he whispered into her ear. "Trust me."

They hit the water and went under. Sakura was the first to break the surface, gasping for air. Treading hard, she looked around for Syaoran. She couldn't see him anywhere. Panic stricken, she decided to go under to look for him. She counted to three under her breath and went down. She sank for a couple of centimetres when something her dress had caught on to something. She struggled with it, but it did not budge. Funny, she thought, she didn't remember seeing anything that could ensnare her dress. With no other option in mind, she went back up. Breaking the surface for a second time, she was surprised to see it was Syaoran who was holding her dress.

"Did you lose something?" He grinned.

"You, you freak!" Sakura socked him one in the stomach, but because it was under the sea, the punch didn't carry any weight. "I thought you were in trouble when you didn't surface after a while!"

This had made Syaoran even happier than when they were on the cliff. He found himself unable to stop smiling like a fool. Sakura, on the other hand, just got even more frustrated. "What's with that smile? Are you mocking me?"

Syaoran put his hands up. "No, no, I'm just happy." He was still grinning. Unable to understand him, Sakura just decided to change the subject. "How do we get back on land?" She had a right to be worried. The edge of Prontera was littered with cliffs. There was not a beach in site and there won't be one for miles.

"Don't worry," Syaoran said happily. "There's a hidden cave somewhere in these parts of the cliff which leads up to the dungeons of the castle." Syaoran scanned the cliff line. It had been a while since he was here and he had kind of forgotten the exact location of the cave. Fortunately he had spotted it a mile off and was able to appease Sakura's anger somewhat.

When they finally reached land, they were both so exhausted that they just wanted to lie down and sleep. The beach inside the cave had welcomed them with soft sands. They lay upon it now gasping for air. Being soaked to the bone, they both shivered at the soft afternoon breeze that drifted in. Syaoran knew they needed a fire or they would become ill and would be in no state to fight any monsters. He got up, no matter how much his limbs protested and went to search for wood. Feeling drained, Sakura could do nothing but watch after him. The cave wasn't entirely dark. There were reflected beams of sunlight that came in through the entrance of the cave. From what she could see, the walls were smooth with erosion. When high tide comes, this cave would fill up to the brim with seawater. The extreme changes of environment made monsters here scarce. It made this cave lonely and desolate. She clasped her hands over her key-shaped pendant. It was her only friend here. If Prince Syaoran hadn't said that there was a way up to the palace from this place, she never would have gone here. It was too lonely. She shook her head, it is not a time to dwell on the past.

When Syaoran finally did come back, all he had was bits of driftwood that probably drifted all the way here from Payon. He placed them beside Sakura and decided to go in search of some flint or matchsticks, anything to light a fire with. As he was leaving, Sakura grabbed his sleeve. "Wait. I'll make the fire." Raising her hand, her palm facing the driftwood, she muttered, "Firebolt." At once, a crack of fire shot out from nowhere and struck the wood. It wasn't long before they had a wholesome fire.

"We should take off our clothes," remarked Syaoran, he was afraid that Sakura would catch pneumonia. But the words barely flew out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying and blushed. Sakura blushed at those words too.

"What are you talking about? There's no way I'll do that here and definitely not if you're here." She wished that her face would stop blushing.

"I won't look, I promise." He said meekly.

"Yes, that's what they all say." She was sarcastic. Their bickering didn't last very long since somebody had shown up. This person was none other than Jimmy, the young page. "Prince Syaoran, Lady Sakura." He said as he saluted them in the finest manner. Syaoran was more surprised at the fact that Jimmy knew where to find them.

"I followed you since this morning, sir." Jimmy said sheepishly. "I am forever your loyal servant. Please warm yourselves with these blankets." The blankets were regarded with much pleasure as they were both freezing from their soaked clothes. "Now if you'll both follow me, the ball is to start in a couple of hours. I'll take Lady Sakura to the woman's quarters where she can be washed and dressed to be ready for the ball and sir, I'll take you to the men's quarters so that you can do the same."

