Chapter Five: Yakusoku no Hikari o Mezasu
("Heading for the Promised Light")
Disclaimer: I OWN CCS! There, ha! I defy you, blasted disclaimer! Muahahaha--whimper Okay, I'm sorry! I don't, I don't! I don't own CCS! I do NOT own CCS! I don't…DON'T HURT ME.
"I refuse to believe this could happen to us. Especially to my poor, beloved Sakura." Tomoyo said stiffly, yet her lip quivered every once in awhile. "It makes no sense! They were with us one minute and then they went off to race every single hillagain. We assumed they'd come back by now!"
The officer scribbled something down onto his notepad and nodded at Tomoyo. "I'm sorry that we haven't found a trace of them on the hills so far, but I'm sure we can check once more. If we again, turn up with nothing, then we'll report it as a missing person's case. Who else was with her?"
"Wait a second!" Sachiko patted the officer to indicate she needed to talk to Tomoyo. "You said they went to race on practically every single hill. Did you mean it? Even the one I specifically told everyone not to go down?"
Tomoyo shook her head. "Sakura would never…that LI! I swear if he's pushed her down it or something, I'll-"
Sachiko sighed, "If they have gone down it, then we must get there fast. If the cold hasn't gotten to them then the obstacle will have. That slope is dangerous. It's the reason it's been closed down. The resort is having trouble with ice formation as well. This is NOT good."
"Are you telling me that hill is about as much covered in snow as it is in ice?" Eriol held in his gasp.
"Even worse, there is a wild wood halfway down it that could lose even the most direction-wise people. They can also risk an avalanche. That slope is, after all, the steepest they have here." Sachiko informed. She nodded at the officer, "I think we should get everyone there. Everyone-we'll need them."
----------OH NO!-----------
"It's still dark…" Sakura moaned as she trudged behind Syaoran's weary, almost-dragged body. She rubbed her eyes again, "Why couldn't we stay back there for awhile more? I needed that sleep if we are to survive."
"If we are to survive," Syaoran corrected. "We have to get out of here before we either freeze or starve to death. It's been getting colder and my stomach feels emptier and emptier." Syaoran sighed. "Besides it says 9 a.m. on your watch and it seems to be working fine. By now there has to be a bunch of people out looking for us. At least, I hope they are."
"You know, you're right!" Sakura began, grumbling.
Syaoran smiled a bit until she continued.
"I am getting hungrier."
"You're impossible to understand!" He groaned, in disgust.
"What?" Sakura narrowed her eyes.
"I'm saying that if we get hungry enough, I offer to eat you." Syaoran smirked.
Sakura stared at him in disbelief, seeing only a bit of his smirk, struggling to walk behind him.
"You're disgusting!" Sakura kicked him softly. Well, softer compared to usual. Syaoran noticed.
"You okay?"
"Not really, I'm thinking of tender cooked chicken on a plate beside mashed potatoes and gravy. Over top of that I can't help thinking about how much I'm craving sushi as well and…BUBBLE TEA! Oh! And I want some dim-" Sakura was cut off by Syaoran's chuckle. "What?"
"You sound like Miroku talking about women…"
"I am NOT a lecher!" Sakura cried indignantly, but laughed right after.
"Ah, but you're quite a bimbo." He said.
Sakura stopped in her tracks. "Pfft!"
Syaoran looked back and grabbed her arm, dragging her onwards. "If the cold doesn't kill me or I don't stave to death, I'm sure your protests and stupid remarks will strike me down."
Sakura gave an innocent whimper, "I'm not that bad…am I?" She let Syaoran continue to pull her. Eventually, however, she was in step with him and he just held onto her awkwardly. Sakura loosened her wrist from his grip and instead let her hand slip into his.
Syaoran looked at her in surprise, but she simply smiled, "We're going to be okay, right?"
He nodded in response.
Sakura looked down at her feet as they walked side by side. She realized she was making an attempt to flirt with him at the same time. Why in the world! It was unlike her to feel those junior high butterflies again when she held a boy's hand for the first time. She had a boyfriend! What was she doing? She stared at their interlocked hands. They fit so perfectly.
Syaoran felt Sakura's hand quiver in his. He looked at her. Her eyes were hard to read and misty green. He didn't want to get lost in them as he had so many times before. Many of those times Sakura noticed and got annoyed.
"Syaoran?" Sakura's small voice trembled.
"Mm?"
"Do you have a girlfriend back home?"
It was such an innocent, but abrupt question that Syaoran almost tripped over little more than a pebble. Sakura, for once, was steady and pulled him to her in time.
He laughed, "Not really. I have a cousin who thinks I'm her fiancé. Does that count?"
"Hmm, is she pretty?"
"Uh…I don't really notice girls much, back home. But if I had to decide I'd say yes, she's very pretty. I wouldn't hesitate to say she's beautiful. Aren't all girls beautiful in their own way?" Syaoran replied, smoothly. He looked down at Sakura while he finished his thought. She was beautiful herself but he'd never tell her that.
As if reading his mind, Sakura smiled. "And what about me?"
"Well you aren't exactly a girl, are you?" Syaoran snickered.
Sakura scowled. "What's her name?"
"Meilin-and why the sudden interest?"
"I need to pass the time somehow or I'll keep thinking about my empty stomach. Might as well make friendly conversation, right? As I have totally run out of disses for now…"
"No, I think you still have plenty." Syaoran scowled back.
Sakura ignored it, "What about other family?"
"What about them?"
"Enlighten me…"
"Well, my dad died when I was still around ten or eleven. It's been awhile. My mother however, is as healthy as usual and spends most of her time trying to get all my sisters married. She's good at that. I think we're very similar-her and I-but we never really clicked. So she spends most of her time preparing the future of her daughters." Syaoran was able to tell Sakura this without hesitation. It seemed the right thing. It felt right. "I have four sisters, of course. Only two are married and one is engaged. The youngest of my sisters, well she's quite a piece of work…she even has a boyfriend, but refuses to marry him until-well, I don't really know why she isn't! I never really thought about it. Anyway, they'd love you!"
"Why?" Sakura asked, smiling warmly.
"They're crazy like that."
"Hey!" Sakura protested.
"I also have the elders…"
"Who?" Sakura's ears pricked at the mention.
"They are the oldest of the Li family. Well, the oldest men of the Li family. Our family is huge, and although our line is the 'direct' one from our oldest ancestor, Clow Reed, we need to be ensured as the rightful inheritor of the wealth of the Li family that has been passed down for ages. They make the biggest decisions, you could say. Or approve ours." Syaoran smiled. "I've already made sure my sisters are well off with their husbands or husbands to be. Everything is going well for me, you could say."
"What happens after they're all married?" Sakura had to ask.
"I suppose I will have to find myself a wife and support my mother, despite her independence. The male role is eminent in the Li family. I have to at least seem like I'm there for her just in case she breaks down or something, which I doubt, will happen. Anyway, I'll probably just end up marrying Meilin, as she wishes." He finished, honestly.
"Even if you don't want to?" Sakura leaned towards him.
"If I can't find anyone else."
"Oh," Sakura said.
"What about you? What of your family, Sakura?" Syaoran asked.
"Oh, me! Hmm, well next to Touya-my brother-Tomoyo is my only family. She's so faithful and kind. I've known her since grade school. I can't even remember my mother. It's sad, really. Nadesico was her name. She was beautiful. As for my brother, he's such a pain! But I suppose I can live with it. I mean, I have for so long. It's a good thing he doesn't live with me anymore. You'd think for a gay guy he'd be a bit more sensitive to his little sister!"
"Huh!" Syaoran's face burned red. "G-gay!"
"Yes, gay! Gay, homosexual, one who has an attraction for their own sex." Sakura replied. "I don't mind much. He really loves his best friend." Sakura laughed. "It's awkward though, 'cause I used to have a crush on his best friend. Yukito-kun is definitely a dreamy man."
"Must be." Syaoran's eyes were wide.
"It was Yukito-kun that told me I was only crushing on him and not in love with him. He told me I'd find my number one, one day, but that he wasn't that special guy. He was right. I don't know what came over me! It is still so embarrassing thinking about it. I was only just a little girl. Maybe twelve?" Sakura sighed. "I'm still looking for my number one though. I wish…it were easier."
"What about Yukio? I thought you thought he was the one…" Syaoran objected.
Sakura smiled wearily at Syaoran, "Sometimes you have to trust your heart. When I think about I think Yukio is the one. I love him, but when I feel my heart, I feel incomplete still. Syaoran, Yukio is not my number one."
You are, Sakura thought. Her face turned red, suddenly. She was flustered. What am I thinking! How could that be? This was ridiculous. She was thinking insane, unintentional thoughts.
"Your face is screwed up," Syaoran stated.
"Oh-uh-I…" Sakura's face suddenly went expressionless.
"Hmm, seems like it's always screwed up, isn't it?" Syaoran chuckled.
Sakura grunted at him.
"A horse too? I didn't think…"
"'Cause you have nothing to think with!" Sakura attacked him.
"OW!" Syaoran winced, "Get off of-"
-------------Feisty------------
"They found some broken skis and another pair of unclipped skis at the mouth of the long strip of forest, running down that slope." Sachiko informed Tomoyo and Eriol, both of whom were still sitting nervously in the chalet, with cold mugs of 'hot chocolate'.