"A ball?" Syaoran and Jimmy exchanged looks. The ball had been such a matter of fact thing that they had forgotten to tell her. "I can't go to a ball. I need to go and save my homeland and my princess. There isn't any time left, there are so many preparations to be made!"

Syaoran took her hand and got on one knee. Looking in her eye, he asked, "Will you please accompany me to the ball? It would mean a lot to my father." Syaoran then shook his head. "Not just my father, but me as well." Seeing that Sakura was about to protest, he reminded her of their current status. "The scouts aren't back yet. We can't do anything until they do. Since waiting will just bring more worries, why not try to relax? If we relaxing now, we can fight to the best of our abilities when the time comes."

Unable to think of anything else that would possibly get her out of this situation, she nodded reluctantly. She then found herself being whisked away to the woman's quarters for a nice hot bath. The woman who prepared it for her was very nice; they had added some rose petals and some smelling salts into the bath. It felt better than any other bath she had before. It had not completely revived her spirits, but she could feel her energy flowing through her body. "This is an amazing bath!" she complimented the old woman. "Oh, yes, Lady Sakura. The formula for this bath has been passed down the palace for generations, only a selected few can draw this particular solution as well as I." She said proudly. "That's amazing! I wish you could teach me, then I could draw it for my princess at home." The old woman smiled at her warmly, "You have a good heart Lady Sakura, I would be proud to serve under you." Sakura blushed at the high compliment she was given and felt that this was a Kingdom that would indeed be very comfortable to live in. People here were always so nice, unlike where she came from.

"Did you have a good day today?" the old woman asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Sakura blushed. "It wasn't bad..." she answered slowly.

"I'm glad for you Lady Sakura, though I am an old woman, I pray that you will listen to me with your heart."

Seeing no reason to oppose, Sakura nodded.

"No matter what happens in the future, when you're in despair, lose hope or faith in the future or the people that you love, remember this, everything will be all right"

"Everything will be all right?" Sakura gave her a puzzled look. Although the woman was making no sense, Sakura knew that she was not joking by the seriousness in her features. Her hands however, had unconsciously started squeezing the beautiful pink pendant, closing her fingers around it tightly.

"Yes, my lady sorceress. Everything will be all right. It is a spell of sorts, old magic passed down in my family for generations and generations. It isnlt a normal spell, but it does take practice to master it. But I know you can do it. You are the very one Ilve been waiting for."

Not really understanding it at all, Sakura waited in silence for some clue that will enlighten her but none came. The old woman worked in silence after that and made no more attempt to speak. When she was leaving, she turned back at the door.

"Remember, you cannot save everyone." Then she left.

---

After the bath, the ladies at the palace had given her a very beautiful white dress. The lace and the sequins were so beautifully sewn on that Sakura refused wearing it at least twice before she was finally convinced that if she didn't put it on, they would all stab her with the needles they made this dress with. Once she put that on and her hair and makeup was just 'exactly right', the words of the palace makeup artist had said, she was shown to the ball a few minutes late.

When she entered, the grand hall looked even more grand and luxurious than before. The decorations were green and blue with specks of silver and gold. The beauty of the grand hall wasn't what made Sakura wish she was born here, but the atmosphere. It was happy and cosy, like being a part of a very big family. Everyone had been very nice to her.

Prince Syaoran standing beside the throne in his rightful place had spied Sakura the minute she walked in. As he watched her interactions with the people of the Kingdom, he saw her glowing with happiness. He was kind of jealous. Why did she have to show that look to everybody else except him? With that thought in mind, he left his place at his father's side and went down to find her. King Tristram was very happy to see his son finally find someone that he wanted. Sitting in his throne, he observed his son and the people of his Kingdom with interest. A lot of maidens have crowded around Syaoran once he left. It was amusing seeing his son turn the maidens down as civilly as he could. When Prince Syaoran finally got to Sakura, the King was so happy, he clapped his hands. The grand hall darkened in an instant and a spotlight rested on Sakura and Syaoran. Then the King announced that the first dance goes to Prince Syaoran and Lady Sakura of Geffen.