"Does that mean that they are alive?" Tomoyo summed up the courage to ask. The hints of their trail or the path they travelled meant nothing to her. She wanted the two of them out of that forest and as soon as possible.
"Oh, Tomoyo!" Sachiko sympathized. She had to admit she was almost as worried as Tomoyo. Sachiko had grown fond of their group, particularly of Sakura and Syaoran's constant commotion-it brought the group to life. "Of course it means they are alive!" Sachiko hugged Tomoyo now, letting Tomoyo finally breaking down, discharging her fears and her tears. "It's okay, I'm sure it'll be okay. The search team using the snowmobiles has indicated that the two of them were smart enough to realize that they could keep warm inside the forest. We're all assuming they are going to travel to the outside. The most we can do is keep a helicopter on watch and wait at each forest opening, although there is only one, considering the slope aims downhill."
Tomoyo sighed, in slight relief, through her hiccups. "I've never felt such distress. I guess it's because I've known Sakura a very long time. She's like my sister and, in ways; I like to play the role of her mother. I can't lose her…"
"You won't." Eriol had finally spoken through the tears and anguish, regarding the missing tourists and their friends. "They will reach the promised light."
-----------Back to the couple------------
"My feet hurt like hell," Sakura muttered, clutching Syaoran's sleeve, as they stumbled onward.
"Complaining doesn't help!" Syaoran snapped.
"What time is it?" Sakura ignored him.
"You have a watch!"
"I'm too lazy to lift my arm…" She smiled, oblivious to Syaoran's annoyance.
"Ugh!" He grabbed her arm; "It's five past noon."
"I'm hungry," Sakura remarked, almost as lazily as she had smiled.
"I know. You've only stated the obvious one hundred times now." Syaoran's head spun with Sakura's complaints. Realizaton dawned on him, "What are you really trying to say?"
"Huh?"
"You wouldn't be telling me and asking me the same things over and over again, if you did not have something else you really wanted to ask. You're trying to say something, but it won't come out. What is it?" Syaoran said hastily.
"Stop being such a know-it-all," Sakura said coldly. "It's not like I want to tell you."
"WHAT is it?" Syaoran stopped and faced Sakura, with a solemn face.
"Do you really want to know?"
"I demand to know."
"Okay…" Sakura's face turned red. "Well, I…come closer."
"There's no one here to hear you." Syaoran said stubbornly.
"How do you know it won't echo!" She demanded.
"Nevermind," Syaoran brought his face dangerously close to hers. He found himself staring at Sakura's lips at such a close proximity. Why would his eyes do this to him?
"I…"
"Yes?"
"I-" Sakura smiled, sheepishly, but there was hint of mischief. "I have to go pee!"
"Jesus!"
------------------Poor Tomoyo-----------------
"The search crew is inviting you to wait near the side of the forest. If she comes out at the time they predict, I'm sure you are the first person she wants to see again." Sachiko grabbed Tomoyo's hand, adoringly, as a friend.
Tomoyo nodded and grabbed her jacket. She would certainly be the first person Sakura would see, as well as the last. There is honestly no hope for that idiot.
Tomoyo had calmed down since the last piece of news. She was taking it rather well, especially if they were not sure Sakura and Syaoran would make it out at all.
I'll give her a piece of a mind when that stupid woman comes out again. Stupid and cruel! How dare she? I'll never let go of her…never.
--------------Possessive--------------
"I could so do with some food right now!" Sakura looked up at the sky and clasped her hands together in prayer. "If anyone's listening up there, please, please, please-" Sakura began.
"Here!" Syaoran thrust a small pouch of truffles at Sakura.
"You brought them with you?" Sakura observed the pouch in the center of her palm.
Syaoran nodded, "I didn't want us to use them up right away so I saved them for desperation."
"Here take these two," Sakura split the four truffles that rolled out of the pouch. Sakura popped a truffle into her mouth savouring it. After she was done, she stared at her watch. "We've been walking for five hours."
"It's three?" Syaoran turned his head to her abruptly. "Are they searching for us or not?"
"Of course they are, they can't be that slow!" Sakura said hesitantly. "If we hear d helicopter or two though, I would be a bit more confident."
Syaoran sighed, miserably, "I haven't even heard a single bird chirp."
------------------Da...na...na...na!-------------------
Tomoyo was holding Sakura's purse when the cell phone rang. Tomoyo answered, unsure.
"Hello? Sakura? Where have you been? I have been calling you for an hour now!" Yukio's voice greeted Tomoyo, concerned.
"It's Tomoyo, Yukio, not Sakura."
Tomoyo explained to Yukio what had happened, what reports were given, what was happening currently and at what approximate time the search and rescue crew had the two should emerge from the forest, excluding the lost factor or sleep, except for the evening before.