When Sakura heard that announcement, her face turned green. "Dance?" she whispered weakly. Prince Syaoran who didn't realize anything was wrong, replied jokingly, "Yes, dance, you don't know how to dance, Sakura?" She kept silent with her eyes staring at the ground and her cheeks burning hot. Finally understanding the situation, Syaoran laughed. "Don't worry, I'll lead you. You'll do fine." She shook her head. "I've never done this before." She attempted to leave but Prince Syaoran held on fast. "I won't let you leave until you dance this dance with me. He grinned. The music had started and their dancing has also begun. Sakura really was a bad dancer, not even half way through the song and she has at least tripped over her own toes about three times, tripped over her own dress once and stepped on Syaoran about five times. Through all of this, Prince Syaoran just couldn't stop laughing seeing her flustered face. Sakura could have died right then and there due to the embarrassment but Syaoran wouldn't let her. "Nobody notices that you've tripped or stepped on me, I've got you. You can lean on me, okay?" She looked up at him. A grin broke out over her face; this was the second time that he has told her to rely on him. She wondered if he was going to be the one to break the record.

They were just getting into the song when a couple of guests screamed. Instantly alert, the two to them scanned the grand hall for any suspicious persons. To their surprise, it wasn't a person that was causing the commotion but a monster. Prince Syaoran froze in his tracks. The large horns and goat like face was attached to a ten-foot torso. It stood on two extremely muscular legs while its hands held a very large hammer slung over its shoulder. "A baphomet? Here?" He was completely lost for words. A baphomet was the strongest monster in all of Midgard. It usually took over parties of twenty highly skilled people to take down, and even then they were cutting it close. They were at a ball and there were innocent lives at stake. The only people who were skilled in the hall was he and Sakura and there was no way they could take care of one by themselves.

The baphomet, seemingly disoriented at first, just stood there. It wasn't soon before it started swinging and crashing his hammer on the ground aimlessly, not caring what it hit. Syaoran stood frozen staring at the frightening scene before him, unable to believe that it was really happening. "Frost Diver!" called a voice behind him, and the ground started to shake. Large icicles punctured through the surface of the marble floor heading straight for the baphomet. Prince Syaoran looked behind him and sees Sakura with her hands facing the ground as if she was pouring all of her energy into that one shot. The baphomet froze. Taking this chance, Sakura charged up her most powerful spell, Jupitel Thunder. She bit her lip as she concentrated all of her energy to the spell but pain was overpowering her.

Don't fail me now, she thought.

Syaoran looked at her with admiration. When it comes to fighting, Sakura may be the better fighter, he thought as he took up his stance and waited for the spell. But before Sakura could cast it, the baphomet broke free. The icicles, which had covered him, flew in all directions with such force that it threw Sakura to the side of the hall. Hurt by the frost diver was, the baphomet was angry and aimed his hammer at an acolyte near his feet. Syaoran quickly ran over and dived to save her. Sakura thought quickly about what spell to use and the time it took to cast. There was no spell that would help here. She was not a priestess; most of her spells are offensive and for the ones that weren't, they would not be useful at all in situation like this. All she could do was watch as the hammer crashed on top of Syaoran.

She screamed. "No!"

At her scream, the baphomet dematerialized. Sakura quickly ran towards Syaoran. They had fortunately escaped into an already made hole by the hammer before. The acolyte had gotten off with a few scratches and bruises but Syaoran was seriously injured. The young acolyte had tried to heal her saviour with her powers, but she was too inexperienced. Nobody in the palace could heal him. The King sent the young acolyte to find others who think they can help while the guards moved the prince into a private room while they wait. Then the King sent the guests of the ball home, leaving a lonely and forlorn hall to greet him.

Sakura asked to accompany Syaoran to the room and was given permission by the King to stay by his side until help arrived. When they reached the room, Sakura dismissed all the guards and closed the doors.

---

AN: To crystal tears of betrayal: Thanks for the heads up on the anonymous reviews. Did not know that at all.

Sakura li 19: Your enthusiasm has definitely infected me! Thanks!