"W-will she be alright? Do you know? How could they let this happen?" He replied to the blunt comments Tomoyo made.
"Only if I'm there for her, in which case I must leave you hanging. When you next get a call from this cell, it will be Sakura, not me." She replied, dryly.
"Ja ne."
Oh Sakura, please hurry up! Your foolish friends need you, almost as much as I do.
-------------------Hurry Up!-------------------
It took Sakura awhile to realize the echoing within the depths of her mind were not symptoms of a schizophrenic's mind. She knew clearly that it was Tomoyo calling to her, hoping somehow, somewhere Sakura could hear her and maybe even feel her. A pang of concern ran through Sakura's veins. Oh, she could most definitely feel her best friend's presence; in fact, she could feel Tomoyo's entire being at that moment in time.
Syaoran stared at Sakura, who had stopped walking. He wondered what had happened, because she had stopped really quite suddenly, as if something had hit her, interrupting her thoughts. Just as abruptly, Sakura grabbed his wrist and pulled him, at a run.
"We're almost there! I can feel Tomoyo!" Sakura said excitedly. She strayed from their original path, which would have led them to a side of the forest, requiring them to climb quite a ways up. They, however, did not know this. All they-Sakura-knew was that Tomoyo was outside of this horrid forest, waiting for her; wanting to wrap her arms around her best friend and her only family.
"Sakura---" Syaoran stumbled after her, forcefully.
"TOMOYO!" Sakura shouted, tears streaming down her face. Light was beginning to shine through at their feet, or the blur of their feet. "TOMOYO! Syaoran, faster! I can see the light! We're going to make it! TOMOYO!"
----------------Silly----------------
Tomoyo thought it silly that her prayers would be answered so directly. She thought she might have to endure another hour of worry and a few more complications, but oddly enough, she kept hearing Sakura's voice callings to her. At first she was completely sure it was just her imagination, but then Eriol's hand tightened around hers and she knew she was not alone in her hallucinations, or rather, reality.
"TOMOYO!" Sakura's voice rang out, louder than ever, from within the forest.
Soon after the shout, two grubby, worn out friends ran out of the forest. One was in the lead, holding the other with one hand. It was Sakura.
Sakura ran to Tomoyo, shoving herself onto her, keeping her hand around Syaoran's wrist, who was pushed here and there, still attached to Sakura.
"Thank God for you, Tomoyo! If you hadn't called, I don't know what I would have done! It was until I heard you that I realized you were on our right, while we were heading for the left!" Sakura exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that she had revealed her abilities.
Tomoyo smiled and hugged Sakura, obviously noticing her abilities, but mostly her hand clamped around Syaoran's wrist, possessively. "You need to get yourself checked."
Syaoran smiled triumphantly, "Hah."
"Well he does too! I mean we were both in there…freezing, hungry and all!" Sakura pointed at her ankle, "AND IT HURTS."
"Hmm," Tomoyo inspected. "You'll have to have that checked too."
A man from one of the snowmobiles pushed them towards one of the vehicles, for both Sakura and Syaoran to get into. He wrapped them both in a blanket.
Both Sakura and Syaoran got into the vehicle, under the blanket, holding each other.
Tomoyo smiled, worry plastered on her face, "Honestly Sakura, you could have told me you could hear my thoughts." She laughed when she saw Sakura go paler than she already was. "No worries-it is not a normal trait to have, but you must talk to a special doctor about it. I think I worry about you too much for my own good. You ought to stay out of trouble so I can relax for once."
Sakura sighed, "Thank you, Tomoyo. I love you so much!"
Tomoyo nodded and remembered something. She dug through Sakura's purse and handed her the cell phone. "Yukio called. He's worried about you. As soon as you get the chance, call him. He really needs to hear your voice again, as beautiful as it is."
"Oh, I—alright." Sakura said brokenly. A look of guilt seemed to creep up on her face, distorting her eyes and causing Tomoyo a little more grief. She was very worried about her dear friend.
The vehicle drove off and Tomoyo and Eriol stood, left behind, contemplating.
"Sakura wants to tell Yukio she doesn't love him…face to face." She decided to say out loud. "And she may not know it herself, but she will, otherwise doom herself to unhappiness."
"What are you on about?" Eriol asked, escaping from his own, simple manly musings.
"Sakura will be hurt and I'm afraid for her, Eriol."
A.N.: When I first wrote the rough copy for this fan fiction, I remember crying out in anguish at the pain in my wrist. I had hand written five chapters straight. I was a crazy child during my boring, eventless summer. That's what happens when I do not travel, which I usually do every other year. Unfortunate, how that won't happen this summer…well it's not very probable, anyway, as I'll be preparing myself for university and what it'll cost me. Ouchie.